Academic vs practical education in school Glossary for IELTS
10 Education terms
This glossary can help you prepare for the IELTS writing tasks related to Academic vs practical education in school.
academic
adjective
Relating to education and scholarship.
Example: They say that academic subjects are rooted in the past, and are not useful for solving modern problems.
accumulate
verb
Gather together or acquire an increasing number or quantity of.
Example: They represent the accumulated wisdom of our ancestors down through the ages.
criticism
noun
The expression of disapproval of someone or something on the basis of perceived faults or mistakes.
Example: A criticism often heard these days is that the subjects taught in schools tend to be too academic.
curriculum
noun
The subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college.
Example: On the contrary, the curriculum should be more academic.
down-to-earth
adjective
With no illusions or pretensions; practical and realistic.
Example: Schooldays devoted solely to instruction in down-to-earth practical matters would be dull indeed.
epoch-making
adjective
Of major importance; likely to have a significant effect on a particular period of time.
Example: Lessons in the best literature of the world, and the epoch-making scientific and geographical discoveries of the past enrich our lives and make us feel that we are part of the great family of mankind.
interpersonal
adjective
Relating to relationships or communication between people.
Example: The home, not the classroom, is the ideal place to learn about home management and interpersonal skills.
practical
adjective
Of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas.
Example: My first reason is that it is the duty of parents, not teachers, to prepare their children to deal with the practical affairs of life.
solely
adverb
Not involving anyone or anything else; only.
Example: Schooldays devoted solely to instruction in down-to-earth practical matters would be dull indeed.
withstand
verb
Remain undamaged or unaffected by; resist.
Example: My second reason is that academic subjects have withstood the test of time.