Test your teacher

Hi students,
Here you have the anonymous questionnaire that you can use to test me as a teacher. Please, do it and be honest. I would appreciate your answers to change in the future :




In any case, I'll be around if you have any questions for the PAU exams or anything in general. Here you have two links to practise :
https://sites.google.com/site/grammaringwithenglish/ and http://www0.usal.es/webusal/node/28881.

What do you do for a living ?

Dear students,
Here you have some listening practice to deal with the lexis of jobs. I hope you enjoy it. (02.42)

Mistake corrections. Correct the mistakes in your essays !

Dear students, 
As you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, I think it would be a good idea for you to reflect on the mistakes you make. Let's see how it works :

- It is knowledge that a person is different to other.

- There area few things that some people can change for being better with the rest. 

- People should think what the say before to talk and not lie to your friends. 

- I think that this people don't have a personality.

- Another example of hypocritical behaviour is a person who says that he is Christian but never attend masses and never help people. 

- The government warm that smoking can kill us. 

- In my opinion, an hypocritical behaviour is the attitude that someone has when he is with other people. 

- When people tell not to smoke because it's bad for your health. 

- Also, there is hypocrisy when little kids cry. 

- It is also hypocritical to defend something about a topic, but then you don't carry out it. 

Well, did you reflect on your mistakes ? Maybe next time you won't make the same mistakes again.

When love takes over... Lyrics training

Dear students,
Those who were not in class last Wednesday have the opportunity to try this amazing tool to keep learning English with song. If you click on the picture, you will be able to work on the song : When Love Takes Over. Please, do !

Get to know the emotions of Inside Out

Now that we are seeing the lesson of personality, I thought it would be a good idea to do it with the emotions of the film Inside Out. For each video, you have a question or two that you need to answer. Are you ready ? OK, let's meet Anger first. Here you have the questions :
- When does anger appear ? What does he want ?

Now, let's meet Fear. Here you have the questions :
- When does Fear appear ? What does he do ?

Now, let's meet Disgust ! And here you have her questions :

- When does 'disgust' take over ?

Now, it's Sadness's turn ! Let's meet her and answer the questions : 
- When does Sadness take over ? 

Last but not least ! Joy  ! Here you have the questions about this joyful character !
- When does Joy take control ? - What are her qualities ?

Which one is your favourite emotion and why ? 

Saint Patrick's Day

Tomorrow is a very important day in the United Kingdom and especially in Ireland. It is Saint Patrick's Day. Today in class you have learnt a lot about this day. Here I share with you the video that we watched in class.

And now I share with you some of the interesting facts and vocabulary that we have seen today :

- Ireland is divided into two parts : Northern Ireland (whose capital is Belfast) and southern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland or Eire (whose capital is Dublin). 

- Saint Patrick (Maewyn Succat) is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in England and then he Christianized Ireland. He explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) with the well-known shamrock. 

From : http://www.markmillerhumorist.com/least-known-facts-st-patrick.html

- There will be a big parade in Dublin tomorrow,  but not only there, New York's parade is also famous and Saint Patrick is celebrated all over the globe. In Chicago, for example, you can see the river completely coloured in green !

- Remember to wear something green if you don't want to get pinched by others ! 

- The national symbol of Ireland is the harp.

From : http://www.abitofhome.ca/ireland-harp-magnet.html

- Leprechauns are very popular. They are goblin-like figures who love gold and always carry a pot of gold around. If captured by men, they can grant them three wishes. 

From : http://www.123rf.com/photo_10711921_lucky-leprechaun-with-shamrock-and-treasure.html

- The typical beer in Ireland is Guinness. It is delicious black beer brewed in the Guinness Warehouse in Dublin. You can drink a pint with a shamrock designed in its foam... Delicious ! Remember, Arthur Guinness only pays 49 pounds as a yearly rent. 

From : https://diydilettante.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/the-genius-of-guinness/

- If you want the gift of gab (eloquence), you must kiss Blarney Stone located in Blarney's castle in Cork ! It's a bit disgusting, though. 

- Ireland is nicknamed as the emerald island because of its green colour due to abundant rainfall (that will later result in lush greenery). 

Films in original version in Van Dyck ! Don't miss them !

Dear students,
once again you can watch really interesting films in original version ! I know you are having exams right now but I'm pretty sure you can manage to watch at least one of these films ! Here you have all the trailers and dates. Watch them ! Remember is 5 euros for one film and 10 euros for 3 films ! If you speak French, Portuguese or Italian you can also see some interesting films. 

The Danish Girl (29th February)

Carol (2nd March)

45 Years (8th March)

Macbeth (10th March)

The suffragettes (14th March)

Brooklyn (15th March)

The Youth (16th March)

The best composition of the month : community service

As usual, when I ask you to write essays, I like to include here a model written by you (and corrected by me) so that you learn from your classmates and improve your writing. This time I asked you to write an essay answer the question : "should community service be required of every citizen ?" I am including one remarkable piece of writing, written by your classmate Sofía Hermida Manjón. I hope you like it:

The importance of community service by Sofía Hermida Manjón (2º Bachillerato A)

Community service is something that it is nice to do but it is voluntary and most people think it is not necessary. So, should community service be required of every citizen ?

On the one hand, community service is something that does not need a lot of effort and it is an incredibly enriching experience. Helping other people can make you feel like you have something ot offer and you can increase your sense of self-efficacy. Furthermore, volunteering has health benefits because it improves both your physical and your mental health. By doing community service, you can also improve your sense of responsibility. 

However, on the other hand, community service should not be required to people having health or mental problems. It should only be required to people who are able to take care of some situations like, for example, feeding the homeless or helping the elderly.

To sum up, this voluntary work should be required to everybody who is able to do this kind of activities that community service involves, given that it is profitable both for volunteers and for the state. 

From : http://ourweekly.com/news/2013/nov/27/helping-feed-homeless-thanksgiving/

From : http://cliparts.co/community-service-clip-art

Thank you Sofía for your work ! The others : stop by to revise this composition and improve your writing ! 

Save Our World

As you know, we are currently seeing natural disasters in class. As you know, the world is in danger because of global warming, pollution and greenhouse effect. Listen to this video and answer the questions: 

1. What natural disasters are mentioned in the video ?


2. What renewable energies are mentioned in the video ?


3. According to the video, what materials can we recycle ?


4. What other things can we do to save our planet ?


Did you enjoy the video ? Then, watch it again and post a comment.

World Peace Day

As you know, on the thirtieth f January, the World Peace Day is celebrated all around the world. Here you have some interesting songs that you can listen to and sing for this day. The songs are ordered according to your level : the first one is for students of 1º ESO, the second one for students of 3º and 4º ESO, and the last one for students of Bachillerato. I include some gap-filling exercises. Listen to the video and try to fill in the gaps. Then down below you have the links to the lyrics of the three songs. 

Level 1: What a wonderful World by Armstrong

I see ______ (1) are green, red ________ (2) too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see ________(3) are blue and _________ (4) are white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred ________ (5)

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colours of the __________ (6) so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by.

I see _________ (7) shaking hands saying how do you do

But they're really saying I ________ (8) you.

I hear ________ (9)  cry, and I watched them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever _______ (10)

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world.

              Level 2 Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven

It's  ________ (1) if you try 

No hell below us 

Above us only __________(2)

Imagine all the people 

Living for _________ (3)

Imagine there's no___________ (4)

It isn't hard to do 

Nothing to kill or _______ (5) for 

And no __________ (6) too 

Imagine all the people 

Living life in _________ (7)

You may say I'm a_________ (8)

But I'm not the only one 

I hope someday you'll join us 

And the _____ (9) will be as one 

Imagine no __________ (10)

I wonder if you can 

No need for greed or ________ (11)

A _________ (12) of man 

Imagine all the people 

_________ (13) all the world 

You may say that I'm a ________ 

But I'm not the only one 

I hope someday you'll______ us 

And the _________ will live as one.

Level 3 : "Heal the world"(Michael Jackson)

There's a place in your _______ (1)
and I know that it is ________(2)
and this place could
be much brighter than tomorrow
and if you really try
you'll find there's no need to _____ (3)
in this place you'll feel
there's no hurt or sorrow.

There are ways to get there
if you care enough for the ________ (4)
make a little space make a better place...

Heal the world, make it a better place
for you and for me, and the entire human

______ (5) . There are people dying
if you care enough for the ______
make a better place for you and for me.

(Chorus)

If you want to know why
there's a love that cannot lie
love is ________ (6), it only cares for
joyful giving. If we try
we shall see in this bliss
we cannot feel fear or dread
we stop _________ (7) and start living
Then it feels that always love's enough for
us growing so make a better world
make a better world...
Chorus
And the dream we were conceived in
will reveal a joyful _______ (8)
and the world we once believed in
will shine again in grace then why do we keep
strangling life wound this earth

crucify its soul though it's plain to _______ (9)

this world is heavenly, be god's glow

We could fly so high,
let our spirits never _______ (10) in my heart
I feel you are all my ________ (11)
create a world with no fear, together we'll cry
happy tears see the _______ (12) turn their swords
into plowshares

We could really get there
if you cared enough for the ______
make a little space to make a better place...
Chorus x3
for you and for me (repeated x10)

Heal the world we live in, save it for our children (x4).

Here you have the answers to Imagine and the answers to What a Wonderful World and the answers to Heal the World.

The best composition of the month : Ed's frightening adventure

Hello folks,
Here we are again with another remarkable composition written by one of your classmates, in this case, by Pedro Cañabate Sánchez. As you know, I asked you to write an invented narrative with the title : Ed's frightening adventure. Here you have Pedro's composition. I hope you like it.

Ed's frightening adventure

Ed Williams, a zoo keeper, was used to feeding the sharks when, suddenly, one morning the sharks were not in their aquarium. This had already happened before, but this time all the sharks had escaped, which was really dangerous for the rest of the fish.

Ed ran quickly to the control centre but it was too late : sharks had spread and disseminated all over the aquarium. Unfortunately, he was the only one who knew how  sharks behave. He put on the swimsuit and started desperately looking for the group of sharks. As he moved, he was watching the damage caused.

Three hours later, Ed managed to find the sharks before the group had reached the aquarium seals. In spite of the danger, he locked the gate with his own body. Amazingly, a little shark headed for the exit and bit his leg. At that moment, other workers rescued him and locked the exit. Fortunately/luckily, the shark only broke his leg and nowadays Ed is fully recovered and he walks perfectly well. 

Image taken from Reutersmedia.net

By Pedro Cañabate Sánchez, 2º Bachillerato A.

Quite an outstanding composition. As you will see, Pedro has used a lot of adverbs of opinion and linkers suitable for a narrative and his story is both interesting and appealing. Come on ! Why don't you post a comment ?

Videos about crimes : stupid laws and The Real Hustle

Dear students,
Now that we are seeing crimes in class, I thought it would be a good idea to watch these videos about stupid crimes. Watch them and say which stupid laws are broken.

Here you have some videos about The Real Hustle. It's a programme where thieves show how they trick people to get their money while they are filmed by some hidden cameras. Here you have three short videos about the programme : the laptop scam, the speeding fine scam and the credit card switch. 

Watch the videos and answer the questions : 

1) Where does the scam take place ?

2) How many people are involved in the scam ?

3) What crime is committed ?

4) Can you explain the scam with your own words ?

5) What do the thieves get ? 

Did you enjoy the video ? Why don't you watch the rest of the videos and post a comment ?

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone !

Well, the first term has officially come to an end and your holiday period is about to begin. Although I won't ask you to do any homework over the holidays, I strongly recommend you to keep practising your English this Christmas, not by doing boring exercises but by reading, watching videos or films in original version. How can you keep practising your English and enjoy your holidays at the same time ? Here you have some alternatives : 

1) Keep reading this blog. Over the Christmas I will be uploading some posts about the Christmas holidays and Christmas traditions in Spain, England and America. You can also listen to the Christmas carols I propose in the blog and do some exercises. 

2) Read some posts of my personal blog. There you have posts about everything, some of them are even interesting ! hehe. You can also read my latest entry about animal idioms, part II. It's thequirksofenglish.blogspot.com. 

3) Practise English with songs on the webpages http://lyricstraining.com/ and videos on the webpage http://www.eslvideo.com/

4) Read short stories about Christmas online. They are quite short and interesting. If you read some of them, I will take it into account and that will count so that you can get your sandwich and a coke at the high school's cafeteria / canteen. Down below you have the links to some appealing short stories about Christmas. Come on read them ! Some of them are really really short and they include the Christmas vocabulary we've seen in class. To read them click on the links available :

a) "The Gift of the Magi"  It's a good story about generosity including:  Melchor, Gaspar and Balthazar (the Three Wise Men). 

b) "The Little Match Girl   

c) "The Mail Coach Passengers" 

d) "The Twelve Months" 

e) "Dinah's New Year Present" 

f) "The Fairy's New Year Gift" 

g) "The Little New Year"

5) Watch videos online, listen to music, watch a TV series ... : Come on ! I know you liked the video about Christmas decorations or the videos of Jimmy Kimmel. There are hundreds and hundreds of really good English videos waiting for you ! Explore the web by yourselves, listen to some Christmas carols,...

STUDENTS OF 1º ESO, REMEMBER TO ASK SANTA OR THE THREE WISE MEN FOR THE BOOK: All About Britain ! We will start reading it in January ! 

Most importantly, HAVE FUN, ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS AND RELAX. See you again on the eighth of January. 

P.S. The answer to merry Christmas in English is : "the same to you." 

The best composition of the month : Videogames

Hiya !

Last week I asked you to write a composition about the advantages and disadvantages of video games. After a hard weekend correcting all your compositions, I have decided to share quite an outstanding composition written by one of you, in particular, the one by Blanca Martín Labrador. I have highlighted some interesting expressions she used so that you can use them in your next compositions. Here it is:

Gaming : Entertainment or addiction ?

"A lot of parents think that playing video games nowadays is not profitable for their children's health. In spite of this fact, video games are not as harmful as they think. 

On the one hand, playing video games has some interesting advantages, for example, children can learn with them video games because a lot of them are educational. For children it is funny to learn in that way and easier because it is less boring than learning at school with books. Moreover, while the are playing, they are having a good time. 

However, on the other hand, these games have a downside. Besides making children learn new things, they can become addicted and a lot of teenagers often get hooked on them. Because of it, they don't go out with friends, since they prefer and need to stay at home playing with their favourite video game. In addition, it is bad for their health, given that they do not move or do any sport. The keep playing in front of the screen and this can cause sight problems too. 

In conclusion, video games are useful if you want to entertain your children, but we must be careful and cautious because they can get addicted to them. So, is it not true that there are a wide range of other methods of entertainment ? Let your children go out and play in the street !"

By Blanca Martín Labrador (2º Bachillerato A) 

Thanks Blanca for your outstanding composition. Now I will share with you some statistics about video games that you can use to introduce your compositions and a video about gaming addiction.

Extreme sports !

Dear students,
Here you have a video of extreme sports. Watch it and answer the questions:

What are people who like extreme sports called ?

Where are there rapids ? How long are those rapids ?

Why does Pass like about rafting ?

According to him, why do people like extreme sports ?

Does he consider himself as an adrenaline junkie ?

What is parkour exactly ?

Why does Rebecca like parkour ?

What do you need to do parkour ?

Let's sing ! Somebody I Used to Know

Dear students,
Here you have the song and the lyrics of the song we've seen today in class. There are some extra exercises for you to do if you want (with answers). Please have a look at the lyrics. I think that you'll love it. Listen to it again.
http://thequirksofenglish.blogspot.com.es/2015/10/songs-in-classroom-interesting-and.html

Films in Original Version in Van Dyck ! You can't miss them. Shall we go to the cinema ?

Hi !

As I told you in my email, Van Dyck cinemas will be projecting films in original version with subtitles, and you ought not to miss this opportunity to watch them, so here you can find some film information and the trailers. I'm sure some of these films are very interesting so why not go to the cinema to watch them ?

1) Irrational Man : 9th November. Woody Allen's latest film. A recently divorced philosopher starts working at a small university where he meets two interesting and troublesome women ! Enjoy the trailer 

2) Amy : 11th November. It tells the life of the greatest musical icon of the last decades: Amy Winehouse :

3) What We Did on Our Holiday : 12th November. A troublesome marriage travelling to Scotland. This is the plot of this comedy(I think so because of the trailer) :

4) Calvary : 16th November. A priest hears a startling confession related to pederasty, which is a current issue nowadays. Have a look :

5) Pride : 17th November. Set in the eighties. Miners protest against the government of Margaret Thatcher and they are forced to live with gays and lesbians. Don't miss it : 

6) A Promise : 19th November. This historical films tells a love story set in times of war, Germany 1912. Here you have the trailer : 

7) The Intern : November, 26th. A sixty-year-old man (Robert de Niro) is hired as an intern - yes an intern- of a successful company. He will have to work with twenty-year olders. 

So, now you have a plan for the three next weeks. Aren't you lucky ? Are you planning to watch any of these movies ? Which ones do you find the most interesting ? Please, post a comment to keep the blog alive ! 

English webpages to keep learning outside the classroom

Howdy!

Here I am again with yet another my interesting posts ! (hehe). This time I want you to learn some webpages so that you can keep learning English outside the classroom. You can find the links to these wepabages on the right-hand side of the blog. Here you have them. :

1. Pages to improve your listening skills: 

a) If you are an upper beginner, maybe http://www.listenaminute.com/ is your best choice. There you can find short listenings on familiar topics with easy exercises. In addition, the tapescript is provided so that you can check your answers. You can even download the listenings and listen to them on your way to work.

b) www.esl-lab.com is a a great webpage that offers different listenings ordered in three levels: easy, medium and difficult. Then, you can do multiple choise and fill-in-the-gaps exercises. You can also check the script if you need further help.

c) If you want to listen and watch at the same time, www.eslvideo.com is your best shot. You will have multiple choice exercises based on listening comprehension, but at the same time, you'll be allowed to watch funny, entertaining videos (and songs). It's perfect ! 

2. Online dictionaries:

a) www.wordreference.com is a good online dictionary where you'll be able to consult the meaning of some English words (and French, Italian and many other languages). Furthermore, you can use this webpage as a monolingual English dictionary and you can ask all your doubts in the forum section.

b) www.linguee.es is also an outstanding dictionary. What makes it unique is that you can not only look for the meaning of words, but also whole expressions. This webpage will show you the expressions in REAL contexts using different real texts. A good alternative to Google translator, don't you think ?

c) http://www.thesaurus.com/ is a dictionary for synonyms and antonyms, which is key to enhance your vocabulary. Besides, you can use it as a translator ! 

3. Grammar webpages: There are hundreds -or even thousands- of grammar-based webpages. The one I recommend you is www.ego4u.com, a webpage that displays a great deal of grammar exercises, with good explanations. It has also other sections of vocabulary and tests worth visiting.

4. Learning English through songs: As I mentioned in my post about the use of songs in the classroom, all of us enjoy English and American songs. They are a great way to keep practising our English in a motivating way. To do that, you have http://es.lyricstraining.com/. This interactive webpage will allow you to listen to a song and complete its missing words. There are different levels: beginner, medium and advanced, and you can listen to the songs as many times as you like before completing it. Why don't you have a go at it ?

5. Improve your pronunciation: Maybe you have sometimes wondered how a word is pronounced in English. If you find it difficult to understand the phonetics symbols in your dictionaries, all you can do is to type http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php and listen to a native speaker pronounce it. That will definitely clear out all your dobuts. Moreover, you can hear the word in British, Scottish or American English among others, so you'll be able to understand the different accents of English.

6. Some miscellaneous engaging exercises designed by an English teacher herself, that is what you can find in http://www.isabelperez.com/. Her exercises are varied ranging from webquests, songs and projects to grammar, reading and writing exercises. A compulsory stop in your English route.

7. Webpages to practise the reading skill: Reading is very important. The more you read every day, the better. http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/news/#.Vi-i5rerTIU offers the possibility of reading different English newspapers. www.mansioningles.com  is yet another interesting webpage for this. It also has some very good listening exercises.

8. English blogsites: Well, there are many teachers with educative blogs. For example, you can use my blog to keep learning the quirks of English and improve your reading skill on the way. Here you can also visit my educational blog, that is, the blog I'm using with my students in Calisto y Melibea high school. Anyway, blogs are a good way to keep learning English ! Don't you think so ? 

Here concludes my humble selection of webpages to keep learning English outside the classroom. Every day, more and more webpages for the learning of English spring up. Fear not, for I will be including them in the recommended links (that you can find as the right-hand side of my blog). Are there any other webpages that you use and are worth mentioning ? Please, share them in a comment. I will be pleased to include them in my post. 

School system in the United Kingdom

Hello, students of 2º Bachillerato,
To welcome you to this brandly new blog, I have written an article about the educations system in the United Kingdom. Now that we have finished the unit about education, it is high time that you learn some culture, don't you think ? Let's begin with the education system in the United Kingdom. 

Pre-school education (kindergarten - not 'kindergarden'): 3-5 year olds. This is not compulsory. Children may attend reception classes to prepare themselves for the school. This stage is sometimes referred as 'Key Stage 0'.

Compulsory education: 5-18 year olds. Formerly, Compulsory Secondary Education lasted until the students' sixteen birthday, but it has been recently extended until 18. Compulsory education is divided into five different stages, at the end of which there will a Standard Assessment Test: 

a) Key Stage 1, for students aged 5-7.

b) Key Stage 2: for students aged 7-11. This is the last stage in Primary Education and pupils leave Elementary schools and go to High Schools (or Middle Schools).

c) Key Stage 3: for students aged 11-14. This is the first stage of Secondary Education, and it is often studied in High-Schools. 

d) Key Stage 4: for students aged 14-16. Ah the end of this stage, students get a GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

e) Key Stage 5 (Sixth Form): for students aged 16-18. At the end of this stage, students must face the A-levels exams and they get the GCE (General Certificate of Education).

Tertiary Education or Higher Education: This education takes place in Vocational Schools (Vocational Training, 'FP' in Spanish) , universities, academies or colleges, where you Grade Point Average is taken into account. 

Types of school

1. State schools: Schools funded by the Local Educational Authority where students do not have to pay any tuition fees. Remember not to use the term 'public school' because this term refers to a private school. There are different types:

- Community Schools: entirely state-funded.

- Foundation Schools: State-funded but the governing body of the school has some responsibilities in decision-taking. 

- Academy Schools: started by the funding of private enterprises or ONGs and free from local control.

- Free Schools: set up by parents, teachers and other investors and free from local control.

- Voluntary Aided Schools: The school is usually owned by a charitable foundation (normally linked somehow to the church). Its governing body takes all the decisions, but it also recieves funding form the state ('colegio concertado' in Spanish)

- Voluntary Controlled Schools: Owned by a charitable foundation, but the staff and other decisions are made by the local authorities.

- Comprehensive Schools: A non-selective secondary school. Students often attend these school when they are 11. 

- Grammar Schools: A selective grammar school with entry exams for the selection of pupils. 

- Middle Schools: An intermediate stage between Elementary Schools and High Schools. 

2. Independent schools (private schools): Independent from the government. Students have to pay tuition fees (usually very high). There are different types:

a) Public schools: The most expensive private schools for students aged 13-18.

b) Prep schools: Designed to prepare students to cope with university studies. 

c) Boarding schools: Private schools with lodgings where pupils usually sleep and spend the day. Eton is the most famous boarding school where notorious celebrities have studied. In this link you can see its outrageous fees. 

d) Military Academies: Their programme includes a combination between military training and academic studies.

e) Day schools: A private school where students receive education during the day and come back home to sleep. It's the opposing term to 'boarding school'.

Differences between the educational system in England and Spain:

- Compulsory Education begins at 5 and finishes at 18 in England, whereas in Spain it begins at 6 and finishes at 16.

- Students have to attend afternoon classes in England, and they have lunch at school. However, in Spain, students do not generally have to attend classes in the afternoon (except in some Elementary Schools in some communities). 

- There are more types of schools in the English educational systems.

- The subjects are similar but in England there are sometimes different subjects such as drama, sports, or home economics. 

- The academic year in England is different. Schools begin in August or September and finish in July with mid-term holidays. There are three terms which usually receive a name. In Spain, classes begin in mid-September and finish in June due to the weather conditions (it is extremely hot to teach during the summer).

- In English, more often than not, it is compulsory for students to wear a school uniform and teachers should wear smart clothes to school. 
- The grading system is rather different in England.  In England, they use letters (rather than numbers) to grade. Here you have some equivalencies, but there are small variations depending on the schools and colleges:
A= 80-100 % (Sobresaliente)
B= 70-79 % (Notable)
C= 60-69 % (Bien)
D= 50-59 % (Suficiente)
E: 40-49 % (Insuficiente)
F: 0-39 % (Deficiente)

Did you enjoy the educational system in England ? I hope you did. Technically speaking, if you understood this text, you are year twelve students who, soon, are going to sit your A-level exams to obtain your General Certificate of Education, thanks to which you will be allowed to study at colleges and universities or start your vocational studies.  Please, post and comment to let me know your impressions
P.S. Here you have a list of the most common abbreviations dealing with the educational system of the UK:
L.E.A. : Local Educational Authorities 
C. S. E. : Compulsory Secondary Education
KS1: Key Stage 1     
G. C. S. E: General Certificate of Secondary Education
G. C. E. : General Certificate of Education    
G. P. A: Grade Point Average
SATs: Standard Assessment Tests  
G. N. V. Q. : General National Vocational Qualification