Ejercicio Primer Bloque: Texto 2 - Ejercicio 1 · Inglés PAU Extremadura Ordinaria 2024

Reading comprehension: Text 2

Students find Erasmus replacement scheme inadequate, analysis finds.

The British government’s post-Brexit replacement for the EU’s Erasmus+ student exchange programme (Turing scheme) is not going as planned. Some students did not go abroad because places were confirmed too late, while others did not receive funding until after their return, according to analysis. The first official analysis of the Turing scheme found that four out of five universities (79%) had difficulties with the application process, which was overly complex, repetitive and “tedious.”

They also complained that the window for applications was too short and even after efforts were made to simplify the process, few thought there was any real improvement. The number of participants in the first year of the scheme fell short of the government target, partly because of the impact of Covid at the time.

The analysis by IFF Research, which focused on the first year of the programme, also found that inadequate funding and delays with delivery had a disproportionate impact on students with fewer resources, potentially creating barriers to participation. One of the government’s key claims for the Turing scheme is that it will enable more students from lower-income backgrounds to take up international study placements, compared with the Erasmus programme. It is also global, rather than being confined to Europe.

According to the government, more than 40,000 students will benefit from the Turing scheme in the 2023-24 academic year. Robert Halfon, the minister for higher education, said: “The Turing scheme is a real change for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, empowering them with transformative opportunities abroad, a chance to experience other cultures and learn vital skills for life and work.” Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the benefits of studying abroad were not in doubt. “What is in question is whether the Turing scheme is offering better opportunities than the one it replaced – Erasmus+.”

(The Guardian. January 2024. Adapted)

EXERCISE 1. Answer 3 of the following 4 questions, providing evidence from the text (maximum 1 point each, total 3 points):

a.

According to the text, did the majority of British universities have problems with the Turing programme?

b.

When the Turing scheme started, was the number of students in it as high as the government expected?

c.

Is the following statement true or false?

The Government believed that the Turing scheme would benefit poor students.

d.

Does Geoff Barton believe that studying in a foreign country is a good thing?