Education

1. Describing status in relation to school work: Catch up (on)/ Keep up (with)/ Fall behind (in/on)

To catch up on means to review or complete tasks or assignments that you have fallen behind on. To fall behind in something means that you you have not yet done the tasks that you should have done. To keep up with means to maintain the same progress as what is expected or required.

Note: Fall behind IN or ON

“Fall behind on” is used when referring to specific tasks, responsibilities, or obligations that one hasn’t kept up with over time.

Example: “I’ve fallen behind on my emails.”

“Fall behind in” is used when referring to a general area or subject of study, indicating that one hasn’t maintained the same level of progress or achievement as others.

Example: “She fell behind in math class because of her illness.

Examples:

I need to catch up on some homework.

I’m finding it tough keeping up with my classmates.

I have to work this weekend. I don’t want to fall behind in my studies.

I have fallen behind on my project.

2. Describing Studying: Go Over/ Go through/ Read over/ Read through/ Read up (on)/ Brush up (on)/ Look up/ Stay on top of/ Keep on top of

  1. Go Over: Review or examine something quickly.
  2. Go Through: Examine or deal with something thoroughly or systematically.
  3. Read Over: Read quickly or skim through a document or text.
  4. Read Through: Read something from beginning to end in a thorough manner.
  5. Read Up (on): Study or learn about a topic, usually by reading extensively.
  6. Brush Up (on): Review or improve one’s knowledge or skills in a particular area.
  7. Look Up: Search for information in a reference source or online.
  8. Stay on Top of: Remain informed or up-to-date about something.
  9. Keep on Top of: Manage or control something effectively or consistently.

Examples:

I need to go over the class material before I do my homework.

The teacher went through the assignment with me again.

I definitely need to brush up on the last few units before my test.

I had to look up a lot of information before putting together the presentation.

I sometimes work on the weekends so as to stay on top of my studies.

I always read my essays over before submitting them.

My degree is very demanding, so I try to keep on top of all my tasks because it’s so easy to fall behind.

I read through the entire document and found lots of mistakes.

3. Describing submitting assignments, homework etc: Hand in/ Hand out/ Turn in

Hand in and turn in mean to submit. Hand out means to distribute or give something to others.

Examples:

I’ve been working on my thesis for ages.. I can’t wait to hand it in!

I have to turn in my homework on Friday, and I haven’t even started yet!

The teacher already handed out our assignments.

4. Describing Focus v Distraction: Zone out/ Drift off/ Tune in/ Tune out

Zone Out: To become unaware of one’s surroundings or to mentally disengage from the present moment, often due to boredom or distraction.
Drift Off: To gradually fall asleep or lose focus on what is happening around you.
Tune In: To focus one’s attention on a particular person, event, or situation, often by paying careful or close attention.
Tune Out: To deliberately ignore or disengage from something, often by mentally blocking it out or refusing to pay attention to it.

Examples:

My class is so boring. I regularly zone out.

My teacher was explaining how to make a 3rd conditional sentence in English but I must’ve zoned out because I can’t remember anything!

I nearly drifted off in that lecture!

My friend is going to fail if he doesn’t start tuning into our lessons.

My teacher keeps lecturing me on the correct method of solving the questions, but I just tune out to be honest.

5. Describing simplification of information/tasks: Break down

Break down means to deconstruct or simplify something, often a problem or explanation.

Examples:

My friend is really good at breaking down our class material.

I’ll ask my teacher to break the explanation down in our next class.

6. Describing quitting school/ a course: Drop out

Examples:

Sometimes I feel like just dropping out of school.. but my mum would kill me.

I actually dropped out after my first year because I really didn’t like my subject.

Many famous entrepreneurs people dropped out of university to pursue business.

7. Describing having a good relationship with your peers and teachers: Get on/ Get along

Examples:

I get on well with my classmates.

I didn’t really get along with my teachers.

8. Describing spending time with classmates: Hang out (with)/ Knock about (with)/ Knock around (with)/ Chilling (out) (with)/ Kicking back (with)

Examples:

I would hang out with my friends during break and lunch time.

I used to knock about with the sporty lads at school.

I knocked around with a small group of 5 people mostly and still keep in touch with them today.

I love chilling out with my friends in the student union.

After the tests are done, I plan on just kicking back and relaxing with my mates.

9. Describing Participating: Take part (in)/ Get involved (in/ with)

Examples:

I took part in a science competition.

I got involved with a few different sports teams.

Examiner: At what age do children begin school in your country?

Student: I think it’s either 4 or 5 for primary school students. And then for high school, they usually start when they’re 11 or 12.

Examiner: What kind of school did you go to as a child? Did you enjoy your time at school?

Student: I went to a fairly standard public school in the UK. And yea I did actually. I got on well with my teachers and had some good friends I’d knock about with. And I was also massively into sports so naturally I got involved in the school teams and took part in a lot of matches and competitions.

Examiner: Would you say you were a good student?

Student: Yea I’d say I was a fairly decent student. I stayed on top of all my work and handed in my assignments on time. I also did well in tests so yea, school was dead-on for me.

Examiner: What were your favourite subjects?

Student: My favourite subjects were definitely P.E and Art. Like I said, I was big into sports so P.E was what I looked forward to the most. And Art I found really relaxing. I actually did a lot of art at home so I’d say I was above average in the class which is always nice.

Examiner: What subjects did you not like?

Student: I wasn’t the biggest fan of Music class. I love music but the class itself was really theoretical. So that obviously made it really dry.. I’d very often just zone out.. Like we didn’t really even use the instruments! And then French class was also brutal for me. I think the way all languages are taught in my country is the problem though.

Examiner: Did you like your teachers?

Student: For the most part yea. We had some really young and fun teachers who were enthusiastic and dedicated. Most of them were able to break down the lesson content really well so it was understandable. My P.E teacher was probably the best.. but of course we got on well because I was a sports fanatic.

Examiner: Did you do any extracurricular activities?

Student: Yea I did quite a few actually. I played football, hockey and basketball, as well as competing in athletics and cross-country running. It was non-stop!

1. At what age do children begin school in your country?

2. What kind of school did you go to as a child?Did you enjoy your time at school?

3. Would you say you were a good student?

4. What were your favourite subjects?

5. What subjects did you not like?

6. Did you like your teachers?

7. Did you do any extracurricular

activities?

i) Describe a subject you enjoyed studying at school.

You should say:

● when and where you started studying it

● what lessons were like

● what made it different from other subjects

and explain why you enjoyed the subject.

ii) Talk about a school subject or activity you didn’t enjoy

You should say:

● What it was

● The reason you didn’t enjoy it

● How you felt about taking part in it

and say if you think you would have enjoyed it now

iii) Describe a teacher who has influenced you in your education.

You should say:

• where you met him/her

• what subject he/she taught

• what was special about him/her

and explain why this person/teacher has influenced you so much.

1. How has teaching changed in your country in the last few decades?

2. What role should the teacher have in the classroom?

3. Do you think computers will one day replace teachers in the classroom?

4. What makes a good student?

5. What is the difference between the way children learn and the way adults learn?

6. How can a teacher make lessons for children more interesting?

7. How has teaching changed in your country in the last few decades?

8. How do you think the education system will change in the future?

Make up a story about a fictional character using each set of words. You must integrate all of these words in the correct tense into your story.

E.g. If the set includes the following: read through, stay on top of, hand out, kick back with, the story could be something like this: “Mehmet worked very hard at uni. He would read through the teacher’s notes again and again and do extra exercises just to keep on top of his work. The teacher handed out an assignment which wasn’t due for a month, but Mehmet handed it back in within just one week! That meant that he was able to kick back with his friends for the other three weeks.”

Set 1:

Catch up on
Break down
Get along with
take part in

Set 2:

Go Through
Look up
Tune in
Get involved in

Set 3:

Brush up on
Drift off
Knock around with
Drop out

Fill in the appropriate vocabulary in the correct tense from the following list to complete the story. The words may be used more than once or not used at all.


Catch up (on)/ Keep up (with)/ Fall behind (in/on), Go Over/ Go through/ Read over/ Read through/ Read up (on)/ Brush up (on)/ Look up/ Stay on top of/ Keep on top of, Hand in/ Hand out/ Turn in, Zone out/ Drift off/ Tune in/ Tune out, Break down, Drop out, Get on/ Get along, Hang out (with)/ Knock about (with)/ Knock around (with)/ Chilling (out) (with)/ Kicking back (with), Take part (in)/ Get involved (in/ with)

Bill was a typical uni student—messy hair, late nights, and a knack for chaos. He’d started to __________(1) his coursework after skipping too many early lectures for sleep. His mate Dave kept pushing him to __________(2) the readings he’d ignored, but Bill figured he’d wing it later.

In a dull sociology class, Bill couldn’t help but __________(3), his brain replaying last night’s video game wins instead of the lecture. The professor called on him to __________(4) the week’s notes, but Bill just stared blankly—he’d lost his notebook. Desperate, he vowed to __________(5) essay writing skills before the deadline loomed closer.

Bill’s tutor offered to __________(6) the essay structure during office hours, explaining each part clearly to help him out. But Bill still hadn’t managed to __________(7) his assignments—he was too busy scrolling memes. He promised to __________(8) a rough draft by Friday, though he doubted it’d impress.

Over the weekend, Bill ended up __________(9) his flatmates, drinking some instead of studying. He even tried to __________(10) a pub quiz team, but ditched it when he realised it wasn’t “just for fun.” Another term, another mess—classic Bill.

Answers

Bill was a typical uni student—messy hair, late nights, and a knack for chaos. He’d started to fall behind in(1) his coursework after skipping too many early lectures for sleep. His mate Dave kept pushing him to catch up (on)(2) the readings he’d ignored, but Bill figured he’d wing it later.

In a dull sociology class, Bill couldn’t help but zone out/ drift off/ tune out(3), his brain replaying last night’s video game wins instead of the lecture. The professor called on him to go over/ read over/ go through/ read up on(4) the week’s notes, but Bill just stared blankly—he’d lost his notebook. Desperate, he vowed to brush up (on)(5) essay writing skills before the deadline loomed closer.

Bill’s tutor offered to break down(6) the essay structure during office hours, explaining each part clearly to help him out. But Bill still hadn’t managed to stay on top of(7) his assignments—he was too busy scrolling memes. He promised to hand in(8) a rough draft by Friday, though he doubted it’d impress.

Over the weekend, Bill ended up hang out with/ kicking back with/ chilling out with/ knocking around with(9) his flatmates, drinking some beers instead of studying. He even tried to take part in/ get involved in(10) a pub quiz team, but ditched it when he realised it wasn’t “just for fun.” Another term, another mess—classic Bill.