IELTS Vocabulary 4

Issues of Education

Put the words in its correct place in the passage:

 

 

 

elite – divisive – potential – gifted – classless – spontaneity

cram – streaming – conventional – labelled – labelled – inferiority complex

It is interesting that in some countries which are socialist and therefore supposedly ………(a)………. , the educational system is based on ………(b)………. , which means that children are educated according to their ability, with more ………(c)………. children separated from the others. Supporters of this system say that more intelligent children will be helped to achieve their full ………(d)………. in this way and that these children will be held back if they have to share lessons with less clever pupils. Opponents of this system, on the other hand, maintain that it creates an educated ………(e)………. , a special class of ………(f)………. people who are encouraged to think of themselves as superior to the others. Similarly the others may, as a result of being ………(g)………. second-rate, develop some kind of ………(h)………. In a word, such such a system is ………(i)………. , since it creates a division between people. Another important question in education is the amount of freedom and choice children should be given at school. The conservative view is that a ………(j)………. system of strict rules is best. However, critics of this attitude say it causes regimentation, as in the army, and discourages children’s natural imagination and ………(k)………. We must ask ourselves what the purpose of education is: to ………(l)………. children’s head with facts or to encourage them to develop their natural abilities in their own way.

The answers are:

(a) classless

(b) streaming

(c) gifted

(d) potential

(e) elite

(f) privileged

(g) labelled

(h) inferiority complex

(i) divisive

(j) conventional

(k) spontaneity

(l) cram