School & Classroom
School & Classroom — 20 high-frequency words, with pronunciation, collocations, word traps and four interactive exercises.
📌 Contents
🎯 Lesson goal
Everything you need to talk about school life 🎒: subjects, marks, exams and the instructions teachers give in class. You will also learn why English says take an exam (to sit it) but pass an exam (to succeed in it): mixing them up completely changes the meaning. 🚀
🗂️ Word Bank
Tap 🔊 to hear the British pronunciation. The IPA transcription is under each word.
📖 Words in context
The last week of school · tap a highlighted word to hear it.
It's the last week of term and everybody is nervous. On Tuesday we take an exam in maths, and on Thursday we must hand in our history essays — the deadline is at nine in the morning.
I spent the weekend at home to revise. My classmate Emma lent me her notes, because I was ill and had to be absent for three days. She always gets an excellent mark; my favourite subject is English, but maths is a disaster.
At break we counted the days: we break up on the tenth of June. If I pass everything, my school report will be the best one yet. If I fail maths, my summer will be very long.
🔗 Collocations & chunks
Words travel in groups: learn the whole chunk, not just one word.
| Chunk / collocation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| do well at school | to be successful in lessons | She does well at school. |
| get good marks | to receive high marks | He gets good marks in science. |
| pay attention | to listen or watch carefully | Pay attention, please! |
| make progress | to get better step by step | You're making good progress. |
| take notes | to write short notes while listening | I always take notes in class. |
| catch up with | to reach the level of others after falling behind | I need to catch up with the class. |
⚠️ Word traps to avoid
| English word | Real meaning ✅ | Watch out ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| attend | to go regularly to a school or class | does not mean “wait”: that is wait for |
| argument | a disagreement; a line of reasoning | not a subject of study or conversation: that is a topic or subject |
| lecture | a talk given to students at university | not something you read: that is reading |
| education | teaching and learning | not good behaviour: that is good manners |
🎚️ Register: when to use them
| Expression | Register | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Sir / Miss | British school English | how students address teachers in the UK |
| Can I ask a question? | neutral | always fine in class |
| Sorry, I don't get it. | informal | with classmates, or with a relaxed teacher |
| Could you clarify that, please? | formal | university, courses, professional settings |
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| I have many homeworks. | I have a lot of homework. |
| I passed an exam yesterday but I don't know the result. | I took an exam yesterday. |
| I frequent a technical school. | I go to a technical school. |
| I have taken 8 in English. | I got 8 in English. |
🎮 Vocabulary gym
Four ways to practise the same 20 words. Your progress is saved on this device.
Tap the card to flip it.
Tap an English word, then its meaning. Eight pairs per round.
Complete the ten sentences with the right word. The clue under each sentence will help you.
- My favourite is history.💡 something you study, like maths or art
- Check the for Monday.💡 a list of your lessons and their times
- We play football at .💡 a short rest between lessons
- The spoke to the whole school.💡 the person in charge of a school
- My lent me a pen.💡 a student in the same class as you
- I next Tuesday.💡 to sit a test (before you know the result)
- I hope I the test.💡 to get a good enough result in a test
- He was afraid he would .💡 to get a result that is too low
- I got a good in maths.💡 the number or letter a teacher gives your work
- I need to for Friday.💡 to study again before a test