II. BEFORE YOU READ

A. Do you know what does BA in history, BSc in chemistry, MA, MSc, MPhil, Professor, Doctor, Candidate of Science, Associate Professor and PhD mean? In your opinion, will the current system of education be popular for the next decade? Or will it change?

B. Find out the translation of the following words. Explain the difference between the underlined words and phrases:

1) a credit and a student’s record book;

2) part-time student and full-time student;

3) to repeat and to revise;

4) a term and a lesson;

5) to read to oneself and to read aloud;

6) to do exercises orally and to do exercises in written form;

7) out-of-town students and foreign students;

8) to have field-placement and to take preparatory courses;

9) undergraduates and postgraduates.;

10) a hostel and a department (sub-faculty).

C. Are exams fair or not? Tick the statements you agree with.

Are exams fair?

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

YES □ The alternative to sit-down exams is to do coursework over the whole school year. This gives students the opportunity to cheat. They can copy other people's work, for example. □ Continuous assessment isn't fair. Children who have their own room to study in and access to books and computers at home have a much better chance of success than children who don't have those things.

NO □ You might have hay fever or feel sick on the day of an exam, and so you do badly. That's unfair.   □ Exams are a test of memory. They don't test how much you really know.