# 5. Culture: The educational system in the United Kingdom / El sistema educativo en el Reino Unido

The educational system in the United Kingdom Compulsory1 education in the United Kingdom is from the age of 5 to 16. Compulsory education is divided into primary and secondary education. Primary education is up to 11 and secondary education from 12 to 16. Primary education is taught2 in two different types of schools depending on the age of the pupils3: Infant school (from 5 to 7) and Junior school (from 8 to11). Combined Infant and Junior Schools are quite usual. After finishing secondary education you get your GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) or your VCSE (Vocational Certificate of Secondary Education) if you have chosen to learn a job, it is similar to our ciclos formativos. After getting your GCSE, in order to have access to university you must study two more years. These two extra years are called “sixth form” and after them students must pass their A-levels4 to go to university. The educational organisation is fairly similar to the Spanish system, but it has many differences regarding the subjects5 taught and the way they are taught. In general,most subjects are based on practice in a higher degree6 and the teachers are far more strict7, for example many students will never know their teacher´s first name as they say Mr or Ms followed by his/her surname. Glossary: (1) Compulsory: obligatorio (2) taught: participio del verbo teach – enseñar (enseñado) (3) pupils: alumnos (4) A-levels: equivalente a Selectividad (5) subject: asignatura (6) degree: grado (7) strict: estricto | Imagen de wikimedia de Ian Capper, bajo licencia de Creative Commons

## AV - Pregunta Verdadero-Falso

Answer TRUE or FALSE

### Pregunta 1

1.- Compulsory education is from 3 to 16 years old.

Verdadero Falso

#### Retroalimentación

Falso

Es desde los 5 hasta los 16

### Pregunta 2

2.- You have got to do A-levels if you want to study at university.

Verdadero Falso

#### Retroalimentación

Verdadero

### Pregunta 3

3.- The subjects in Spain and England are the same.

Verdadero Falso

#### Retroalimentación

Falso

Hay asignaturas diferentes y la forma de enseñarlas también es diferente

### Pregunta 4

4.- British students call their teachers by their first names.

Verdadero Falso

#### Retroalimentación

Falso

Algunos no saben ni el nombre de sus profesores ya que los llaman, señor, señora, señorita + el apellido