EAP Sem 2 Final Paper

University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of English Language Teaching
English for Academic Purposes (GENG 2202.1) - December 2021
Semester II (Online Examination)
Include the following details in the answer script
AR Number : ………………………………..
AF Number : ………………………………..
Class Number : ………………………………..
Answer all questions Total Marks – 60 Time: - 2 hrs

(Please follow the online exam guidelines given to you)
___________________________________________________________________________
Question 1:
Read the text given below and answer the questions. Each answer should contain about
50 words. Each question carries 5 marks (5 x 6 = 30 marks)
1 Sri Lanka is a country with many blessings; free primary, secondary and tertiary
education is one of them. Hence, there is 98% Youth Literacy rate - a great achievement
for a middle-income country.
2 Government policy changes have made it compulsory for children to receive education
till the age of 16, which contributes to the high literacy rate.
3 Ministry of Education in 2013 reports that there are only 0.4% schools that offer school
education in all three languages Sinhala, Tamil and English. Further, it points out that
there are only 3.5% national schools while 96.5% are provincial schools. This sheds light
on why the grade 5 scholarship exam is highly competitive, pressurizing children to
attend a national school which is considered 'better' due to its prestige. It must be noted
that national schools are considered to have better resources and better teachers. Does
that mean that the situation in provincial schools is different?
4 In many youth forums, the discussions are always about tertiary education in Sri Lanka
and the conflict between private and state universities. The focus on the education of
school children is usually left out. Recently, there was an event organized by UNICEF
1
Sri Lanka - ‘A Fair Chance for Every Child’ which was based on the need for equitable,
inclusive and quality education for the children of Sri Lanka. This encouraged people to
reflect on what youth can do to achieve this goal.
Why does education for children matter?

5 Those who fall between ages 15-24 are considered youth. Then who is a child?
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, everyone under 18 years is a
child. The development of children through the education system is essential because
children blossom into young adults and become the next generation. ‘Development’
should include physical, psychological, social and cultural development.
6 There are compulsory subjects that children should learn at school. Environmental
Science, Mathematics, Mother Tongue, English as a Second Language, History,
Religion, Social Studies and an aesthetic subject are such compulsory subjects. In the
‘Fair Chance for Every Child’ conference, a major concern was that local school
curriculums lack emphasis on analytical thinking and problem solving skills,
communication and peace education and ICT skills. It is difficult for a child to develop
psychologically without such skills. Thus, when they grow to an employable age they do
not have employable skills, which is a major flaw in the education system.
Regional disparities in resource allocation

7 A school could also allocate time for physical education during school hours if they have
the relevant facilities, so that children could develop team-building and healthy morals.
Unfortunately, some schools do not even have adequately-qualified teachers to provide
such education. This is quite common in certain parts of the country such as in the
remote rural areas, North, East and in the Plantation sector.
Questions
1. In paragraph one (1), it says that, “there is 98% Youth Literacy rate - a great
achievement for a middle-income country.” Do you agree with this statement?
Explain your reasons.
2. According to paragraph three (3), the grade 5 scholarship exam is highly competitive
and pressurizes children to attend a prestigious national school. Do you think that
pressurizing children to face competitive exams at a young age is acceptable? Explain
your opinion.
2
3. According to paragraph 4, there is a discussion about the conflict between the private
university system and the state university system. Which is better according to you?
Explain your reasons.
4. As paragraph six (6) suggests, the school education system in Sri Lanka fails to give
employable skills to students. Do you think students get the opportunity to enhance
employable skills at the university level? Explain using your own experiences as a
second-year university student.
5. According to paragraph seven (7), school children should also get physical education
in school. Do you think that physical education is important for students? Explain
your reasons.
6. a) Briefly explain what the main idea of the above text is.
b) Suggest a suitable topic for the above text.
Question 2:
A. Write your essay plan for the topic, “Raising the retirement age in Sri Lanka - good
or bad?” (10 marks)
B. Follow your plan above and write the essay on the given topic using about 200 words (20
marks)
THE END
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University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Answer all questions Total Marks – 60 Time: - 2 hrs

Why does education for children matter?

Regional disparities in resource allocation

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