TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUẢNG BÌNH
KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ

GIÁO TRÌNH
(Lưu hành nội bộ)
VĂN HÓA ANH
(Dành cho sinh viên cao đẳng tiếng Anh)

Tác giả: Nguyễn Thị Hồng Thắm

Năm 2013
0


LỜI NÓI ĐẦU
Văn hóa Anh là giáo trình được biên soạn theo khung chương trình giáo dục cao
đẳng tiếng Anh. Giáo trình được biên soạn theo hướng cung cấp cho sinh viên
kiến thức cơ bản về đất nước và con người nước Anh; hệ thống giá trị, phong tục
tập quán, xã hội, hệ thống chính trị, giáo dục của Vương quốc Anh làm nền tảng
để tìm hiểu và vận dụng những kiến thức đó trong tiếp thu ngôn ngữ Anh, trong
hoạt động giao tiếp liên văn hoá. Ngoài ra, học phần còn rèn luyện cho sinh viên
kĩ năng đọc hiểu, phân tích, tổng hợp, nghiên cứu các vấn đề văn hóa – xã hội.
Bên cạnh đó, sinh viên có thể rèn luyện kĩ năng nói thông qua các buổi trình bày
nhóm và các buổi thảo luận.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Unit 1: THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY...................................................... Page 3-6
Unit 2: THE PEOPLE………......................................................................... Page 7-9

Unit 3: THE POLITICAL SYSTEM……................................................... Page 10-13
Unit 4: EDUCATION ................................................................................ Page 14-19
Unit 5: FAMILY LIFE................................................................................ Page 20-23
FURTHER READING: FOOD AND DRINK........................................... Page 24-29
FURTHER READING: TRANSPORT...................................................... Page 30-33
Unit 6: HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL OCCASIONS …………………...... Page 34-37
REFERENCES.................................................................................................Page 38

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UNIT 1: THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
An Overview of Britain: Not One, but Four in One
Off the north-west coast of mainland Europe between latitudes 50° North and 61° North is a
group of about 5000 big and small islands collectively called the British Isles. Among them
are two large islands. The larger is Great Britain, which is made up of Scotland, England and
Wales. The other is Ireland, consisting of Northern Ireland (Ulster) and the Irish Republic
(Fire). The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (The United Kingdom or
The UK for short) is the name given to Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Such islands as the
Scilly Isles, the Isle of Wight, the Orkney Islands, the Outer Hebrides and the Shetlands.
belong to the UK. However, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are self- governing with
their own parliaments, although they do recognize the Queen. Britain is a unitary state but the
four constituent countries have distinctive national identities, some minor different physical
characteristics and variations in culture and tradition.
Britain is rather small, only 242000 sq km. It is 500 km wide and nearly 1000 km long.
Great Britain is the largest island in Europe and the eighth largest in the world. Although
Britain is an industrialized country, much of the land is under cultivation. National Parks and
conservation areas cover 20% of the land.
Geographically, Britain can be divided into two parts, Highland Britain and Lowland Britain.
The highest mountain of Britain is Ben Nevis in Scotland, one of the mountainous of regions

of the UK. It is 1343m high. The Pennine Range is called the “backbone of England” and
extends 224km. The longest rivers are the Severn (354 km), which flows from northeast
Wales into the Bristol Channel, and the Thames (338 km), rising in southwest England and
flowing out into the North Sea. The largest lake is Lough Neath in Northern Ireland (388 sq
km). The vast majority of Britons live in urban areas. The largest cities in Britain are London,
Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. A large part of population is English, Scottish,
Welsh and Irish, but there are also Indians, West Indians, Africans, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis,
and Chinese. People emigrated from their homelands to Britain for different reasons. Some
wanted to escape religious persecution, poverty, wars or natural disasters. Others went in
search of jobs and a better life and still others came as political refugees.
Britain is rich in energy resources, especially oil and natural gas. Coal played an important
role in the Industrial Revolution. Lots of coal has been mined in Britain and it was the
cheapest source of energy. Formerly, oil was imported from the Middle East but after oil and
natural gas were discovered in the North Sea. Britain became self-sufficient. Nuclear power
stations provide a large part of electricity supply. Nowadays, with the increasing concern
about environmental pollution, the British government is encouraging people to look for other
energy sources that are cleaner, safer and renewable.
Great Britain is industrial and commercial country. It was the first industrialized country of
the world in the mid-19th century. The manufacturing sector has been developing and still
play an important role in the economy. Britain especially excels in high-technology industries
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like electronics. pharmaceuticals, aerospace and offshore equipment. Other industries such as
transportation, petroleum, coal, gas, steel and communications, are also well developed.
Crude oil has always been a primary source of power and Britain ranks among the largest oil
producer in the world. Nowadays, with the fast growth of the service sector, such branches as
finance, tourism, retailing and other business services contribute considerably to the gross
domestic product and employ a great part of workforce. Britain is also a world leader in
international trade. Britain is just a small country, but it is considered the fifth largest trading

nation and an influential member of European Union. Britain exports a lot of things, mainly to
the European Union. Major exports include oil, manufactured goods, machinery, electrical
and electronic equipment, chemicals and aerospace equipment and pharmaceuticals.
Conservation is one of the top priorities of British and the government has initiated many
important policies and laws to protect the natural environment. Among measures taken are
declaring particular areas National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).
which are carefully protected Global environmental concern like “green - house effect” and
ozone depletion are given priority. Many sites all over Britain, both natural and historic, are
recognized by the World Heritage Convention and listed in the World Heritage List including
Canterbury Cathedral, Averbury, and Hadrian's Wail. The Giant's Causeway, the Palace of
Westminster, Stonehenge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and so on.
English, developed from Anglo-Saxon, is the official language in Britain. With a long
history of invasion, the language was influenced and changed. Although virtually all the
people in Britain speak English, the separate counties have their own accent and dialects.
Sometimes people cannot understand one another well due to this variety of accents and
dialects. However, Home Counties English is accepted as Standard English and is understood
more easily all over Britain.
Britain is divided into 53 counties. The counties around the capital London are called
Home Counties. Britain is an influential member of the Commonwealth, the European
Nations and the European Union.
The major religion is Christianity, represented predominantly by the Church of England
(Anglican Church), Roman Catholicism, and the Presbyterian and Methodist churches.
Besides, there exist Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.
The Four Lands
People often refer to Britain by another name. They call it “England”. But this is not strictly
correct, and it can make some people angry. England is only one of the four nations of the
British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland). Their political unification was a gradual
process that took several hundred years. It was completed in 1800 when the Irish Parliament
was joined with the Parliament for England, Scotland and Wales in Westminster, so
that the whole of the British Isles became a single state - the United Kingdom of Great Britain

and Ireland. However, in 1922, most of Ireland became a separate state.
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At one time the four nations were distinct from each other in almost every aspect of life. In
the first place, they were different racially. The people in Ireland, Wales and highland
Scotland belonged to the Celtic race; those in England and lowland Scotland were mainly
of Germanic origin. This difference was reflected in the languages they spoke. People in the
Celtic areas spoke Celtic languages: Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. People in the
Germanic areas spoke Germanic dialects (including the one which has developed into
modern English). The nations also tended to have different economic, social and legal
systems.
Today these differences have become blurred. But they have not completely disappeared.
Although there is only one government for the whole of Britain, and people have the same
passport regardless of where in Britain they live, some aspects of government are organized
separately (and sometimes differently) in the four parts of the United Kingdom. Moreover,
Welsh, Scottish and Irish people feel their identity very strongly.
The Union Jack
Although the formal and traditional name of the British national flag is the Union Flag. It is
more commonly known as the Union Jack. The flag is a combination of crosses. The red
upright cross represents St.George, the patron saint of England, St Andrew's cross of Scotland
is the while diagonal one, and the red diagonal cross is of St.Patrick of Ireland (now
representing Northern Ireland)
National loyalties
When you are talking to people from Britain, it is safest to use “Britain” when talking about
where they live and “British” as the adjective to describe their nationality. This way you will
be less likely to offend anyone. It is, of course, not wrong to talk about “people in England” if
that is what you mean - people who live within the geographical boundaries of England. After
all, most British people live there (Populations in 1995). But it should always be remembered
that England does not make up the whole of the UK.

There has been a long history of migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to England. As a
result, there are millions of people who live in England but who would never describe
themselves as English. They may have lived in England all their lives, but as far as they are
concerned, they are Scottish or Welsh or Irish - even if, in the last case, they are citizens of
Britain and not of Eire. These people support the country of their parents or grandparents
rather than England in sporting contests. They would also, given the chance, play for that
country rather than England. If, for example, you had heard the members of the Republic of
Ireland World Cup football team talking in 1994, you would have heard several different
kinds of English accent and some Scottish accents, but only a few Irish accents. Most of the
players did not live in Ireland and were not brought up in Ireland. Nevertheless, most of them
would never have considered playing for any country other than Ireland!
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The same holds true for the further millions of British citizens whose family origins lie
outside the British Isles altogether. People of Caribbean or south Asian descent, for instance,
do not mind being described as 'British' (many are proud of it), but many of them
would not like to be called 'English'. And whenever the West Indian or Indian cricket team
plays against England, it is certainly not England that they support!
There is, in fact, a complicated division of loyalties among many people in Britain, and
especially in England. A black person whose family are from the Caribbean will passionately
support the West Indies when they play cricket against England. But the same person is quite
happy to support England just as passionately in a sport such as football, which the West
Indies do not play. A person whose family are from Ireland but who has always lived in
England would want Ireland to beat England at football but would want England to
beat (for example) Italy just as much. This crossover of loyalties can work the other way as
well. English people do not regard the Scottish, the Welsh or the Irish as “foreigners” (or, at
least, not as the same kind of foreigners as other foreigners!). An English commentator of a
spotting event in which a Scottish, Irish or Welsh team is playing against a team from outside
the British Isles tends to identify with that team as if it were English.

Climate
The climate of Britain is more or less the same as that of the north-western part of the
European mainland. The popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain is simply not true.
The image of a wet, foggy land was created two thousand years ago by the invading
Romans and has been perpetuated in modern times by Hollywood. In fact, London gets no
more rain in a year than most other major European cities, and less than some.
The amount of rain that falls on a town in Britain depends on where it is. Generally speaking,
the further west you go, the more rain you get. The mild winters mean that snow is a regular
feature of the higher areas only. Occasionally, a whole winter goes by in lower-lying parts
without any snow at all. The winters are in general a bit colder in the east of the country than
they are in the west, while in summer; the south is slightly warmer and sunnier than the north.
Why has Britain's climate got such a bad reputation? Perhaps it is for the same reason that
British people always seem to be talking about the weather. This is its changeability. There is
a saying that Britain doesn't have a climate, it only has weather. It may not rain very much
altogether, but you can never be sure of a dry day; there can be cool (even cold) days in July
and some quite warm days in January.
The lack of extremes is the reason why, on the few occasions when it gets genuinely hot or
freezing cold, the country seems to be totally unprepared for it. A bit of snow and a few days
of frost and the trains stop working and the roads are blocked; if the thermometer goes
above 80°F (27°C), people behave as if they were in the Sahara and the temperature makes
front-page headlines These things happen so rarely that it is not worth organizing life to be
ready for them.
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UNIT 2: THE PEOPLE OF BRITAIN
The Early Inhabitants of the British Isles
It is known that the earliest people in the British Isles were Old Stone Age men. These
people used hard stones called flint to make their tools and weapons. They lived in caves and
killed wild animals for meat.

Between about 3000 and 2500 B.C. the Iberians came to Britain from Iberia. They were
called New Stone Age men, because their stone tools were polished. They grew crops, raised
cattle and tamed dogs for hunting.
One of the most remarkable remains of the early inhabitants is Stonehenge. It is a great
circle of stones in Wiltshire. Stonehenge is believed to have stood on Salisbury Plain for
about 4000 years. No one knows exactly for what purposes it was built, but one theory is that
it was a place where people could observe the movements of the sun for the purpose of
agriculture. By keeping watch on the sun, people would know the right time for planting and
harvesting.
The Celts
Between about 500 and 600 B.C. the Celts came to Britain from central Europe. They settled
in Wales, Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland and used iron to make their tools and weapons.
They also built villages and farms, and started a communal life. They spoke the Celtic
language. Their religion was Druidism and their priests were called Druids.
The Romans
In 55 B.C. the Romans tried to invade Britain. The famous Roman general, Julius Caesar
and his army managed to land on the shores of Kent, but the Celts resisted bravely and Caesar
was driven away. In 54 B.C. Caesar returned but again he was forced to withdraw.
Nearly a hundred years after the first invasion, in 43A.D. the Romans attacked Britain
again. This time the Roman army was so powerful that the Celtic tribes were soon defeated
and the area that is now England was occupied by the Romans.
For nearly 400 years what is now England was part of the Roman Empire as the province of
Britannia and many things were learned from the Roman civilization. The main Celtic town
became Londinium, the capital and trading centre of Britannia. Many towns were developed,
including Winchester, Colchester, Lincoln, York, and Canterbury. The town of Bath became
famous for its natural hot springs. Large houses and villas were built, and long straight roads
were made. The Romans were good road builders. Some modern roads in England have
Roman roads as their foundations such as Ermine Street, Watling Street, and the Fosse Way.
The Celtic nobles adopted the Roman way of life. They lived in villas and spoke Latin. The
Romans introduced new kinds of animals and plants into England, including geese and hens,

and cherry and pear trees.
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Today the remains of Roman cities, baths, houses, villas and theatres can still be seen. One
of the most impressive remains of the Roman time is the wall built by Emperor Hadrian in
122 A.D. to defend England from attacks by the Picts and the Scots from the north. Parts of
Hadrian's Wall still stand on the Scottish border.
At the beginning of the 5th century, the Romans had troubles in their empire and in 407
Roman troops began to withdraw from Britain.
The Anglo-Saxons
After the Romans left, Britain was soon attacked and conquered by Germanic tribes. They
were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes from Denmark and the northern Germany. The
Anglo-Saxons invaders drove the Celts to the mountainous areas of Scotland, Wales and
Cornwall.
The Anglo-Saxons settled in Britain and a number of small kingdoms were established. East
Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex. They called Britain Angle
land (or England) spoke Anglo-Saxons (or Old English).
The Anglo-Saxons were pagan. In 597 a Roman missionary, St.Augustine was sent to
Britain to bring Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons and Ethelbert, the king of Kent, was
converted to Christianity. The first church was built in Canterbury, the capital of Kern.
Christianity spread and had a great influence upon the learning and culture of Britain.
The Anglo-Saxons kingdoms usually fought and competed for predominance over the whole
country. The greatest and most powerful kingdoms were Nothumbria, Mercia and Wessex. At
the beginning of the 9th century, Wessex became the strongest. Its king, Egbert, was
acknowledged by the other kingdoms and he became the first king of The United Kingdoms
of England in 829.
The Danes or Vikings
At the end of the 8th century, the Danes or Vikings began to come from Norway and
Denmark.

These sea-raiders came by boat to the coast parts of northern and southeastern Britain. They
attacked and killed people, burnt villages, robbed the churches and sailed away with treasure.
King Alfred - the Great of England defeated the Danes in many battles, but in 836 a treaty
was signed and the Danes were given a section of England called Danelaw. The Danes settled
in Danelaw and gradually inter-married with Anglo-Saxons.
The Normans
In 1066, the king of England, Edward the Confessor, died. Harold was chosen to be king but
in northwestern France, William, Duke of Normandy, claimed that both Edward the
Confessor and Harold had promised him the throne. Therefore, William gathered an army and
8


fought for his claim. The Norman invasion was an important event in the history of Britain,
and it was the last foreign invasion.
The Norman conquest began with the battle of Hastings where Harold was defeated and
killed by an arrow in the eye. On Christmas Day, 1066, William was enthroned as William I.
The coronation took place in Westminster Abbey, and since then all the coronations of
English monarchs have been held there, William I is known as William the Conqueror.
Under Norman rule, England was brought into closer contact with continental Europe. Great
changes were made in English society. Feudalism was established. A system of laws and law
courts were organized. The method of land cultivation was improved and many castles and
cathedrals were built.
In 1086, William I ordered the Domesday Book to be compiled. It is the record of a survey
of the economic life of England. Williams officials measured the land and recorded the names
of the holders as well as the number of animals that they kept. The Domesday Book provided
the necessary information for a tax purpose.
It has been shown that the British are descended from Stone Age men and various later
invaders.

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UNIT 3: THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
Britain is unique in the fact that there is not constitution in the shape of a single formal
document. Instead, the government system, which has evolved over centuries, is defined by
statutes, habits and customs rather than by law. These habits and customs become rules and
conventions, some of which are unwritten. The British legal system is based on common law
and precedent. The Legislature is the two Houses of Parliament, the Executive is the
Government and the Judiciary is only theoretical.
The Monarchy
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy (of
parliamentary democracy) with either a king or queen as Head of State. The Monarchy is the
oldest institution of government. At the moment, Queen Elizabeth II who succeeded to the
throne in 1952 is Head of State. The Queen's royal title in Britain is “Elizabeth the Second, by
the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her
other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”. By
tradition, the Queen is also the Head of the Church of England and the Commander - in Chief of the armed forces.
There are interesting contradictions in the role of the monarch. According to the written law,
the Queen has absolute power. Judged from the appearance, it would seem that the Queen is
above the law with the government belonging to her. The Queen has the right to choose
anyone to be the Prime Minister, but in reality, she chooses the head of the party that wins in
the general election so that she can enjoy the majority of support. She can also appoint other
ministerial positions and if she wants, she can dismiss them. But in practice, it is the Prime
Minister who chooses the ministers. The Queen has the right to summon the Parliament or
dissolve it even before a general election. She can refuse to give the “Koval Assent” to a bill
even though the bill has been passed in the two Houses of Parliament, and as a result, it
cannot become law. But so far, there has never been any king or queen who said no to the
bills.
The Monarch's Role
In spite of gradual decline in the monarch's power, the Queen is still respected and

supported by the majority of Britons. The monarchy still has its own values and is very
popular with most British people.
The British regard the monarch as a personal embodiment of the government of the country.
To them, the monarch is part of their national pride and a symbol of continuity. The Queen
represents tradition. The royal life with its royal activities is a source of entertainment that
helps make life more vivid and colorful and attracts many tourists.
The monarch acts as a final check on government. She meets The Prime Minister once a
week to discuss national affairs and so, she is well-informed. Because the monarch has the
10


right to refuse the royal assent to a bill, or even to dismiss the Prime Minister if he turns out to
be a disqualified person, she helps to purify the government.
As the figurehead of the country, the monarch represents it when performing ceremonial
duties. She receives ambassadors and visitors from abroad, visits foreign countries, and opens
schools and hospitals, so that the Prime Minister has more time to run national affairs.
The Parliament
The British Parliament consists of three separate elements: the Queen, the House of Lords
and the House of commons and has a maximum duration of five years. A general election is
held before the end of each term. Some important functions of Parliament are to make law, to
provide the means of carrying on the work of government, to scrutinize government policy
and to debate issues.
The British Parliament works in the Palace of Westminster, also called the Houses of
Parliament. This is a very big building with a lot of facilities and two large chambers. The
House of Lords is where the Lords meet and the House of Commons, where the Common
work.
The House of Lords
Members of the House of Lords are of two types. Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal. They
are not elected. They either qualify to sit in the House or inherit their seats from their father.
Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of London, Durham

and Winchester, and other senior bishops. The Lord Temporal are all peers, hereditary peers
or life peers. The House is presided over by the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor, as the
speaker of the Lords, has no authority to curtail a debate. Instead, it is deeded by the general
feeling of the House. Even though he or she is called the speaker, they cannot speak in debate.
The House of Commons
Members of the House of Common are called Members of Parliament (MPs), elected by a
majority of votes at a general election or a by-election. A by-election is held when a MPs dies
or resigns, or is given a peerage. Britain is divided into local constituencies, each of which has
one representative in the House of Commons. The chief officer is the Speaker, elected by the
MPs. He is politically neutral, ie. He is not controlled by any party and does not vote, and
presides over the House during debates. The Speaker has full authority to enforce the rules of
the House and must, guard against the abuse of procedure and protect minority rights. He can
adjourn the sitting or even end a discussion so that a certain matter can be put to the vote. He
has the right to order members to leave the Chamber if they have broken the rules of behavior.
He supervises voting and announces final results, but he cannot speak in debate. Besides the
Speaker, there are Deputy Speakers, chosen from the members of the government party and
the Opposition.
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The design and layout the debating chamber of the House of Commons is distinctive. It is
rather small and does not have enough seats for all the members. There are two rows of
"benches” facing each other. The right side is for the party in government and the left side is
for the opposition. Important Members of Parliament, ministers, sit in front and therefore are
called frontbenchers. Backbenchers are younger and less experienced members sitting on the
"benches” at the make speeches. At the back in the centre is a high chair for the Speaker. The
Speaker chair debates from this commanding position. A special thing in the House is the two
red lines running parallel along the chamber. These lines are to divide the House into two
sides and symbolically prevent the two sides from physically attacking each other during a
debate. This layout encourages confrontation between government and opposition and

reinforces the British two-party system. The seats upstairs are for newsmen and the public. If
you want to see how the Commons work, you can attend “a sitting” in the galleries upstairs.
Because of the arrangement and layout, the atmosphere is rather informal, and as a result,
members are encouraged to cooperate. This arrangement of the Chamber has existed for a
very long time and expresses a desire for continuity.
The Law-making Procedure
Draft laws are called Bills. Bills begin life in the House of Common and go through five
stages: first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage, and third reading.
The First reading is just a formal announcement with no debate at all. An MP reads aloud the
bill to the Parliament.
In the second reading, the general principles of the bill are debates. The person who wrote the
bill talks about it and other Member of Parliament may ask questions related to it. After that, a
vote is taken. If the majority agrees, next comes the Committee stage when a committee of
MPs from all the parties examines the bill in detail. The bill is considered very carefully and
amendments may be added to change it. It often takes a long time because the committee is
small. The improved bill is then voted on again. When all the committee members agree, the
bill is presented to the House of Commons for the whole House to consider the amendments.
This stage is called the Report stage. Sometimes they make more changes and then again
there is another vote on the changes.
The next stage is the Third reading. In this stage the amended bill is debated again as a whole.
No change is allowed at this stage.
The bill is then passed to the House of Lords and it undergoes the same procedure. If the
House of Lord makes some amendments, the bill is sent back to the House of Commons and
the MPs vote on the changes. If the Lords do not agree, the bill is put aside for one year and
then it is sent directly to the Queen without consulting the House of Lords.
Finally, the bill is given to the Queen for consideration and if the Queen agrees, she gives the
Royal Assent and after that it becomes an Act of Parliament (law).
The procedure of law making asserts the more important role of The House of Commons.
The House of Lords is becoming less and less important and some people think that the
12



system is not democratic and that the House of Lords should be reformed. Some people also
complain that glamorous ceremonies of the royal family waste a large pan of the national
budget. In a survey conducted in 1997 in Britain, the number of people who supported the
Monarchy was 55% and those against it was 45%.

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UNIT 4: EDUCATION
In Britain, education is organized by the Local Education Authorities (LEAs).
An LEA is the local government body that is responsible for state schools and further
education in a district. LEAs employ teachers, maintain buildings, and supply books and
equipment. LEAs are funded partly by the central government and partly by local property
taxes.
Compulsory education
Children in Britain must go to school at the age of five and they may leave school at 16. There
are two sectors in the British school system: state schools and independent schools.
State schools
State schools, or maintained schools, are maintained or supported by the government
through LEAs. State schools are free for every child. State school children are also provided
with books and equipment without charge. Most state schools are mixed, i.e. coeducational.
There are three basic levels of state school system:
Nursery schools
Nursery schools are for very young children from two to four years old. They are mainly
educational games. Most nursery schools are supported by LEAs. There are also some preschool play groups organised by parents or by voluntary bodies.
Primary schools
Primary schools enroll children from 5 to 11. Primary education is usually in two separate
schools: infant schools for young children from 5 to 7 and junior for children from 7 to 11.

Some LEAs have a different system: first school for pupils aged 5 to 8 and middle school
for pupils aged 8 to 12.
Secondary school
Secondly schools are for 11-16 or 18 year old children. Today most pupils of state
secondary schools in Britain attend comprehensive schools. This type of secondary school
first appeared in England in 1965. It is a large school for pupils of all abilities from a district.
Comprehensive schools provide a general education with a wide range of courses for children
of all abilities. Besides academic courses, children also do music, handicrafts and vocational
courses.
Comprehensive schools are non-selective. When children finish primary school they go
straight to comprehensive school without any examinations. However, some LEAs nowadays
still keep following the selective system of education. According to this system when children
complete primary school, they take the Eleven-Plus Examination to decide the appropriate
type of secondary school they go to. The clever pupils who get the best results at the ElevenPlus will go to a grammar school. Grammar schools provide academic courses and prepare
pupils for higher education. The children who do not do well at the Eleven-Plus will go to a
secondary modern school. Secondary modern schools are for children of average or below
14


average ability. Therefore, they provide a general education and various skills as well as
handicrafts.
Independent schools
The other sector of education is independent schools. These are fee-paying schools and not
maintained by the LEAs. Most of the independent schools are single-sex, that is to say there
are schools for boys only, or for girls only. Many of them are boarding schools. The
schoolboys or schoolgirls stay in school dormitories or residences during the school terms,
and they only go home during holidays. Independent schools are very expensive because
parents pay not only for their children’s school fees but also for boarding. Only wealthy
parents can afford to send their children to an independent school.
Pre-preparatory schools

Pre-preparatory schools take children aged from 5 to 7. Children under five are
usually taught at home by a private tutor or they may go to a kindergarten.
Preparatory schools (Prep schools)
Preparatory schools are for children from 7 to 13 years old. They prepare children for
the Common Entrance examination to a public school.
Public schools
Public schools are for pupils from 13 to 18. They provide an academic education and
prepare pupils for higher education. Pupils of public schools do a lot of sports. They have
sports nearly everyday. By doing sports and working with classmates in a team, pupils are
trained to be a member of the community. Team games develop the idea of teamship with
qualities of cooperation, responsibility, and fair play.
School terms
The school year in Britain is divided into three terms. Autumn term is from September to
December, spring term from January to March and summer term from April to July. After
each term, there is a holiday. Autumn term ends at Christmas, spring term at Easter, and
summer term with the summer vacation. In addition, in the middle of each term, there is a half
term holiday lasting for one week.
Examinations
The minimum school-leaving age is 16, but pupils may stay on until 18.
The standard schools-leaving examination nowadays is the General Certificate of Secondary
Education (GCSE). It is taken at the age of 16 when pupils finish their fifth year of secondary
school. Pupils usually choose about seven or eight subjects for their exams.
After the GCSE, pupils who stay on will study two more years in the 6th form. Some pupils
will take GCSE again to get better grades. Other pupils will study for the GCE “Advanced”
level (“A” level) exams. They usually take two or three subjects. These are specialized
subjects, and GCE. A levels are the academic prerequisites for entry to universities.
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An additional examination at A-level was introduced in 1989. It aims to broaden the school

curriculum and allows students to take more subjects at an advanced level. GCE AS level
examinations have the same standards as GCE A-level. Good students who aim to study at
universities usually take two A-level and two AS level subjects.
Religious Education
Religion is taught in all British schools. But how it is taught varies from school to school,
and parents may withdraw their child from religious education.
National Curriculum
In 1998, the Education Reform Act introduced the National Curriculum for state schools in
Britain. It consists of three core subjects which pupils are expected to spend more lime on:
English, Mathematics and Science, and seven foundation subjects: history, geography,
technology, music, art, physical education and a modern language.
Further Education
After the compulsory education age, young people who continue their studies usually move
into further education.
Further education is provided by the sixth forms in secondary schools, sixth form colleges and
further education colleges.
Sixth forms are for students preparing for their A level and AS level examinations. In most
secondary schools, sixth form is divided into Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth.
Many sixth form students who prefer a college atmosphere may move to a sixth form
college or a further education college. There some students retake GCSE to get better grades,
others study two or three subjects for A level and maybe two more for AS level.
Further education colleges offer a wide range of courses to both young people and adults.
Courses are attended full-time, part-time or by distance learning.
Higher Education
Higher Education is provided by universities and polytechnics.
Universities in Britain are independent institutions. They appoint their own staff, and make
their own decisions on student admissions as well as curriculum and teaching methods.
The real head of a university is the Vice-Chancellor: He is appointed or elected by senior
members of the university. The nominal head is the Chancellor who is appointed for life. The
Chancellor has an honorary function and is present at the university only on some formal

occasions.
The two oldest and most famous universities in Britain are Oxford and Cambridge, known
as Oxbridge. Oxford university was founded in the 12th century, and Cambridge university in
the 13th century.
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The Scottish universities of St. Andrew, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Edinburgh were established
in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Other universities were founded in the 19th and 20th centuries. They were given the
derogatory nickname “redbrick” because most of them were built of red brick and originally
were considered inferior.
Universities select their students based on their “A” level results and interviews.
In most universities, undergraduate courses are three years full time study. Medical courses
usually take five or six years. First degrees are awarded on completion of the undergraduate
courses. The most common titles for a first degree are Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of
Science (BSc). When postgraduates complete their courses, usually one or two years, they are
conferred Master of Science (MSc). The higher degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is
awarded to students who complete two or three years of original research.
Polytechnics are also institutions for higher education. They provide a wide range of
courses leading to first and higher degrees. The polytechnics have a closer link with
commerce and industry; therefore, the courses they provide have a more technical or
vocational bias than those of a university.
The Open University was established in 1969. It provides distance learning at university
level, and it is open to everybody who wants it. Students need no formal academic
qualifications to register for the courses, but the degrees awarded by Open University meet
the same standards as those of other universities. Study is by means of correspondence, radio
and television.
Style
Learning for its own sake, rather than for any particular practical purpose, has traditionally

been given a comparatively high value in Britain. In comparison with most other countries, a
relatively strong emphasis has been put on the quality of person that education produces (as
opposed to the qualities of abilities that it produces). The balance has changed in the last
quarter of the twentieth century (for example, there is now a high degree of concern about
levels of literacy), but much of the public debate about educational policy still focues not so
much on how to help people develop useful knowledge and skills as on how education might
help to bring about a better society – on social justice rather than on efficiency.
This approach has had a far-reaching effect on many aspects of the educational system. First
of all. it has influenced the general style of teaching, which has tended to give priority to
developing understanding rather than acquiring factual knowledge and learning to apply this
knowledge to specific tasks. This is why British young people do not appear to have to work
as hard as their comterparts in other European countries. Primary schoolchildren do not
normally have formal homework to do and university students have fewer hours of
programmed attendance than students on the continent do. (On the other hand, they receive
greater personal guidance with their work). A second effect has been an emphasis on
academic ability rather than practical ability (despite English anti-intellectualism). This has
17


resulted in high-quality education for the intelligent and academically inclined (at the upper
secondary and university levels) with comparatively little attention given to the educational
needs of the rest.
The traditional approach, together with the dislike of centralized authority, also helps to
explain why the British school system got a national curriculum (a national specification of
learning objectives) so much later than other European countries. If your aim is so vague
and universal, it is difficult to specify what its elements are. It is for the same reason that
British schools and universities have tended to give such a high priority to sport. The idea is
that it helps to develop the “complete” person. The importance of school as a “community”
can increase this emphasis. Sporting success enhances the reputation of an institution. Until
the last quarter of the twentieth century, certain sports at some universities (especially Oxford

and Cambridge) and medical schools were played to an international standard. People
with poor academic records were sometimes accepted as students because of their sporting
prowess (although, unlike in the USA, this practice was always unofficial).
School life
There is no countrywide system of nursery (i.e. pre-primary) schools. In some areas, primary
schools have nursery schools attached to them, but in others there is no provision of this kind.
The average child does not begin full-time attendance at school until he or she is about five
and starts primary school. Almost all schools are either primary or secondary only, the latter
being generally larger.
Nearly all schools work a five-day week, with no half-day, and are closed on Saturdays. The
day starts at or just before nine o'clock and finishes between three and four, or a bit later for
older children. The lunch break usually lasts about an hour-and-a-quarter. Nearly twothirds of pupils have lunch provided by the school. Parents pay for this, except for the 15%
who are rated poor enough for it to be free. Other children either go home for lunch or take
sandwiches.
Methods of teaching vary, but there is most commonly a balance between formal lessons with
the teacher at the front of the classroom, and activities in which children work in small groups
round a table with the teacher supervising. In primary schools, the children are
mostly taught by a class teacher who teaches all subjects. At the ages of seven and eleven,
children have to (or soon will have to) take national tests in English, mathematics and science.
In secondary schools, pupils have different teachers for different subjects and are given
regular homework.
The older children get, the more likely they are to be separated into groups according to their
perceived abilities, sometimes for particular subjects only, sometimes across all subjects. But
some schools teach all subjects to “mixed ability” classes. The rights and wrongs of this
practice have generated heated debate for several decades and there is great variety from
school to school and area to area.
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Dramatic Change - The National Curriculum

One of the most important changes in education brought about by the
Education Reform Act 1998 is the introduction of a National Curriculum
for children aged 5-16 in all state schools in England and Wales. Until the
end of the 1980s the choice of subjects to be studied and the content of the
lessons were decided by each individual school.
The National Curriculum has changed all of this. The subjects and syllabus are decided by
groups of experts working under the DES (the Department of Education and Science). Most
children in Britain study the same subjects and the same syllabus, no matter where they live.
It is decided on a national level.
The National Curriculum consists of ten subjects, which all pupils must study at school. The
core subjects are English, Mathematics and Science. These are considered the most important
because they help you to study all the other subjects. The rest of the subjects are called
foundation subjects and they include Technology (and design), Music, Art, History,
Geography and Physical Education. A modern foreign language, usually French or German, is
a foundation subject for all 11-16 year olds.
Most schools in Britain divide the subjects and the teachers into departments. Each
department is responsible for teaching a range of subjects and the teachers in the department
have regular meetings to discuss the pupil’s work and the syllabus. For example, the Biology,
Chemistry and Physics teachers will meet the Head of the Science Department to plan the
work for people in that area of study.

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UNIT 5: FAMILY LIFE
The family in Britain is changing. The once typical British family headed by two parents has
undergone substantial changes during the twentieth century. In particular, there has been a rise
in the number of single-person households, which increased from 18 to 29 per cent of all
households between 1971 and 2002. By the year 2020, it is estimated that there will be more
single people than married people. Fifty years ago this would have been socially unacceptable

in Britain.
In the past, people got married and stayed married. Divorce was very difficult, expensive and
took a long time. Today, people's views on marriage are changing. Many couples, mostly in
their twenties or thirties, live together (cohabit) without getting married. Only about 60% of
these couples will eventually get married.
In the past, people married before they had children, but now about 40% of children in Britain
are born to unmarried (cohabiting) parents. In 2000, around a quarter of unmarried people
between the ages of 16 and 59 were cohabiting in Great Britain. Cohabiting couples are also
starting families without first being married. Before 1960 this was very unusual, but in 2001
around 23 per cent of births in the UK were to cohabiting couples.
People are generally getting married at a later age now and many women do not want to have
children immediately. They prefer to concentrate on their jobs and put off having a baby until
late thirties.
The number of single-parent families is increasing. This is mainly due to more marriages
ending in divorce, but some women are also choosing to have children as lone parents without
being married.
Size of households
There were 26.4 million households in the UK in 2011.
 29 per cent consisted of only one person. In 1973 nine percent of adults lived alone.
 20 per cent consisted of four or more people.
 56 per cent of households consist of a couple with or without children.
 The average size of household in the UK in 2011 was 2.3
 1.7 is the average number of dependent children in a family
(Source 2011 Census:Population Estimates by five-year age bands, and Household Estimates,
for Local Authorities in the United Kingdom Published by ONS March 2013)
Families
In 2012 there were 18.2 million families in the UK, 7.7 million (42 percent) of those families
have dependent children.
Here are some additional statistics from the Families and Households statistical Bulletin
published by ONS in 2012 and the Labour Force Survey published by ONS in 2012:

Married couples
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




12.6 million (69 per cent) of UK households consisted of a married couple with or
without children.
7.6 million (41 per cent) married couple families have no dependent children
4.6 million (25 per cent) married couple families have dependent children
The percentage of families that have just one dependent child has increased from 42
per cent in 1996 to 47 per cent in 2012.

Single parents
 Two million families consist of a single parent and dependent children
 The proportion of families headed by a lone parent was eight per cent in 1971, but this
figure had increased to 11 percent by 2011.
 The percentage of all families that are headed by a lone mother has doubled from
seven per cent in 1971 to 13.2 per cent in 2011.
 The percentage of all families headed by a lone father has increased marginally since
the early 1970s, and now stands at 1.6 per cent of all families in 2011.
Poverty
 41 per cent of children living in one-parent families are living in poverty.
 23 per cent of children from two-parent households are living in poverty.
 Within black households, 47 per cent of children live in poverty.
 Within Pakistani and Bangladeshi households 58 per cent of children live in poverty.
 26 per cent of children from white households are living in poverty.

(Source: Department for Work and Pensions, 2012, Households Below Average Income
2010/2011)
Employment
 95 per cent of couple families with one or two dependent children had one or both
parents working in 2012.
 87 per cent of couple families with three or more dependent children had one or both
parents working.
 62 per cent of lone parents with one or two dependent children were working in 2012.
 38 per cent of lone parents with three or more children were working in 2012.
(Source: Family Size in 2012. Published by ONS March 2013)
Fertility
 The average completed family size for women born in 1966, and reaching age 45 in
2011, was 1.91 children per woman. This compares with their mothers' generation,
represented by women born in 1939, who had on average 2.36 children.
 Most women who give birth will have two children.
 One in 10 women born in 1966 had four or more children but for women born in 1939
one in five would have had four or more children.One in five women born in 1966
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remained childless whereas for women born in 1939 only one in eight would have
remained childless.
(Source: Cohort Fertility, England and Wales 2011.Published by ONS March 2013)
Cohabitation
 There were 2.9 million opposite sex cohabiting couples in 2012. This figure has
doubled in the last 15 years.
 1.1 million of these families had dependent children. This figure has also doubled over
the last 15 years.
In a survey of published research projects on the effect of cohabitation - Marriage Lite: The
rise of Cohabitation and its consequences by Patricia Morgan found that:

 On average, cohabitations last less than two years before breaking up or converting to
marriage.
 Less than four per cent of cohabitations last for 10 years or more.
 Cohabiting influences later marriages. The more often and the longer that men and



women cohabit, the more likely they are to divorce later.
Both men and women in cohabiting relationships are more likely to be unfaithful to
their partners than married people.
Children born to cohabiting parents are more likely to experience a series of
disruptions in their family life.

Marriage
Over the last 3 decades marriage rates have fallen considerably and the number of married
couple families have therefore fallen. Important drivers of this trend are that men and women
are delaying getting married, or not marrying at all.
 The number of married couple families decreased by 280,000 between 2001 and 2011
to 12 million in 2011.

The provisional number of religious ceremonies in 2010 was 76,700, an increase of
1,140 over the 2009 figure.
 Religious marriages accounted for almost a third of all marriages in 2010.
 For the sixth consecutive year, there were fewer religious ceremonies in 2010 than
ceremonies in approved premises. There were 124,570 marriages in approved
premises in 2010, a 12 per cent increase from 2009.
 The provisional number of civil ceremonies in 2010 was 164,330, accounting for over
two-thirds (68 per cent) of all marriages.
 The proportion of civil ceremonies first exceeded religious ceremonies in 1992.
 The provisional number of weddings registered in England and Wales in 2010 is

241,100. This is an increase of 5.7 per cent from 2009, the largest increase since 2003.
(Source: Marriages in England and Wales 2010 Office for National Statistics Statistical
Bulletin February 2012)
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



In Northern Ireland there were 8366 marriages in 2011, an increase of 199 over the
number for 2010.
(Source: />In Scotland there were 30,534 marriages in 2012, the highest number since 2005.
(Source: />
Divorces
 The number of divorces in England and Wales in 2011 was 117,558, an increase of 1.7
percent since 2010, when there were 119,589 divorces.
 The divorce rate decreased slightly in 2011 to 10.8 divorcing people per thousand
married population. It was from 12.9 per thousand in 2001.
 Women and men in their late twenties had the highest divorce rates in 2011.
(Source Divorces in England Wales 2011 Office for National Statistics Statistical Bulletin
December 2012)
 The number of marriages dissolved in Northern Ireland in 2011 was 2,343. This a



decrease from 2010 when there were 2,600 divorces.
(Source Statistical Bulletin: Marriages, divorces and civil partnerships in NI (2010)
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency July 2011)
There were 9,862 divorces in Scotland in 2011; the lowest number of divorces in

Scotland since 1979.
(Source www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/divorces-anddissolutions/time-series.html)

23


Further reading: FOOD AND DRINK
Britain and good food are two things which are not commonly associated. Visitors to Britain
have widely varying opinions about all sorts of aspects of the country, but most of them seem
to agree that the food is terrible. Why? One reason could simply be that British tastes are
different from everybody else’s. However, the most common complaint is not so much that
British food has a strange, unpleasant taste, but rather that it has very little taste at all. The
vegetables, for example, are overcooked. It is all too bland.
Another explanation may be that most visitors to Britain do not get the opportunity to sample
home cooking. They either eat the food cooked in an institution, such as a university canteen,
or they “eat out” a lot, usually in rather cheap restaurants and cafes. These places
are definitely not where to find good British food. Typical British cooking, which involves a
lot of roasting, does not suit the larger scale production or the quick preparation which is
required in such places. For one thing, food should, according to British people, be
eaten hot, which is difficult to arrange when feeding large numbers of people. In addition, the
British have not got into the habit of preparing sauces with grilled food in order to make it
tastier.
Attitudes to food
The explanations above can only serve as a partial excuse for the unfortunate reputation of
British cuisine. Even in fast food restaurants and everyday cafes, the quality seems to be
lower than it is in equivalent places in other countries. It seems that British people simply
don't care enough to bother.
The country has neither a widespread “restaurant culture” nor a “cafe society”. In the middle
of the day, people just want to eat up quickly and are not interested much in quality (the lunch
break is an hour at most). Young people and families with children who eat at

fast food places are similarly not interested in quality. Little effort is made to make the
hamburgers tasty because nobody expects them to be. The coffee is horrible not because
British people prefer it that way but because they don't go to a cafe for a delicious, slow cup
of coffee - they go there because they need the caffeine.
Even at home, food and drink is given relatively hide attention. The coffee is often just as bad
as it is in the cafes. British supermarkets sell far more instant coffee than what the few people
who drink it often call “real” coffee. Instant coffee is less trouble. Meals tend to be
eaten quickly and the table cleared. Parties and celebrations are not normally centred around
food. For example, if a British person expresses a liking for barbecues, this does not
necessarily mean that he or she likes barbecued food - it is understood to mean that he or
she enjoys the typical barbecue atmosphere.
When the British do pay attention to food, it is most frequently not to appreciate it but to
notice what they don't like about it. Food hits the headlines only in the context of its dangers:
for example in 1993, when it was discovered that 100 tonnes of six-year-old beef had been
24