Education is an important part of modern life. Being educated means to know a lot of necessary and useful things for life, which is why every decent person studies at school. Originally Russian education starts from the early age. Children can start going to kindergarten from the age of two, but this is not a compulsory education. It depends on parents’ decision and child’s wish to attend this institution. However, school is mandatory. Every child starts going to school from the age of seven and till 16. Mandatory education in Russia is presented by three types of schools: primary, secondary and high. The primary school teaches its pupils elementary skills, such as reading, writing, counting. Many schools also offer foreign languages or some other special disciplines at this age. The most important period is the secondary school, which starts from the 4th or 5th grade, depending on school. This is the time when children start learning Biology, Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Computing, and many other new subjects. At the 9th grade children face a very important period in their life. They have to choose whether to continue school education, or to leave for other types of educational institutions, such as college, specialized schools and else. If the pupil decides to continue studying in high school, which lasts for two years, he can enter the university after school graduation. Of course, it’s only the general pattern of education in Russia, but there can also be some exceptions nowadays. For example, there are lots of special schools, where they pay attention only to particular subjects. Also, apart from state schools, there are a number of private schools, where education is not free of charge.
I can’t say exactly which is most important in learning a language: listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation. I think that all these aspects are very important for successful communication. I like all activities but most of all I prefer reading. Reading is easier for me than speaking or listening. If I don’t know any word in the book, I can always look it up in the dictionary. What is more, when I read English books, I learn lots of new words. I don’t have lots of opportunities to communicate with native speakers so reading is the best way to learn the language. Besides, I like watching English films. But in my opinion, the best way of learning a language is to practise a lot. Unfortunately I have not an opportunity to go to an English-speaking country and talk to native speakers. In my opinion, it’s the best way to enlarge my vocabulary, to improve my grammar and pronunciation and to train my speaking and listening skills. That’s why I’d like to go to Great Britain and take a course at an English school. It's my dream.
