III.    READING

  a. Choose the word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

Many English people worry that the education system fails to make sure that all children reach minimum standards of (46) ____________ (reading and writing) and numeracy (number skills), and there are often demands for more (47)_________to be paid to the three R‘s (reading, writing and arithmetic).

Standards at individual schools are watched (48) _________by parents and government. Schools are visited regularly by OFSTED inspectors, and schools (49) _________pupils are not making adequate progress or in which discipline is poor risk being closed (50) _________. School performance tables are (51) _________annually to show how well students in individual schools have done in tests and exams. These ‘league tables’ (52) _________parents to compare one school with another, but many people feel that it is unfair to base a comparison on exam results alone.

Educational (53) _________ are often said to be falling. This usually happens after GCSE and A level results are announced: if there are a lot of students with high (54) _________people say that the exams are too easy. Others think that standards are rising and that it is now (55) _________ harder to achieve good grades.

Many English people worry that the education system fails to make sure that all children reach minimum standards of (46) ____________ (reading and writing) and numeracy (number skills), .........