Introduction
In this lesson, learners are introduced to the names of some main school stages and national exams and are given the chance to compare with their country's educational system. Then they practise note-taking and speaking skills with a jigsaw reading activity based on a text about gap years from the British Council's Trend UK department and plan their perfect gap year with a partner. Finally they think about different school rules, then they imagine it is the year 2040 and write a post for their school's reunion website, telling their old schoolmates about their lives in 2040.
If you haven't had first-hand experience of the UK educational system yourself, you can have a look at these links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_Kingdom
https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum
https://www.hmc.org.uk/about-hmc/projects/the-british-education-system/
There are differences in the educational systems in the different countries that make up the UK, so bear this in mind.
Aims
- To learn vocabulary of schools and exams
- To compare educational systems
- To practise reading skills
- To practise writing skills
Age group
Young learners aged 12+ or adults
Level
CEFR level B1
Time
60–90 minutes
Materials
The lesson plan, worksheet and reading texts can be downloaded in PDF format below.