9.1. Secondary education.

9.1.1. Primary education is given to children between 5 and 11 years of age. A primary school is subdivided into infant schools for children aged 5 to 7 and junior schools for children aged 7 to 11. In small country places both the infant department and the junior department may be combined under the roof of one school. In infant school (or classes) children are encouraged to read, to write in their own words, to understand and make use of numbers. Subject teaching is rare. At the age of 7 children go to the junior school where the teaching becomes more formal. About 40-50 minutes every day are spent on arithmetic. Almost an hour a week is given to work in history, geography, nature study and music. Pride of place is given to English, which may occupy from 7 to 10 hours a week.

9.1.2. Secondary education embraces children from 11 years of age to 16 years of age. The majority of educational establishments are comprehensive schools. The main advantages of the comprehensive schools are that these schools are open to children of all types of ability from the age of 11; they are large schools which give a much, wider range of subjects than smaller schools, so that teenagers can choose a course of studies ac­cording to their individual inclinations and abilities.

9.1.3. According to the National Curriculum, chil­dren at the age of 7, 11, 14 and 16 are tested. Until the year of testing schools are allowed to choose the subjects to teach and the ways of teaching those subjects. Besides, schoolchildren are given the oppor­tunity to choose the subjects to learn. The English School Syllabus is divided into Art (or Humanities) and Sciences. Art pupils study English Language and Literature, History, Foreign languages, Music, Art, Drama. Science pupils study Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics (Maths), Economics, Technical Drawing, Biology, Geography. Besides, secondary school students must do general education subjects like Physical Education (PE). The usual grading system in secondary school is alphabetical: A – excellent/outstanding; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – failing.

9.1.4. There is a wide network of further education institutions in Britain. They give students the chance to increase their theoretical background and professional training. Students may get further edu­cation after they have passed their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) or General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) exams taken at the age of 16. Further education includes sixth-form colleges and classes where stu­dents work for "A" (Advanced) level exams necessary to enter a universi­ty. It also includes colleges of further education which provide a theore­tical background and professional qualification training in nursing, accountancy, management, art, music, etc.

9.2. Tertiary education.

9.2.1. Britain has more than 90 universities. British universities can be divided into several categories. The foremost universities are the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, both founded in the Middle Ages. Scotland has institutions at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St. Andrews. Another type of university is the so-called redbrick universities — old and solid schools built in the 19th century when bricks were the standard building material. The large number of ultramodern universities that sprouted up in the last half of the 20th century are often called cement block and plate glass universities. London has its own great schools, the enormous University of London and its world-famous college, the London School of Economics.

9.2.2. Higher education can also be obtained through the Open University, founded in 1969, which offers extension courses taught through correspondence, television and radio programs, and videocassettes. It also sponsors local study centers and residential summer schools. The purpose of the Open University is to reach people who may not ordinarily be qualified for university study. In order to get higher education school leavers may hand in appli­cations to different universities. The final decision is taken by Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) which, in accor­dance with the student's results of the "A" level exams, offers a place to this or that university. The better results of the exams are the bet­ter university or college place can be offered.

9.2.3. After 3 years of studies at the university a student may get a first degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS). The first degree is usually an honors degree. The letters BA or BS are often added after the graduates' names. However, the title of a degree does not necessarily reflect the field in which the student has studied. Those graduates who want to continue their studies at the univer­sity may work for a master's degree or a doctorate. To get a mas­ter's degree a student needs one more year of study. Doctorate is the highest degree in Britain's universities. The letters "Dr" before a person's name indicate that he or she has the title of "Doctor", the highest title at the university – PhD (Doctor of Philosophy).

9.2.4. University teaching combines lectures, practical classes (in scien­tific subjects) and small group teaching in either seminars (discussion groups) and tutorials or supervisions (run by tutors or supervisors). At most universities in Britain the academic year is divided into three terms. Examinations are not necessarily taken annually. University education may be not only full-time but also part-time. Some people want to get a degree but they need only evening or corre­spondence courses. At some universities there is a department of con­tinuing education which runs four, five or even more year courses for students combining their work and education.