IB English Entrance Examination April 2015 (45 Minutes)

IB English Entrance Examination April 2015 (45 minutes)

1 Read the newspaper article below.

2 In your own words explain how this virtual school is different to a real school. What do you personally think are the advantages and disadvantages of studying at a virtual school?

New plan for Britain's first state-funded 'virtual school'

Britain’s first state-funded “virtual school” could open next year under plans to give hundreds of children disruption-free lessons without leaving their own home.

Proposals submitted to the Department for Education would see children as young as nine log in to a web-based classroom at 9.15am before receiving up to four hours of direct tuition each day.

The school – created by the Wey Education Schools Trust – will provide lessons for children aged up to 19, with around 100 pupils in each year group.

Critics warned that distance learning is a poor substitute for actual “face-to-face interaction”.

But a spokesman for the trust said that 20 per cent of lesson time is lost due to pupil behaviour, and this would be totally eliminated in the e-academy.

“Up to half a child’s day is taken up by getting to and from school as well as breaks and moving between lessons, whereas there is no such issue with a school like ours.”

Under the plans, pupils will use home computers to log into lessons using a secure “intranet” system. They will follow teachers remotely and be able to ask questions using an audio link or via an instant text messaging service.

Each class will have no more than 20 pupils, with 100 in a year group. It will initially open for pupils in Year 5 (age nine and 10) up to Year 10 (age 14 and 15). Older year groups will be added in coming years to create a sixth-form which can study the International GCSE and A-levels.

According to the school’s prospectus, children will be expected to log-in at 9.15am for a warm-up session before lessons start from 9.30am, with a full curriculum being provided. Younger pupils will finish at 1pm and older students will continue to 1.45pm.

From The Telegraph, a UK newspaper

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In your own words explain how this virtual school is different to a real school. What do you personally think are the advantages and disadvantages of studying at a virtual school?

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