EAP 1: Discussing Differences Between Secondary School and University

This assignment, completed for an EAP 1 course, delves into the significant differences between secondary school and university study in the UK. The work begins with a self-evaluation checklist assessing skills relevant to academic writing, followed by a discussion of the structured nature of school studies compared to the independent research expected at university. The assignment then involves researching four texts on this topic, summarizing their main points, and identifying their relevance to the overall discussion. A paragraph outline or mind-map is included to illustrate the organization of ideas. Finally, the core of the assignment is a 500-word academic writing piece that focuses on two key areas of difference: independence and funding/finance. The student uses a point-by-point approach, incorporates all four references with in-text citations, and provides a complete reference list in Harvard style. The essay highlights the shift towards student autonomy and financial responsibility in higher education, contrasting it with the more guided and supported environment of secondary schools.

Total word count: 1500 (+/- 10%)
Task 1: Self-evaluation checklist
Below is a list of the skills you will need when working on extended pieces of writing during
your university career. The work you do on the EAP 1 course will help you develop these skills.
Click on the appropriate box for each skill, according to how well you think you can do this at
the beginning of this course. Look again at the checklist throughout the course in order to
identify areas for independent study.
Skills
I don’t know
how to do
this.
I find this
difficult.
I can do this
quite well.
I can do this
very well.
Looking for information
Identify which sources (e.g. books/ journals/
websites) to use ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Select relevant parts of a text ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Using sources
Acknowledge sources of information ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Avoid plagiarism ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Planning/ writing
Brainstorm ideas ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Plan written work ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Link ideas effectively ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Paraphrase & summarise ideas ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Write in clear paragraphs ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Write a topic and concluding sentence ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Personal study
Work independently ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Manage my time ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Reflection
Identify strengths / weaknesses in written
work ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Think of ways to improve written work ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Think about experiences and describe in
writing ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Oral presentation
Discuss ideas in a group ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
IT
Access the internet ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Use search engines ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
1

Create and save Word documents ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
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Task 2:
“Discuss the differences between secondary school and university study in the UK”
The studies at school are observed to be structured in nature and involves the activities that have
been set and monitored by the teachers. In school the students are often guided by the teachers in
terms of the ways in which the students should design their learning activities. The students do not
need to focus more on the researches in completing the activities that they are assigned at their
schools.
However, in case of the continuation of the higher studies at the universities, the students need to
be capable of structuring their own researches. The students who have been studying at the
universities are expected to demonstrate the research skills that are required for the completion
of the assignments that they are assigned. The students who have been studying at the
universities tend to have individual curricula set by the universities unlike the national curriculum
that is followed in the secondary schools.
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Task 3: Literature Research
(recommended word count: 400 excluding references)
Find four texts for your research about the differences between secondary school and university study
in the UK For each, answer the following questions:
Text 1 (100 words excluding references)
1. What have you read? Type the references in Harvard style.
In-text citation: (Betts and Tang 2019)
Reference list: Betts, J.R. and Tang, Y.E., 2019. The effect of charter schools on student
achievement. School choice at the crossroads: Research perspectives, pp.67-89.
2. What does it say? Summarise the main points of the text.
The students who have been studying at the various schools tend to be guided entirely by the teachers.
The students follow the guidance of the teachers in solving the various assignments that the teachers
have provided them with. The students do not have a say in the nature or the topic of the assignment
that have been assigned to them.
3. Which paragraph could you use this information in and why?
The first paragraph could use the information stated above. This is due to the fact that the concerned
information highlights the independence of the students who have been studying in the various
secondary schools existent within the area.
Text 2 (100 words excluding references)
1. What have you read? Type the references in Harvard style.
In-text citation: (Khattab 2015)
Reference list: Khattab, N., 2015. Students’ aspirations, expectations and school achievement: what
really matters?. British Educational Research Journal, 41(5), pp.731-748.
2. What does it say? Summarise the main points of the text.
The studies at the universities also enables the students to have a specific choice in terms of the course
and the subject that they would like to pursue in their future. The independence of the students in
terms of the choice of the subject and the course of study is observed to be missing in the school life of
the student.
3. Which paragraph could you use this information in and why?
The second paragraph could use the information stated above. This is due to the fact that the
concerned information highlights the independence of the students who have been studying in the
various universities existent within the area.
Text 3 (100 words excluding references)
1. What have you read? Type the references in Harvard style.
In-text citation: (Chachashvili-Bolotin, Milner-Bolotin and Lissitsa 2016)
Reference list: Chachashvili-Bolotin, S., Milner-Bolotin, M. and Lissitsa, S., 2016. Examination of
factors predicting secondary students’ interest in tertiary STEM education. International Journal of
Science Education, 38(3), pp.366-390.
2. What does it say? Summarise the main points of the text.
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The financial support and the other funding support are extended to the students by their parents and
the local guardians during the times that they have been spending at schools. This involves a huge
number of factors that are inclusive of the age as well as other social factors that are prevalent during
the schooling ages of the student.
3. Which paragraph could you use this information in and why?
The third paragraph could use the information stated above. This is due to the fact that the concerned
information highlights the financial independence of the students who have been studying in the
various secondary schools existent within the area.
Text 4 (100 words excluding references)
1. What have you read? Type the references in Harvard style.
In-text citation: (Stewart, Lim and Kim 2015)
Reference list: Stewart, S., Lim, D.H. and Kim, J., 2015. Factors influencing college persistence for first-
time students. Journal of Developmental Education, pp.12-20.
2. What does it say? Summarise the main points of the text.
The students who have been enrolled at the various universities within the territorial boundaries of the
United Kingdom tend to have been earning as well as saving a part of their earnings in order to take
care of the educational costs as compared to the events at the schools. The students who have been
dealing with the studies at the university levels need to take care of the funds that they would require
for their residential costs as well as the educational costs at the university.
3. Which paragraph could you use this information in and why?
The fourth paragraph could use the information stated above since it highlights the financial
independence of the students who have been studying in the universities existent within the area.
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Task 4: Paragraph Outline or Mind-mapping
After you collect the information from the four sources and identify the relevant points in the texts, it is
necessary to organise these points to start planning your paragraphs.
Copy and paste a photograph of your outline or mind-map with the ideas you will include in your
paragraphs. These should be in note form and not full sentences. Include in-text citations where
necessary.
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Task 5: Academic writing
(Word count: 500 words )
Please type your answer to Task 5 below.
“Discuss the differences between secondary school and university study in the UK”
Choose two of the following areas:
 Independence
 Student choice
 Diversity
 Funding and Finance
Make sure that:
 It is clear which two areas you have chosen to write about.
 You discuss the differences between secondary school and university study based on
what you have chosen to write about.
 You have used all of your four references (included as in-text citations) and that you
include a full reference list in Harvard style (you may include more references in your
writing if you want to)
 You have used a point by point approach.
 You have written two well-structured paragraphs.
PLEASE REMEMBER you should NOT write an introduction or a conclusion
Title: “Discuss the differences between secondary school and university study in the UK”
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The major area of the difference that is existent in terms of the secondary school and the university
study that has been taking place in the United Kingdom lay in the matters that are related to the
independence of the students. The students who have been studying at the various schools tend to be
guided entirely by the teachers. The students follow the guidance of the teachers in solving the various
assignments that the teachers have provided them with. The students do not have a say in the nature
or the topic of the assignment that have been assigned to them (Betts and Tang 2019). However, in
case of the universities and the other higher educational sectors, the students are advised to deal with
the excessive amounts of research that would help in the enhancement of the quality of the
assignments that are being handed over to the assessors. The studies at the universities also enables
the students to have a specific choice in terms of the course and the subject that they would like to
pursue in their future. The independence of the students in terms of the choice of the subject and the
course of study is observed to be missing in the school life of the student (Khattab 2015). This in turn
might lead to the overall development of the conditions that enable the students to follow the choice
of the teachers who have been present at the schools as well as the parents of the children concerned
who have been monitoring their studies at home.
The other major area of difference that might be highlighted between the studies at school and those
that are undertaken at the university refer to the fact that there is the increase in the involvement of
the finances and funding that are necessary for the students to continue with their educational career.
The financial support and the other funding support are extended to the students by their parents and
the local guardians during the times that they have been spending at schools (Chachashvili-Bolotin,
Milner-Bolotin and Lissitsa 2016). This involves a huge number of factors that are inclusive of the age as
well as other social factors that are prevalent during the schooling ages of the student. However, in the
universities, the student is considered to be capable enough to deal with his or her own expenses and
thus needs to be more careful with the financial funding that is required for the continuation of the
studies at the university. The students who have been dealing with the studies at the university levels
need to take care of the funds that they would require for their residential costs as well as the
educational costs that are necessary for the completion of the educational courses that they have been
undertaking at the concerned institutions dedicated to the higher education (Stewart, Lim and Kim
2015). The students who have been enrolled at the various universities within the territorial
boundaries of the United Kingdom tend to have been earning as well as saving a part of their earnings
in order to take care of the educational costs as compared to the events at the schools.
Reference List:
Betts, J.R. and Tang, Y.E., 2019. The effect of charter schools on student achievement. School choice at
the crossroads: Research perspectives, pp.67-89.
Chachashvili-Bolotin, S., Milner-Bolotin, M. and Lissitsa, S., 2016. Examination of factors predicting
secondary students’ interest in tertiary STEM education. International Journal of Science Education,
38(3), pp.366-390.
Khattab, N., 2015. Students’ aspirations, expectations and school achievement: what really matters?.
British Educational Research Journal, 41(5), pp.731-748.
Stewart, S., Lim, D.H. and Kim, J., 2015. Factors influencing college persistence for first-time students.
Journal of Developmental Education, pp.12-20.
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Task 6: Reflective writing
(Word count: 300 words +/- 10%)
Please type your answer to task 6 below.
Make sure that you:
 Write about your own individual situation.
 Follow the word count
Based on your own experiences and what you wrote in task 5, what differences do you see
between secondary school and university study?
The experiences that I have gathered on a personal basis have helped me learn the fact that the students
face a huge number of differences that are presented between the secondary school studies and the
university studies. The students who have been studying at the secondary schools tend to be dealing
with the assignments and the educational factors as have been discussed and highlighted by the teachers
who have been guiding the students at the school. The students face a huge difference after they get
enrolled at the universities. The university style of study involves a great deal of research and self-study
on the part of the student. The professors and the other educators who have been dealing with the
students within the universities and the other educational institutions tend to provide the students with
an overall guidance rather than providing the students with the required in depth knowledge on the
concerned subject. The schools help the students to decide on an area of their choice that they would
pursue in their future. The schools help the student to develop proper basic knowledge on any given
subject. The universities help the student to develop on the knowledge that they have gathered at the
schools. The researches that the student needs to undertake during the higher studies that is presented
within the university courses help the student to develop a better knowledge on the given subject as well
as helps in the development of the various creative and novel ideas on the part of the students. The
university studies help the student in the development of novel ideas that might be helpful in the further
research on the given topics as well. The university studies, unlike the courses at the schools help the
students put forth their independent ideas in the concerned field of study.
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Task 7: Self-Assessment
(Recommended word count: at least 50 per section. Total word count: 150)
Think about the work you have done on this module and answer the following questions:
What went well? (approx. 50 words):
The module has helped me gain a proper insight into the researches within the subjects that are
related to the students who have been studying at the various universities. The module has helped me
understand the differences that are faced by the students when they transition from the schools to the
universities.
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