Lingua inglese - The Italian Educational System

The Italian educational system

In Italy, children start to go to school at the age of 3. They start to attend nursery school and after 3 years they can attend elementary school for 5 years. Next, they go to middle school for 3 years and after that, they attend high school. There are different kinds of high schools, so when you finish middle school you can decide where you want to go. We have Scientific Lyceum, Classic Lyceum, Technical High School, Vocational Schools, High School for Surveyors, and Art School.

High school lasts 5 years and finally, you can sit the state examination. If you pass the exams, you take the final certificate. After you can decide to attend university or find a job. The obligatory education begins at the age of 5 and finishes at 15.

To go to university you have to pay fees, according to your family income. With the reform of 1998 made in cooperation with England, Germany, and France, the university is a little bit different. In fact, every exam you do, you get credits. The University is divided into 3 sections: First Level Degree which lasts 3 years and is composed of 180 credits, Specialized Degree that is Second Level Degree that lasts 2 years with 120 credits, and finally Doctorate with 180 credits and lasts 3 years.

The British educational system

In Britain, the school starts at the age of 3 like in Italy and compulsory education goes from 5 to 16. Children attend nursery school for 2 years and after, they go to primary school which is subdivided into two cycles: Infant School and Junior School. They attend Infant School for 3 years and after, they go to Junior School for 4 years. Then some children have to do an exam which is called 11 plus. After that, they can attend secondary school which lasts 5 years. There are 3 kinds of secondary school: Modern School, Grammar School, and Comprehensive School. If you want to enter a Comprehensive School, you have to pass the 11 plus. Finally, they have to do the GCSE exam that is "General Certificate of Secondary School" and then they can attend for another 2 years the Sixth Form, which is a kind of qualification. After that, they have to do another exam which is divided into two levels: A Level and AS Level that is Advanced Level and Advanced Supplementary Level. At last, they can decide to go to University or find a job. The University is divided into three: Undergraduate, Postgraduate, and Ph.D. The students who attend university for 3 years and pass the final examination get the academic title in BA or BSc. After a further year of study writing an original thesis, students get the second level of a degree. At least, students become a Ph.D. if they carry out research work, which usually takes 3 years.

The American educational system

In America, children go to school at the age of 6, before they can attend preschool which is not compulsory. The federal government funds the preschool for children of low-income families. Schooling is compulsory for all people in the U.S.A. but the age changes from state to state. Most people begin elementary education with "First Grade" and finish secondary education with "Twelfth Grade". There are different kinds of secondary schools, in fact, they have Junior High School which lasts 3 years like Senior High School, Combined Junior-Senior High School that lasts 6 years, and finally High School for 4 years. After that, they have to do an exam which is called S.A.T. that is Scholastic Assessment Test and then they get the diploma. University starts at the age of 18. The undergraduates attend for 2 years a college which is called Junior or Community College and after 4 years they get the academic title in BA or BSc Degree (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science). At the 5th grade, they get the second level of a degree in MA or MSc (Master of Arts or Master of Science) and after 3 years of search and discussion of an original thesis, they become Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

University College of Northampton

The University of Northampton is located in a beautiful position. The University aims to equip students with skills and competences for success in life. The relationship between teachers and students is very professional in this University. They work very hard with students inside the classrooms but outside they are very friendly, in fact, they joke with them without any problem, they chat together while they have a cup of coffee.

The University offers to their students some study facilities like a computer lab, a library, an entertainment room. There are a lot of students who come from different parts of the world. You can find Europeans, Japanese, Americans, Russians, and Chinese students. The University offers plenty of sports in fact they can practice a lot of activities as football, swimming, snooker, water skiing, baseball, and golf.

The city of Northampton is a young town, it's especially a students' town. Here they can find different things to do like going around and visiting the museums, monuments, and when the night comes, they can go in bars, pubs, discos or they can go to the cinema, so there is a good nightlife. Moreover, this town is very peaceful, relaxing, rural, and quiet like the University Campus where they can lie down on the green field and relax or they can study without a problem. It's very simple to travel around Northampton, there are good services of transport like buses, trains, and double-deckers which can help them to go around and to get to a specific place. Moreover, there are job opportunities and it's very easy to find a part-time job that fits the students like working in a pub, bars, or in a shop. The "Open Days" are particular days in which students can go with their family and they show around the University Campus, so it's a sort of orientation day.

In my opinion, the University of Northampton is beautiful and well organized. Thanks to their professional staff students can benefit because they have teachers who are very friendly and they try to encourage them to study. The life is also different, students have their private life, they stay in the college and sleep there and moreover, this University offers different sorts of opportunities, they can meet lots of brand new friends from different countries in the world and know other cultures. But the important thing they have to do is to work hard.

Wonder of the modern world

According to the author of this article, the wonders of the modern world include:

• The Internet
• Space Travel
• Medical Science
• International Travel
• The Olympic Games
• Agriculture
• We are still here

1. Computers have changed the communication but the protagonist in this change is the Internet. The Internet is one of the wonders of the modern world and it's everywhere. Billions of people use it and the number of people who are online increases year by year. It has revolutionized the way we live and work.

2. The first to explore the Moon was Neil Armstrong. He landed on its surface in 1969. Since then space probes have been sent to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and even to the sun.

3. The most noticeable result of better health care is penicillin. Millions of people have benefited from the aspirin but thanks to penicillin, lots of people have been saved.

4. Another wonder of the world is the Airplanes. They can carry more than 1.5 billion people to their destination every year. International travel has revolutionized the whole world.

5. The Olympic Games is a competition in which almost every country in the world takes part. One of the main advantages is to see the world come together but there are bad things around.