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Lesson 67: What Did You Study in Secondary School?

CONVERSATION A1 - A2

🎯 Learning Objectives

In this lesson, you will:

Learn how to talk about high school subjects
Practice using the past tense to describe school experiences
Ask and answer questions about what you studied and liked

🔹 Exercise 1 – Warm-up

Listen and repeat these expressions of time:

last year
10 years ago
April 2013
1995
2002
5 months ago

Let's Practice:
Put these in order from the most distant to the most recent.

🔹 Exercise 2 – Vocabulary

Listen and repeat these school subjects:

art
science
math
P.E.
music
computing

Let's Practice:
Tell your tutor what subject you see.
Example: "music"

Can you think of more high school subjects? Share them with your tutor.

🔹 Exercise 3 – More Vocabulary

Listen and repeat these adjectives:

useful
easy
difficult
boring
useless
interesting
funny
tiring

Let's Practice:
Tell your tutor which adjectives are positive and which are negative.
Example:
“Useful is positive.”
“Boring is negative.”

Can you think of more adjectives to describe school subjects?

🔹 Exercise 4 – Dialogue

Read the dialogue with your tutor:

Teacher: When did you finish high school, Ling?
Ling: I finished high school about ten years ago.
Teacher: What did you study?
Ling: I studied math and science.
Teacher: Did you like math?
Ling: Yes, I did.
Teacher: Why?
Ling: It was interesting. My teachers were funny!
Teacher: Was it difficult?
Ling: No, it wasn't. I was good at math.
Teacher: What subjects didn't you like?
Ling: I didn't like science.
Teacher: Why not?
Ling: Science was difficult and boring.

Check Your Understanding:

When did Ling finish high school?
Did she like math?
Did Ling like science?

🔹 Exercise 5 – Matching

Say the correct answer:

When did you finish high school?
a) I finish high school in 2001.
b) I finished high school in 2001.
c) I finishes high school in 2001.
Did you finish high school in 1998?
a) No, I didn't.
b) No, I wasn't.
c) No, I doesn't.
What did you study?
a) I studied art and music.
b) I study art and music.
c) I studies art and music.
Did you study art?
a) Yes, I study.
b) Yes, I was.
c) Yes, I did.
Did you like science?
a) Yes, I liked science.
b) Yes, I likes science.
c) Yes, I did science.
Why did you like computing?
a) Because it were easy.
b) Because it easy.
c) Because it was easy.

🔹 Exercise 6 – Fill in the Blanks

You will be Arisa:

Teacher: When did you finish high school, Arisa?
Arisa: I (1) _____ high school in 2009.
Teacher: What did you study?
Arisa: I (2) _____ art, P.E., math and science.
Teacher: Did you like art?
Arisa: Yes, I (3) _____.
Teacher: Why?
Arisa: Art (4) _____ interesting and my teachers (5) _____ funny!
Teacher: Was it difficult?
Arisa: No, it (6) _____. I was good at art.
Teacher: What subjects didn't you like?
Arisa: I didn't (7) _____ P.E.

Word Bank: like – studied – were – was – finished – did – wasn't

🔹 Exercise 7 – Ordering

Put the words in the correct order:

school high finish you When did?
last month finished I school high.
did you study What?
computing I and science studied.
boring My was teacher.
you didn't What like subjects?
like music Why did you?
was easy It.

🔹 Exercise 8 – Your Turn to Ask

Ask your tutor:

When did you finish high school?
What subjects did you study?
What subjects did you like?
Why did you like them?
What subjects didn't you like?
Why didn't you like them?

🔹 Exercise 9 – Your Turn to Answer

Talk about yourself:

When did you finish high school?
What subjects did you study?
What subjects did you like?
Why did you like them?
What subjects didn't you like?
Why didn't you like them?

✅ Corrections & Answer Key

Exercise 5 Answers:

Exercise 6 Answers:

(1) finished
(2) studied
(3) did
(4) was
(5) were
(6) wasn't
(7) like

Exercise 7 Correct Order:

When did you finish high school?
I finished high school last month.
What did you study?
I studied science and computing.
My teacher was boring.
What subjects didn't you like?
Why did you like music?
It was easy.