EDU-AEducation, Lifelong Learning and Careers

Virtual Schools and the Emphatic DO

Idée directrice

Virtual schools (or cyber schools) offer flexibility, safety from bullying, and personalized schedules. However, they also present drawbacks like lack of physical communication, eye strain, and potential addiction. In writing and speaking, the auxiliary do/does/did can be used in affirmative sentences (Emphatic DO) to strongly emphasize a point or contrast a misconception.

Signature de reconnaissance — l'énoncé se trahit ainsi

distance learning

cyber schools

bullying

flexibility of timetables

Emphatic DO

Sujet principal

Vocabulary and Grammar: Cyber Schools & Emphatic DO

8 questionsCorrigé masqué

Part 1 — Cloze. Fill each blank with ONE word from the box (one extra word).

`bullying · log on · flexibility · drawbacks · isolation · interactive`

Virtual schools offer timetable __________ that traditional classrooms rarely match.
Students must __________ to the platform before each lesson.
One major __________ of cyber schools is the lack of face-to-face contact.
Online courses can feel __________ when teachers use quizzes and live chat.
Some parents choose cyber schools to protect children from __________.

Part 2 — Emphatic DO. Rewrite each sentence using emphatic do/does/did (keep the same meaning).

I believe virtual schools can help shy students.
She likes the flexible schedule.
They finished the online module yesterday.

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Part 1 Answers: 1. flexibility · 2. log on · 3. drawbacks · 4. interactive · 5. bullying (extra: isolation)

Part 2 Answers: 1. I do believe virtual schools can help shy students. · 2. She does like the flexible schedule. · 3. They did finish the online module yesterday.

Traps: After emphatic do/does/did, use the bare infinitive (no -s, no past ending): does like, not does likes.

Exercices d'entraînement — une nuance à la fois

Entraînement 01 / 03

Cyber schools: gap-fill from context

1 questionCorrigé masqué

Language — gap-fill. Read the paragraph. Fill each blank with ONE word from the box. There is one extra word.

`tuition · enrol · bullying · bustle · addictive · e-learning · isolation`

Many families choose virtual schools because children avoid the morning (1) __________ of crowded streets and the risk of (2) __________ in the playground. Parents still pay (3) __________ fees to (4) __________ their child on the platform. Online courses can be highly effective, yet some teenagers find (5) __________ so (6) __________ that they spend more hours online than they should.

(Hint: use the full paragraph for sense — do not match words by first letter alone.)

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Answers: (1) bustle · (2) bullying · (3) tuition · (4) enrol · (5) e-learning · (6) addictive · (extra: isolation)

How to find them: Read the whole sentence before choosing. “Morning … of crowded streets” points to bustle (noise and rush), not bullying. “Risk of … in the playground” needs the school-violence word bullying. “Pay … fees” is the fixed collocation tuition fees. “On the platform” after a verb of registration calls for enrol. The last two blanks form a sense unit: distance study (e-learning) can become addictive. Isolation fits online life in general but no blank requires it here.

Trap: Tuition is the fee for registration or courses, not “the teacher”. Do not write teacher fees.

Entraînement 02 / 03

Reading: a week in a virtual school

7 questionsCorrigé masqué

Reading comprehension. Read the passage carefully, then answer the questions.

When Karim’s family moved to a small town far from any secondary school, his parents registered him in a virtual school. Every morning he logs on to the platform, opens his e-books, and joins live lessons by video. Teachers send quizzes through forums and instant messaging, so he can ask for help without waiting until the next day. Karim enjoys the flexibility of timetables: on days when he helps his father at the shop, he studies later in the evening. He no longer carries heavy bags and he never faces bullying in a crowded corridor.

Still, the system is not perfect. After four hours in front of the screen, his eyes ache and he misses the verbal and physical communication of a real classroom. His mother worries about over-reliance on technology and about whether online work will prepare him for interviews later. Distance learning does offer a safe, personalised path, yet it also demands strong commitment from the student.

1. True or false? Write T or F and justify with a short quotation from the text.

Karim chose a virtual school because he wanted shorter holidays.
He can adapt his study hours when he works with his father.
His mother is completely satisfied with online education.

2. Answer the questions.

How does Karim communicate with his teachers during lessons?
Name two physical or social drawbacks mentioned in the second paragraph.

3. Vocabulary. Find in the text words that mean:

connect to a computer system (two words) → __________
depending too much on something → __________

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1. True / false with justification (use quotation marks as in the paper):
1. F — The reason is distance from school: “his parents registered him in a virtual school” after the family “moved to a small town far from any secondary school” — not shorter holidays.
2. T — “on days when he helps his father at the shop, he studies later in the evening.”
3. F — “His mother worries about over-reliance on technology” (and about interviews), so she is not completely satisfied.

2. Comprehension
1. He joins live lessons by video and teachers send quizzes through forums and instant messaging; he can ask for help without waiting until the next day.
2. Any two among: aching eyes / long hours in front of the screen; missing verbal and physical communication; risk of over-reliance on technology; doubt about preparation for interviews. (Commitment is a demand, not a drawback of the body.)

3. Vocabulary
1. logs on (or log on)
2. over-reliance (also accepted: over-reliance on technology)

Method: For true/false, locate the idea first, then copy a short phrase that proves T or F — do not invent details. For vocabulary, stay inside the passage; do not translate from memory.

Entraînement 03 / 03

Writing: advise a friend about cyber school

1 questionCorrigé masqué

Writing — one paragraph (10–12 lines).

Your friend Salma is shy and was bullied at her old school. Her parents are considering a virtual school for next year. Write her a short message: explain two advantages and one risk of cyber schools, and give a clear piece of advice. Use an appropriate informal tone and at least two linking words (However, Moreover, On the other hand, Therefore…).

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Model paragraph

Hi Salma, I heard your parents are thinking about a virtual school. On the one hand, online classes can protect you from bullying and give you a quieter place to rebuild your confidence. Moreover, cyber schools offer flexibility of timetables and personalised education services, so you can study at your own pace without the morning rush. On the other hand, sitting for hours in front of a screen can strain your eyes and reduce face-to-face communication with peers. Therefore, if you enrol, I advise you to keep a fixed study schedule, join live chats with classmates, and take regular breaks away from the computer. Virtual learning can help, but only if you stay active and organised.

What the examiner rewards
- Task achievement: two clear advantages + one risk + explicit advice (not a list of slogans).
- Organisation: linkers that mark contrast and conclusion (On the one hand / Moreover / On the other hand / Therefore).
- Vocabulary range: module words such as bullying, flexibility, personalised, enrol, screen / face-to-face.
- Accuracy: consistent tenses; no “cyber school is good and bad” empty ending without advice.

Trap: Do not copy a full essay introduction–body–conclusion structure for a short message; one dense paragraph that answers every bullet is enough. Stay on Salma’s situation — general theory about the internet alone scores poorly.

Méthode / Automatismes

To use the Emphatic DO correctly:

Pièges classiques

A common mistake is keeping the third-person 's' or past tense marker on the main verb after inserting the emphatic auxiliary. For example, writing 'it does has' or 'it does offers' is incorrect. Always use the bare infinitive: does have, does offer.