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1 Review Review

Unit 1 Review

Unit 1

  • I CAN review education vocabulary, present tenses, comparatives, and asking for clarification
Unit 1 Review
Lesson Review

Lesson Review

22 cards

Welcome to the Unit 1 Review. In this section we will revisit the four main areas of the unit: education vocabulary, present tenses, comparatives, and asking for clarification. By the end of this review you should feel confident that you can use all of these accurately in writing and speaking.

Education vocabulary is the language we use to talk about schools, universities, courses, and learning. You have seen words such as subject (a topic you study, like history or maths), course (a programme of study that usually lasts one term or one year), module (a smaller part of a course), and degree (the qualification you get from a university when you finish your studies). You should also remember undergraduate (a student studying for a first degree), postgraduate (a student studying for a higher degree such as a Master's), tutorial (a small teaching group), lecture (a talk to a large group), and dissertation (a long piece of writing completed as part of a degree). You practised the verb graduate (to finish a degree and receive the qualification) and the noun graduate (the person who has finished).

Present tenses in English express different ideas about time. The present simple is used for habits, routines, and permanent facts: She studies biology. The present continuous describes actions happening at the moment of speaking or around now: She's studying in the library right now. The present perfect connects a past event with the present — for experiences (I have visited three universities), recent events (She has just submitted her essay), or actions that continue (He has lived in London for two years). The present perfect continuous focuses on the duration of an ongoing activity: I have been working on my dissertation all morning. Choosing the right tense depends on what the speaker wants to emphasise — completion, duration, routine, or action in progress.

Comparatives allow us to compare two things. With short adjectives, we usually add -er: taller than, faster than, older than. With longer adjectives, we use more: more interesting than, more difficult than. Some adjectives are irregular: good → better than, bad → worse than, far → further/farther than. For equal comparison, we use as…as: Physics is as hard as chemistry. For unequal comparison without the word than, we use not as…as: History is not as popular as maths. We can also use less…than for a weaker comparison: This course is less demanding than the one I took last year. Remember to use than after comparative adjectives, not that or of.

Asking for clarification is an essential speaking skill. When you do not understand, you can ask politely for repetition or explanation. Useful phrases include: Could you say that again, please? Sorry, could you repeat that? What do you mean by…? Could you explain that in a different way? Do you mean (that)…? So, are you saying that…? These phrases help you keep a conversation going, show politeness, and check your understanding. Asking for clarification is not a sign of weakness — it is an important part of accurate communication.

Writing task: A blog post comparing two courses. Imagine you are writing a blog post for other students about two courses you have taken — perhaps Academic Writing and Public Speaking. Plan three paragraphs: an introduction that names both courses and the university; a body paragraph comparing difficulty, teaching style, and workload using comparatives; and a conclusion that recommends one course and explains why, using present tenses to describe your experience. As you write, pay attention to capital letters, especially for course names and the start of every sentence.

Using capital letters. English uses capital letters for: the first word of a sentence, the pronoun I, proper nouns (names of people, places, universities, countries), days of the week and months, and the first word and main words in a title. In your blog post, use capital letters carefully — I is always capital, course titles can be capitalised in a stylised way, and the names of universities are always capital.

الوحدة الأولى: مراجعة شاملة

يا صديقي، خلينا نعمل revision كويس للي اتعلمناه في الوحدة الأولى. الوحدة دي كانت عن أربع حاجات أساسية: مفردات التعليم، والأزمنة المضارعة، والcomparatives، وعبارات طلب التوضيح.

أولاً: مفردات التعليم

في اللغة الإنجليزية بيستخدموا كلمات كتير خاصة بالمدرسة والجامعة. كلمة subject معناها المادة اللي بتدرسها زي history أو maths. وكلمة course هي البرنامج الدراسي اللي غالباً بيمتد ترم أو سنة كاملة. والـ module جزء أصغر من الـ course، بيركز على موضوع واحد وبيستمر حوالي عشر أسابيع. والـ degree هي الشهادة اللي بتاخدها لما تخلص دراستك في الجامعة. وكمان عندنا undergraduate وهو الطالب اللي بيدرس first degree، و postgraduate اللي بيدرس masters أو PhD. وكلمة lecture معناها المحاضرة لمجموعة كبيرة، و tutorial يعني حصة صغيرة لمجموعة قليلة. والـ dissertation هي بحث طويل بتكتبه كجزء من الـ degree.

ثانياً: الأزمنة المضارعة

كل زمن بيعبّر عن فكرة مختلفة عن الوقت. الـ present simple بنستخدمه للعادات والحقائق الثابتة: She studies biology. والـ present continuous للحاجة اللي بتحصل دلوقتي: She's studying in the library right now. والـ present perfect بيربط بين الماضي والحاضر، سواء للتجارب I have visited three universities أو لحاجة حصلت من قريب She has just submitted her essay. والـ present perfect continuous بيركز على المدة: I have been working on my dissertation all morning.

ثالثاً: Comparatives

لما نقارن بين حاجتين، لو الصفة قصيرة بنضيف er زي taller than و faster than. ولو طويلة بنستخدم more زي more interesting than. وفي صفات irregular زي good → better than و bad → worse than. وللمساواة بنستخدم as…as: Physics is as hard as chemistry. ومتنسيش إن بعد comparative لازم نحط than مش that أو of.

رابعاً: طلب التوضيح

من أهم المهارات إنك تعرف تطلب توضيح بطريقة مؤدبة. عبارات زي Could you repeat the last point, please? و Sorry, what do you mean by...? و Could you explain that in a different way? هتساعدك في أي محادثة academic.

دلوقتي استخدم الـ review cards وادخل في الـ writing task عشان تثبت كل اللي اتعلمته.

Required
a

Complete the sentences with the correct present tense. a) My sister ___ (study) medicine at university.

Required
b

Complete the sentences with the correct present tense. b) Right now, the students ___ (work) on a group project.

Required
c

Complete the sentences with the correct present tense. c) I ___ (already / finish) my dissertation.

Required
d

Complete the sentences with the correct present tense. d) She ___ (read) for her exam all morning.

Required

Put the words in the correct order to make a sentence about a student.

  1. been
  2. She
  3. has
  4. writing
  5. the
  6. essay
Required
a

Complete the comparative sentences. a) Maths is ___ (hard) than history, in my opinion.

Required
b

Complete the comparative sentences. b) This module is ___ (interesting) than the last one I took.

Required
c

Complete the comparative sentences. c) My new school is ___ (good) than my old one.

Required
d

Complete the comparative sentences. d) Physics is ___ chemistry at our school.

Required

Drag the correct comparative form into each sentence.

  • less popular
  • as supportive
  • more demanding
  • harder

Maths is than chemistry in my school.

This module is than the previous one.

History is than biology this year.

My new tutor is as the previous one.

Required

Match each definition with the correct education word.

Match each definition with the correct education word.

  • A programme of study you finish at university to receive a qualification
  • A long piece of writing completed as the final part of a degree
  • A small group of students who meet with a tutor to discuss a subject
  • A student who is studying for a Master's or PhD qualification
  • A talk given to a large group of students, usually in a lecture hall
  • degree
  • dissertation
  • tutorial
  • postgraduate
  • lecture
Required

Which word means 'a smaller part of a course, usually lasting one term and focused on one topic'?

  • module
  • lecture
  • tutorial
  • essay
Required

Which word describes a student who is studying for a Master's or PhD qualification?

  • undergraduate
  • postgraduate
  • graduate
  • tutor

Listen to this conversation between a student and her lecturer. Notice the phrases used to ask for clarification.

  1. E
    Emma Excuse me, Professor Smith. Could you repeat the last point, please?
  2. T
    Tom Of course. I was saying that undergraduates usually take four modules per term.
  3. E
    Emma Sorry, what do you mean by 'modules'?
  4. T
    Tom A module is a smaller part of a course, focused on one topic. Each one lasts about ten weeks.
  5. E
    Emma I see. So a History degree might include modules on modern history and ancient history?
  6. T
    Tom Exactly. You've got it.
Required

You did not hear what the lecturer said. What is the most polite way to ask them to repeat it?

  • Could you repeat that, please?
  • I am a student.
  • I like this lecture.
  • See you later.
Required

Your classmate uses the word 'tutorial' and you do not understand it. What do you say?

  • What do you mean by 'tutorial'?
  • I have a tutorial tomorrow.
  • Tutorials are very useful.
  • Where is the tutorial room?
Required

Read this sentence aloud to practise asking for clarification politely. Try to sound friendly and natural.

Sorry, could you explain that in a different way, please?

PREPARE — Gather your ideas.

Before you write your blog post, take a few minutes to plan. In your notebook, write down:

  • The names of the two courses you want to compare (for example, Academic Writing and Public Speaking)
  • Three points of comparison: difficulty, workload, and teaching style
  • One example or detail for each point
  • Your opinion: which course is better, and why

Use comparatives in your notes (harder than, more interesting than, better than) so you are ready to use them in your writing.

WRITE — The blog post task.

Write a blog post of 120–180 words comparing two courses you have taken. Follow this structure:

  • Paragraph 1 — Introduction: Name the two courses and the university. Say what you are going to compare.
  • Paragraph 2 — Comparison: Use comparatives to talk about difficulty, workload, and teaching style. Give examples from your own experience.
  • Paragraph 3 — Conclusion: Recommend one course and explain why. Use present tenses to describe what you have learned.

Remember to use capital letters correctly: at the start of every sentence, for the pronoun 'I', and for proper nouns (university names, course names, places).

REVIEW — Check your writing.

Before you finish, read your blog post one more time and check the following:

  1. Capital letters: Have you capitalised the first word of every sentence, the pronoun I, and proper nouns (university, course names, places)?
  2. Comparatives: Have you used than after comparative adjectives? Have you used as…as for equal comparisons?
  3. Present tenses: Have you used present perfect for experiences (e.g. I have learned…) and present simple for facts (e.g. The course includes…)?
  4. Punctuation: Check your full stops, commas, and question marks.

If everything looks good, your blog post is ready to share with other students!

Required