Task D, Replacing Informal Words with Academic Vocabulary: Gap Fill (Exercise 1)


Fill in the gaps with academic vocabulary that you have learned in previous tasks of this lesson.
(Nowadays) = In recent years; In recent times; Recently; Currently; Today
(Besides) = Additionally; What's more; Furthermore; It is also true that,
(As we all know) = It is well known that; It is generally agreed that; It is widely accepted / understood / believed that / It is generally believed that
(hot topic) = a controversial issue; a contentious problem
(get) = attain; receive; earn; make;
(getting) = becoming; growing
(got) = acquired; attained; received
(big) = major; large; important; significant
(more and more) = an increasing number / a growing / rising number (for countable nouns) / an increasing amount; a growing amount (for uncountable nouns); increasingly
(just) = as few as (countable); as little as (uncountable)
(good) = preferable; beneficial; effective; advantageous
(bad) = undesireable; not preferable; poor; ineffective
(a lot of) = many; a considerable number of (for countable nouns); a great deal / amount of / a considerable amount of (for uncountable nouns)
(a lot) = considerably; significantly
(really) = highly; notably; greatly; abundantly


If you have trouble, push the [?] button for the (inappropriate) word that means the same. Or, click the 'Hint' button at the bottom to see the next letter of each word.
Question: University education should be free. Do you agree with this statement? Argue for OR against it.


A great deal of educational reform in Hong Kong has occurred . The new 3-3-4 system is as it benefits an local students. This has created, however, another about whether university education should also be free in Hong Kong. Tertiary education should not be free in the HKSAR for two main reasons: (a) government expenditures may increase , and (b) it may be unfair for other tertiary students who are unqualified to the benefit. These issues will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Free university education would increase the government’s financial burden. There is already a amount of funding for universities provided by the government each year. Tuition for students attending university is high, particularly for people studying medicine or scientific research as the equipment and materials used in experiments are high-priced. , government spending has already expanded due to the 12-year free education policy. A financial crisis has recently occurred which has also put pressure on the limited funds available. This forces the government to create infrastructure projects to boost the economy which may further reduce the government’s budget surplus. If free tertiary education is available, it would likely lead to a rise in government expenditure and hence result in a fiscal deficit. Ultimately, this would be , as it would be at the expense of taxpayers.

What's more, free tertiary education is only available and beneficial to tertiary learners under the UGC-funded program. Other students would have to bear the entire tuition cost by themselves. there is a quota for the number of students entering the government-funded programs. This implies that students with excellent public exam results only can the advantage of free university education. Others may not benefit unless they enter one of the UGC-funded programs. Therefore, it may be unfair to unqualified students since their courses are also recognized tertiary programmes. It may also discourage less capable students from a higher level of education.

To demonstrate the government’s commitment to the education of future generations, free education is a policy as people have access to learning. Yet, when using public funding, equality of each person should be emphasized. , students should bear part of the cost, as not everyone would be able to free tertiary education.