School and university
Words for school subjects, exams and university life, the British and American terms learners meet, and the verbs that go with them.
When you need it
You need these words to talk about your own education, to understand a school or university website, to fill in an application and to follow the conversation of other students. British and American English differ more in this area than in most others, and learners meet both: British terms in textbooks and exams, American terms in films and online. This lesson gives the British word first and the American one where it matters.
Core words
At school.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| pupil | British, a child at school; student is used for all ages | The school has 800 pupils. |
| subject | My favourite subject is history. | |
| timetable | British; American schedule | We have maths first on the timetable. |
| lesson | a period of teaching; American often class | The lesson starts at nine. |
| homework | uncountable | We have a lot of homework tonight. |
| term | British school year has three terms; many universities have two semesters | The summer term ends in July. |
| uniform | most British schools have one | We wear a uniform at school. |
The stages have different names in the two countries. In Britain children go to primary school from about five to eleven and then to secondary school; in the United States the last years are called high school. The word college is also tricky: in Britain it usually means a place for students over sixteen, often with practical courses, while in the United States it is the everyday word for university.
School subjects take no article and a capital letter only for languages: maths, short for mathematics (American math), history, geography, biology, chemistry /ˈkemɪstri/, physics, literature, English, German. Maths and physics end in -s but are singular: Physics is hard.
Exams and results.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| exam | a formal test at the end of a course | The exams start in June. |
| test | usually shorter and less formal | We have a vocabulary test on Friday. |
| mark | British; American grade | She got a good mark in chemistry. |
| pass | succeed in an exam | Did you pass? |
| fail | not pass | Two students failed the test. |
| revise | British: prepare for an exam; American review | I'm revising for my exams. |
| cheat | copy answers dishonestly | He was caught cheating in the exam. |
At university.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| university | starts with /j/, so a university | She's at university now. |
| degree | a bachelor's degree, a master's degree | He has a degree in economics. |
| faculty | a group of departments; American also the teaching staff | the Faculty of Law |
| lecture | a talk to a large group | The lecture was about climate change. |
| lecturer | British; a professor is a senior academic | Our lecturer speaks very fast. |
| seminar | a small class with discussion | We discuss the reading in the seminar. |
| essay | The essay is due on Monday. | |
| dissertation | a long final piece of writing | I'm writing my dissertation on media. |
| scholarship | money to pay for your studies | She won a scholarship to study abroad. |
| graduate | verb /ˈɡrædʒueɪt/, noun /ˈɡrædʒuət/ | Tom graduated last year. |
Useful phrases
- take / sit an exam To do an exam; sit is British: I'm sitting three exams this week.
- pass / fail an exam The result: Anna passed all her exams.
- do your homework Not make: Have you done your homework?
- go to school / be at university No article when you mean the activity: My brother is still at school. American English says be in college.
- do a degree in ... I'm doing a degree in engineering.
- graduate from ... She graduated from university in 2024.
- attend lectures Formal for go to lectures: Students must attend all seminars.
- hand in To give work to the teacher: Hand in your essays by Friday.
- drop out To leave a course before the end: He dropped out after the first year.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Tomorrow I pass an exam in history.
✓ Tomorrow I take (or sit) a history exam.
Russian сдавать and Ukrainian складати mean take, while сдать and скласти mean pass; in English pass always means that you succeeded. - ✗ I learn at the university.
✓ I study at university. / I'm a student at ...
Ukrainian вчуся and Russian учусь cover both verbs, but English study describes being a student or working at a subject, and learn describes getting a skill or a fact. - ✗ I did many homeworks.
✓ I did a lot of homework.
Homework is uncountable, like information and advice; to count it, say two pieces of homework or two assignments. - ✗ I finished the university in 2022.
✓ I graduated from university in 2022.
Закінчив університет / окончил университет is graduated from; with school the British say left school. - ✗ The lector explained the topic in the auditorium.
✓ The lecturer explained the topic in the lecture hall.
Лектор and аудиторія / аудитория are false friends; an English auditorium is a large hall for an audience, and a small room is a classroom or seminar room.
Try it
- I have to ___ a chemistry exam on Friday. (складати / сдавать)
- Good news: I ___ the exam. (склав / сдал)
- Anna graduated ___ university last summer.
- We have too much ___ this week. (one word, no -s)
- The ___ spoke for an hour, and then we asked questions. (лектор)
- I'm ___ for my exams, so I can't go out tonight. (British English)