Opción B · Inglés PAU Madrid Ordinaria (2ª lengua) 2018

OPCIÓN B

A Generation in Debt

In today's day and age, it appears that a degree from higher education establishments is more desired than ever. Data released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in August 2017 revealed that a total of 461,860 people have been placed in full-time UK universities. This was accompanied by an increase in tuition fees, rising from a maximum of £3,375 to £9,000 a year, in 2012, and from £9,000 to £9,250 in 2017. Back in March, The Independent newspaper had reported that university tuition fees in England are the highest in the world.

In addition, maintenance grants have been terminated, meaning that students now require a higher maintenance loan to cover living costs. Thus, they find themselves in more debt than ever before. For instance, it would take those entering a career in mechanical engineering over 29 years to pay off their student debt totalling £72,960, of which interest makes up to £27,930. Investment bankers and financial managers would have paid their full loan off in 14 years and 13 years, respectively.

The exorbitant costs of higher education have raised concerns over its affordability and accessibility, especially to students of lower-income households. This has culminated into a major student protest this year, reflecting student dissatisfaction. Sandi, a law student at University College London, who is currently taking on a student loan to finance her studies, spoke to The Student Magazine: “The loan is only enough to cover tuition expenses in the first year, so for the second and third years, my situation is still not clear. Hopefully I can get a scholarship, but if not, I will have to squeeze the money out from somewhere. I do intend to find a part time job. England is too expensive, especially London.”

QUESTIONS

1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

A growing number of students are currently giving up on the idea of entering university education.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

One of the reasons why university students need to borrow money is because help for living costs is no longer available.

TRUE

FALSE

2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Why have higher education students in Britain protested this year?

b)

What do students from less privileged families usually have to do in order to pay for a degree in an expensive English university?