1. At a small independent school in London, a quiet revolution is under way. Lessons are held in yurt-style tents dotted around the three-acre site. Everyone is on first-name terms. Mental health is a cornerstone of the curriculum and pupils are only required to come to school four days a week. Liberty Woodland school, for children aged four to sixteen, is experimenting with the traditional timetable for pupils and teachers in response to concerns about children's mental health and a shortage of teachers. The school week at Liberty Woodland is shorter. Yet, the days are longer, with no school on Fridays for pupils. Teachers, however, are expected to work, supporting children online with any outstanding work, as well as getting on with planning and marking.
2. The school opened its primary phase in 2019. Five years later, it started a small secondary school, with fees rising to £7,000 a term. Pupils described feeling overwhelmed at their former schools with their large classes and strict behaviour codes. Their families often chose Liberty Woodland because of its emphasis on well-being. One 14-year-old pupil thinks Liberty Woodland has helped his mental health. He likes the international baccalaureate curriculum, which he says allows him to study in greater depth. He also likes having Fridays at home. The school says its four-day week model is designed to offer pupils “increased opportunities for independent exploration and personal development. This approach fosters both independence and a more fulfilling educational experience,” says the head of school and founder, Leanna Barrett. “The world has changed drastically. I feel as though school has not kept up with that,” she adds.
3. A petition to parliament calling for a four-day week, with the same number of school hours spread over four rather than five days, attracted more than 40,000 signatures. Reports from the US suggest more than 2,000 schools in 26 states have moved to a four-day week. A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are not going to reduce the amount of time children in England spend in school. Every hour in the classroom helps break down barriers to opportunity for young people and our plan for change sets out our mission to give every child the best life chances, breaking the link between background and success.”
The Guardian (Adapted)
January 2025
I- COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
(12 marks)The text is mainly about an educational approach that combines
▸ More details:why this answer?
The school cares about two things at the same time.
1) The students' feelings and health. The text says “Mental health is a cornerstone” and the families chose it for its “emphasis on well-being.”
2) Strong studies. The pupil likes the “international baccalaureate curriculum” and can “study in greater depth.”
So the answer is b. Answer a is wrong: “background and success” are the government's words, not the school's idea. Answer c is wrong: the text does not talk about parents' duties.
▸ More details:why these words?
All three words come straight from paragraph 2.
① overwhelmed: the text says pupils “described feeling overwhelmed at their former schools.”
② curriculum: the pupil likes “the international baccalaureate curriculum” and can study deeper.
③ fulfilling: the school offers “a more fulfilling educational experience.”
One word per blank. 1 mark for each correct word.
“The school week at Liberty Woodland is shorter. Yet, the days are longer.”
“… with fees rising to £7,000 a term.”
“Reports from the US suggest more than 2,000 schools in 26 states have moved to a four-day week.”
▸ More details:why these details?
You must copy a detail from the text that proves the sentence wrong. Do not just write “No” or change the words.
a. They come fewer days, but each day is longer, so the hours are not fewer.
b. The school is not free. Parents pay £7,000 a term.
c. It is not only in England. The USA has it too (2,000 schools in 26 states).
1 mark for each correct detail.
▸ More details:why these reasons?
Paragraph 1 says the school is experimenting with the timetable “in response to concerns about children's mental health and a shortage of teachers.”
These two ideas are the reasons. 1 mark each.
▸ More details:why these words?
a. dotted around: the tents are “dotted around the three-acre site,” which means spread here and there in a place.
b. drastically: “The world has changed drastically” means changed in a very big and strong way.
1 mark each. Write only the word from the text.
Do you think that adopting the Liberty Woodland School approach would be effective in Tunisian schools? Why? Why not?
I think that adopting the Liberty Woodland school approach would be effective in Tunisian schools because it gives students more time to rest, lowers their stress, and can improve their mental health and their wish to learn.
▸ More details:what makes a safe answer?
This is your own idea, so there is no single right answer. Just pick a side and give a reason that makes sense.
Safe pattern: “I think it would / would not be effective because + reason.”
II- WRITING
(12 marks)| Celebration | – celebrate / every year / 20 / March / 193 UN Member States |
| Activities | – educational seminars / social media campaigns / spread joy / raise awareness / importance / happiness |
| World Happiness Day Report 2025 | – rank / Finland / the / happy / country / the world |
The International Day of Happiness is celebrated every year on 20 March by the 193 UN Member States. To mark this day, people organize educational seminars and social media campaigns to spread joy and raise awareness of the importance of happiness. According to the World Happiness Day Report 2025, Finland is ranked the happiest country in the world.
▸ More details:how to build it from the notes
Turn each note into a full sentence. Do not just copy the words.
Celebration: “is celebrated every year on 20 March by the 193 UN Member States.”
Activities: “people organize educational seminars and social media campaigns to spread joy and raise awareness of the importance of happiness.”
Report: “Finland is ranked the happiest country in the world.”
Phones Off, Minds On: A Rule Worth Keeping
Recently, my school banned the use of mobile phones during the school day, and the decision has divided students. In my opinion, this new rule is a positive and necessary measure.
First, phones are a big distraction. When messages keep popping up, students cannot focus on the lesson, and their marks go down. Second, the ban protects us. Less screen time means less stress and less cyberbullying, and it gives us more real talks with our friends at break. Finally, the rule makes school fairer, because no one can cheat in exams and every student has the same chance to learn.
Of course, a phone can help in an emergency, so the school should allow it in special cases. Still, I strongly believe that turning our phones off helps us turn our minds on.
▸ More details:the safe plan
Use a simple plan you can repeat in any article:
Title, then Intro (the rule and your opinion), then three arguments (one idea each: focus, health, fairness), then a Conclusion (repeat your opinion in new words).
You can choose to be for or against. Both can get full marks if the arguments are clear.
III- LANGUAGE
(6 marks)▸ More details:why each form?
(harm) → harmful: after “how … can be” we need an adjective, and the adjective of harm is harmful.
(reveal) → revealed / has revealed: both are correct. The past simple matches the other reporting verbs in the paragraph (“warned”, “found”). The present perfect also works, because the study is recent and the finding is still true now.
(warn) → warned: past simple. The words “in their last study” show finished past time.
(freshen) → fresheners: here we need a noun (a product), “air fresheners”, plural.
(emission) → emits: we need a verb in present simple. The subject “cooking” is singular and “usually” shows a habit, so emits.
(one) → ones: “ones” replaces the plural noun nanoparticles, so it takes an s.
Green = used · crossed out = the two extra words you do not need.
▸ More details:why each word?
① predicts: after “and” we need a verb that means “says what will happen.”
② on: a fixed phrase, do tasks “on someone's behalf” (= for them).
③ pace: “the pace of discovery” means its speed.
④ risks: the word “But” and “bad actors” point to something bad, so risks (not benefits).
⑤ influence: after “could” we need a verb, so disinformation could influence (change) elections.
⑥ how: “explores how to navigate …” means it explains the way to do it.
Two words are extra: who and benefits.