IELTS Essay: Harder to Study at School

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

Many university students find concentrating on their new academic life considerably more challenging than past schooling. In my opinion, this is typically due to the altered structure of university teaching and the best solutions are to prepare and support students in the transition.

The primary cause of a lack of concentration at university is adjustment to novel ways of learning. In high school or secondary school, students fall into a set pattern of daily classes and homework assignments. This changes greatly depending on the pedagogical techniques of the university in question. Most university courses will only meet once or twice a week and the workload outside the classroom is larger and may include writing long essays and reading entire books. Students must therefore have the self-discipline to work mostly on their own and then be prepared for more rigorous discussion than they are used to with professors and other students.

The solutions to the problem mentioned above involve the activity of high schools and universities. For high school students who will be moving on to higher education, it is important that there are courses offered that roughly simulate the rigor of university. An example of this would be the AP courses on offer at most American high schools. Additionally, university professors play a key role, particularly freshman year. Professors must be patient but also strict in ensuring students understand their responsibilities. This could entail simple awareness raising related to how to manage their time effectively or clear illustrations of the standards required for academic comprehension and output in university.

In conclusion, though it is challenging for students to adapt to new styles of teaching and learning, they can be aided by empathetic teachers. The new environment will always be an obstacle and part of the importance of university is learning independently to overcome it.