1 Cramming for success: study and academic work

Question 1

cram

Answer 1

study in a very concentrated way
for a short time

Question 2

genius

Answer 2

an exceptionally clever person

Question 3

past paper

Answer 3

exam papers from previous years

Question 4

rote-learning

Answer 4

learning purely by repetition

Question 5

mnemonics

Answer 5

tricks that help you remember something, for example: ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’ is a mnemonic for English
spelling (e.g. friend, but receive)

Question 6

bury yourself in your books

Answer 6

spend the maximum time studying

Question 7

intensively

Answer 7

in a very focused way

Question 8

know the subject inside out

Answer 8

know it completely

Question 9

composition

Answer 9

could be just 50–100 words, often used for school work

Question 10

essay

Answer 10

longer than a composition, more serious, hundreds or thousands of words

Question 11

assignment

Answer 11

a long essay, oft en part of a course, usually thousands of words

Question 12

project

Answer 12

like an assignment, but emphasis on student’s own material and topic

Question 13

portfolio

Answer 13

a collection of individual pieces of work; may include drawings and other examples of creative work as well as writing

Question 14

dissertation

Answer 14

a long, research-based work, perhaps 10–15,000 words, for a degree or diploma

Question 15

thesis

Answer 15

a very long, original, research-based work, perhaps 80–100,000 words, for a higher degree (e.g. PhD)

Question 16

mind map

Answer 16

diagram that lays out ideas for a topic and how they are connected to one another

Question 17

first draft

Answer 17

first, rough version

Question 18

plagiarism

Answer 18

using other people’s work as if it was yours

Question 19

acknowledge

Answer 19

give details of

Question 20

deadline

Answer 20

date by which you must hand in the work

Question 21

submitted

Answer 21

handed in; formal

Question 22

assessed

Answer 22

evaluated and given a grade

Question 23

feedback

Answer 23

comments from the teacher/tutor

Question 24

carry out research

Answer 24

less formal is do research

Question 25

academic journals

Answer 25

magazines with academic articles (we do not use the word magazine to talk about this kind of academic publication)

Question 26

access it online

Answer 26

get hold of (it) on the internet

Question 27

inter-library loan

Answer 27

system where libraries exchange books/journals with one another

Question 28

Open educational resources

Answer 28

online materials that can be freely used by teachers and students anywhere

Question 29

drop out

Answer 29

leave the course before the end

Question 30

finals

Answer 30

last exams before the end of a college or university course

Question 31

well-qualified

Answer 31

with the right formal qualifications