School Vocabulary in English: Supplies, Subjects and Exercises

September, a new schoolbag, an untouched pencil case and that unmistakable feeling that summer ended far too soon. If you’ve landed here looking for school vocabulary in English, it’s probably for one of three reasons: you’re a student and you want to talk about your day at school, you’re a teacher and you need classroom language at your fingertips, or you’re preparing a Cambridge exam and you already know that studies and education is one of the topics that come up most in the Speaking.

Whichever it is, you’re in the right place. And let me tell you straight away: this is not going to be another list of twenty words with little pictures next to them. In this post you’ll find school vocabulary grouped into logical blocks, with pronunciation, with the differences between British and American English (and here there are plenty of traps), with the false friends that make half of Spain say college when they mean «school», with collocations, phrasal verbs and idioms, with real classroom phrases, with an annotated B1 model answer and, at the end, exercises with an answer key.

Everything you need, in other words, so that you don’t freeze when the examiner asks you «What’s your favourite subject?». Let’s get started! 🙂

School supplies vocabulary in English

Let’s start with the most concrete part: the things you carry around with you. It’s the easiest vocabulary to remember because you can actually touch it, and it’s also what students ask about most in class. Pay attention to the pronunciation column, because there are a few words almost everybody gets wrong (yes, scissors, I’m looking at you).

In your pencil case

🇬🇧 English	Pronunciation	🇪🇸 Spanish
pencil case	/ˈpen.səl keɪs/	estuche
pen	/pen/	bolígrafo
pencil	/ˈpen.səl/	lápiz
rubber (UK) / eraser (US)	/ˈrʌb.ə/ · /ɪˈreɪ.zə/	goma de borrar
pencil sharpener	/ˈpen.səl ˌʃɑː.pən.ə/	sacapuntas
ruler	/ˈruː.lə/	regla
highlighter	/ˈhaɪ.laɪ.tə/	subrayador
felt-tip pen / marker	/ˌfelt.tɪp ˈpen/	rotulador
coloured pencils	/ˈkʌl.əd ˈpen.səlz/	lápices de colores
crayon	/ˈkreɪ.ɒn/	cera de colores
glue stick	/ˈɡluː stɪk/	pegamento de barra
scissors	/ˈsɪz.əz/	tijeras
stapler / staples	/ˈsteɪ.plə/ · /ˈsteɪ.pəlz/	grapadora / grapas
correction fluid	/kəˈrek.ʃən ˌfluː.ɪd/	típex
calculator	/ˈkæl.kjə.leɪ.tə/	calculadora
compass	/ˈkʌm.pəs/	compás
protractor	/prəˈtræk.tə/	transportador
set square	/ˈset skweə/	escuadra, cartabón

Three quick warnings about that list:

• Scissors is always plural, like trousers or glasses. If you need to refer to one pair, say a pair of scissors — never «a scissor».
• Be careful with rubber outside Britain. In British English it’s the humble eraser, but in American English a rubber is… a condom. If you’re in the United States and you need to erase something, ask for an eraser and save yourself the story. 🙂
• Compass has two meanings: the drawing instrument (often a pair of compasses) and the one that points north. Context does the work.

In your schoolbag

🇬🇧 English	Pronunciation	🇪🇸 Spanish
schoolbag / backpack / rucksack	/ˈskuːl.bæɡ/ · /ˈbæk.pæk/	mochila
notebook	/ˈnəʊt.bʊk/	cuaderno
exercise book	/ˈek.sə.saɪz bʊk/	libreta de ejercicios
textbook	/ˈtekst.bʊk/	libro de texto
folder	/ˈfəʊl.də/	carpeta
ring binder	/ˈrɪŋ ˌbaɪn.də/	carpeta de anillas
sheet of paper	/ˌʃiːt əv ˈpeɪ.pə/	folio, hoja
diary / planner	/ˈdaɪə.ri/ · /ˈplæn.ə/	agenda
timetable (UK) / schedule (US)	/ˈtaɪmˌteɪ.bəl/ · /ˈskedʒ.uːl/	horario
dictionary	/ˈdɪk.ʃən.ər.i/	diccionario
lunch box	/ˈlʌntʃ bɒks/	fiambrera
water bottle	/ˈwɔː.tə ˌbɒt.əl/	botella de agua
laptop / tablet	/ˈlæp.tɒp/ · /ˈtæb.lət/	portátil / tablet

Watch out for diary: it means both the book you write your appointments in and a personal journal — but never a newspaper. That’s a daily paper.

In the classroom

🇬🇧 English	Pronunciation	🇪🇸 Spanish
desk	/desk/	pupitre
whiteboard / blackboard	/ˈwaɪt.bɔːd/ · /ˈblæk.bɔːd/	pizarra blanca / pizarra
interactive whiteboard	/ˌɪn.təˈræk.tɪv ˈwaɪt.bɔːd/	pizarra digital
chalk	/tʃɔːk/	tiza
board rubber / duster	/ˈdʌs.tə/	borrador
projector	/prəˈdʒek.tə/	proyector
noticeboard	/ˈnəʊ.tɪs.bɔːd/	tablón de anuncios
bin (UK) / trash can (US)	/bɪn/	papelera
locker	/ˈlɒk.ə/	taquilla
register	/ˈredʒ.ɪ.stə/	lista de clase
bell	/bel/	timbre
break (UK) / recess (US)	/breɪk/ · /rɪˈses/	recreo

School subjects in English

This is the star section and the one most people are searching for. Here are the subjects you’ll actually need, in the form used in the UK, which is the reference for Cambridge exams.

🇬🇧 English	Pronunciation	🇪🇸 Spanish
Maths (UK) / Math (US)	/mæθs/ · /mæθ/	Matemáticas
English	/ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/	Inglés
Spanish (Language and Literature)	/ˈspæn.ɪʃ/	Lengua castellana y Literatura
Science	/ˈsaɪ.əns/	Ciencias
Biology	/baɪˈɒl.ə.dʒi/	Biología
Chemistry	/ˈkem.ɪ.stri/	Química
Physics	/ˈfɪz.ɪks/	Física
History	/ˈhɪs.tər.i/	Historia
Geography	/dʒiˈɒɡ.rə.fi/	Geografía
Art (and Design)	/ɑːt/	Plástica, Dibujo
Music	/ˈmjuː.zɪk/	Música
PE (Physical Education)	/ˌpiː ˈiː/	Educación Física
ICT / Computing	/ˌaɪ.siːˈtiː/	Informática
Design and Technology (DT)	/dɪˌzaɪn ən tekˈnɒl.ə.dʒi/	Tecnología
Drama	/ˈdrɑː.mə/	Teatro
Religious Education (RE)	/rɪˌlɪdʒ.əs ed.jʊˈkeɪ.ʃən/	Religión
Philosophy	/fɪˈlɒs.ə.fi/	Filosofía
Economics	/ˌiː.kəˈnɒm.ɪks/	Economía
Latin / Greek	/ˈlæt.ɪn/ · /ɡriːk/	Latín / Griego

Five rules about subjects nobody tells you

• School subjects take a capital letter when you mean the class on your timetable: I’ve got History after break. When you mean the field in general, use lower case: I’m interested in history.
• They take no article: it’s I have Maths on Mondays, not «I have the Maths». This one is a direct calque from Spanish and it’s everywhere.
• Maths takes an -s in British English but a singular verb: Maths is my favourite subject. Same with Physics, Economics and Politics — they end in -s but they’re singular.
• The Spanish subject «Lengua» is not Language. It’s Spanish, or Spanish Language and Literature if you want to be precise. Saying «I have Language now» means nothing to a British speaker.
• Nobody says Physical Education in full. In real life it’s PE, spelled out: /ˌpiː ˈiː/.

And a usage note: to say what you’re good or bad at, the structure is to be good / bad at + subject: I’m quite good at Maths, but I’m terrible at Chemistry. The preposition is at, never in.

People at school

🇬🇧 English	Pronunciation	🇪🇸 Spanish
head teacher (UK) / principal (US)	/ˌhed ˈtiː.tʃə/ · /ˈprɪn.sə.pəl/	director/a
deputy head	/ˌdep.jʊ.ti ˈhed/	jefe/a de estudios
teacher	/ˈtiː.tʃə/	profesor/a
form tutor	/ˌfɔːm ˈtjuː.tə/	tutor/a
supply teacher (UK) / substitute teacher (US)	/səˈplaɪ ˌtiː.tʃə/	profesor/a sustituto/a
teaching assistant (TA)	/ˈtiː.tʃɪŋ əˌsɪs.tənt/	auxiliar de clase
school counsellor	/ˈskuːl ˌkaʊn.səl.ə/	orientador/a
caretaker (UK) / janitor (US)	/ˈkeəˌteɪ.kə/ · /ˈdʒæn.ɪ.tə/	conserje
school secretary	/ˈskuːl ˌsek.rə.tər.i/	secretario/a
pupil (UK) / student	/ˈpjuː.pəl/ · /ˈstjuː.dənt/	alumno/a
classmate / schoolmate	/ˈklɑːs.meɪt/	compañero/a de clase
year group / form	/ˈjɪə ɡruːp/ · /fɔːm/	curso, clase

A useful nuance: in British English pupil tends to be reserved for younger children at school, while student works for secondary school and university alike (and in American English student covers everything). If in doubt, student never sounds odd.

Places and facilities at school

🇬🇧 English	Pronunciation	🇪🇸 Spanish
classroom	/ˈklɑːs.ruːm/	aula, clase
staffroom	/ˈstɑːf.ruːm/	sala de profesores
corridor (UK) / hallway (US)	/ˈkɒr.ɪ.dɔː/	pasillo
playground	/ˈpleɪ.ɡraʊnd/	patio de recreo
canteen (UK) / cafeteria (US)	/kænˈtiːn/	comedor
gym / sports hall	/dʒɪm/	gimnasio
science lab	/ˈsaɪ.əns læb/	laboratorio
computer room / IT suite	/kəmˈpjuː.tə ruːm/	aula de informática
library	/ˈlaɪ.brər.i/	biblioteca
assembly hall	/əˈsem.bli hɔːl/	salón de actos
changing rooms	/ˈtʃeɪn.dʒɪŋ ruːmz/	vestuarios
toilets (UK) / restroom (US)	/ˈtɔɪ.ləts/	servicios
school gates	/ˈskuːl ɡeɪts/	puerta del colegio

And don’t mix up library with bookshop: Spanish librería is where you buy books, not where you borrow them. It’s probably the most famous false friend in the language and it still catches people out.

School systems in English: Spain, the UK and the US

This is where almost everyone gets stuck, and for good reason: the three systems simply don’t map onto each other. The table below gives you the rough equivalence, which is what you need in order to explain your situation in an exam or an interview.

🇪🇸 Spain	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	🇺🇸 United States
Guardería / Infantil	nursery, pre-school	preschool, kindergarten
Educación Primaria (6–12)	primary school	elementary school
ESO (12–16)	secondary school	middle school + high school
Bachillerato (16–18)	sixth form, sixth form college	high school (final years)
Formación Profesional	vocational training, further education	vocational school, community college
Universidad	university, uni	college, university
EBAU / Selectividad	A levels	SAT / ACT

Two exams worth knowing, because they turn up in all sorts of Reading texts: GCSEs (taken at 16, at the end of compulsory secondary education) and A levels (taken at 18, and the ones that determine which university you can get into).

School false friends for Spanish speakers

If you only take one section away from this post, make it this one. These are the mistakes I see most often when marking writings and listening to speakings:

• College is not «colegio». A Spanish colegio is a school. In the UK, a college is a sixth form or further education centre; in the US it’s university. Saying «I go to college» at the age of twelve will confuse everyone.
• Professor is not «profesor». Your secondary school teacher is a teacher. A professor is a senior academic at a university.
• Career is not «carrera». A university course is a degree. Career means your professional path. I’m studying for a degree in Biology ✔ / «I’m studying a career» ✘
• Faculty is not «facultad» in American English, where the faculty means the teaching staff. For the building or the academic division, say the School of Law or the Department of…
• Lecture is not «lectura». A lecture is a university class; «lectura» is reading.
• To assist is not «asistir». To go to class is to attend a class; to assist means to help.
• «Aprobar» and «suspender» are not approve and suspend. They’re to pass and to fail. I passed my English exam ✔ / «I approved my English exam» ✘ This is, without exaggeration, the number one mistake Spanish learners make.
• Marks and grades: mark in British English, grade in American English. I got a good mark in History.
• Notes means «apuntes», not exam results. Can I borrow your notes?

School verbs, collocations and phrasal verbs

Isolated words are fine, but what really separates a B1 from a B2 is knowing which words go together. Here are the combinations you need.

Essential collocations

🇬🇧 Collocation	🇪🇸 Spanish	Example
do your homework	hacer los deberes	I do my homework straight after school.
take / sit an exam	hacer un examen	I’m sitting my B2 exam in December.
pass / fail an exam	aprobar / suspender	She passed all her exams first time.
revise for an exam (UK)	estudiar para un examen	I’m revising for my History test.
hand in an assignment	entregar un trabajo	We have to hand it in on Friday.
get good marks	sacar buenas notas	He gets good marks in Science.
attend a class	asistir a clase	You must attend all your classes.
miss a class	faltar a clase	I missed two classes last week.
take notes	tomar apuntes	I always take notes in Geography.
pay attention	prestar atención	Pay attention to the instructions.
make progress	progresar	You’ve made great progress this term.
give a presentation	hacer una presentación	We gave a presentation on climate change.
repeat a year	repetir curso	He had to repeat a year.
resit an exam	repetir un examen	I’m resitting Maths in September.

Look closely at the first one: it’s do your homework, never «make» your homework. If that pair still trips you up, I’ve written a whole post on the difference between do and make and another one with all the collocations with do.

School phrasal verbs

• hand in — to submit. Please hand in your essays by Friday.
• hand out — to distribute. The teacher handed out the exam papers.
• catch up (with) — to get up to date. I missed a week and I’m still catching up.
• keep up with — to stay at the same pace. It’s hard to keep up with the class.
• fall behind — to drop behind the rest. He fell behind after being ill.
• look up — to check in a dictionary. Look up any words you don’t know.
• write down — to note down. Write down the homework in your planner.
• go over — to revise, to review. Let’s go over the answers together.
• drop out (of) — to leave a course for good. She dropped out of university.
• take up — to start an activity. I took up German last year.
• put off — to postpone. Don’t put off your revision until the last minute.
• sign up for — to enrol in. I’ve signed up for the school choir.
• get on with — to have a good relationship with. I get on well with my form tutor.

Classroom language: useful phrases for your English class

You’ll hardly find this in any vocabulary list, and yet it’s what you’ll use most if you study English at a language school — or if you ever end up teaching.

What the teacher says

• Open your books at page 24. (British English uses at; American English uses to.)
• Work in pairs / in groups of three.
• Put your hand up if you know the answer.
• Hand in your homework, please.
• Listen carefully and take notes.
• Any questions so far?
• Quieten down, please.

What you say

• How do you say «pizarra» in English?
• What does «highlighter» mean?
• How do you spell it?
• Sorry, I don’t understand. Could you repeat that, please?
• Could you speak a bit more slowly, please?
• Can I go to the toilet, please?
• I’ve left my book at home.
• Sorry I’m late.

Two golden rules about those questions, because the mistakes are almost universal among Spanish speakers:

• It’s How do you say X in English?, never «How is said X?».
• It’s What does X mean?, never «What means X?». You need the auxiliary does and the bare infinitive. If that sounds like a mystery, have a look at my guide to Yes/No and Wh- questions in English.

Idioms about school and studying

These expressions take you from «I know the words» to «I sound natural». Ideal for B2 and C1.

🇬🇧 Idiom	🇪🇸 Spanish	Example
hit the books	ponerse a empollar	Exams start Monday, so I need to hit the books.
learn something by heart	aprender de memoria	We had to learn the poem by heart.
pass with flying colours	aprobar con nota	She passed her B2 with flying colours.
a piece of cake	pan comido	The Listening was a piece of cake.
teacher’s pet	el favorito del profe	Everyone called him the teacher’s pet.
a bookworm	ratón de biblioteca	My sister is a real bookworm.
play truant (UK) / skip class	hacer novillos	He played truant twice last term.
be top of the class	ser el mejor de la clase	She’s top of the class in Physics.
burn the midnight oil	estudiar hasta muy tarde	I was burning the midnight oil all week.
know something inside out	saberse algo al dedillo	He knows the syllabus inside out.

Talking about school in the Cambridge exams

And now for the part that matters most if you’re preparing an official exam. Hand on heart, after years of preparing candidates: studies and education is one of the most frequent topics in the whole Cambridge Speaking, and one of the most recurrent Writing topics from B2 upwards.

Where it comes up

• A2 Key (KET) Speaking, Part 1: direct questions about your school and your subjects.
• B1 Preliminary (PET) Speaking, Parts 1 and 4: questions about your studies, followed by a discussion about learning, homework or exams.
• B2 First (FCE) Speaking, Part 1: «What are you studying at the moment?», «Do you think exams are a good way to measure learning?»
• B2 and C1 Writing: the education essay is an absolute classic (school uniforms, homework, exams, specialising too early).

Typical examiner questions

• What’s your favourite subject? Why?
• Are you good at Maths?
• How do you get to school every day?
• Do you get a lot of homework?
• What do you usually do during break?
• Would you like to study abroad?
• Do you think students today are under too much pressure? (B2+)

An annotated model answer (B1 Preliminary)

Here’s how a B1-level candidate would answer «Tell me about your school and your favourite subject.»:

I go to a secondary school in the centre of Granada. It isn’t very big, but it’s quite modern and there are about six hundred students. My favourite subject is Biology because I love learning about animals and the human body, and our teacher explains everything really well. I’m quite good at Science in general, but I’m terrible at Maths! We usually get homework three or four times a week, so after school I do my homework and then I play football with my classmates. Next year I want to study Biology at university.

Why it works at B1:

• It covers the whole task: the school and the favourite subject, with a reason. It doesn’t stop after one sentence.
• Simple sentences, properly linked with level-appropriate connectors: but, because, and, so, in general. Nothing fancy.
• Topic vocabulary used accurately: secondary school, subject, get homework, be good at, be terrible at, classmates.
• A range of tenses without overreaching: present simple for the routine, want to study for future plans.
• A personal, natural touch (but I’m terrible at Maths!) that makes it sound like a person rather than a memorised list.
• A note on level: this answer is written to simulate a B1 level, without reaching B2. That’s why you won’t find not only… but also, complex conditionals or abstract vocabulary like academic pressure. If you’re a B1 candidate, this is exactly your ceiling — and that’s perfect.

How to sound B2 or C1 on the same topic

If you’re sitting a higher-level exam, you need to raise the register. This is the vocabulary that makes the difference:

🇬🇧 Expression (B2–C1)	🇪🇸 Spanish
a state school / a private school	colegio público / privado
a well-rounded education	una educación integral
extracurricular activities	actividades extraescolares
the curriculum	el temario, el currículo
rote learning	aprendizaje memorístico
a hands-on approach	un enfoque práctico
academic pressure	presión académica
to broaden your horizons	abrir la mente
lifelong learning	aprendizaje permanente
to keep up with the workload	llevar al día la carga de trabajo

Compare the two: a B1 candidate says «We have a lot of homework and it’s difficult»; a C1 candidate says «I do think the workload is excessive, particularly in the run-up to exams, and it leaves very little room for extracurricular activities». Same topic, different planet. If you want to fine-tune how you link your ideas, take a look at my guide to B2 connectors in English.

How to learn and practise this vocabulary

• Label your desk. Literally: sticky notes reading ruler, stapler, notebook stuck to the actual objects. It sounds childish, but it works, because you link the word to the thing without going through Spanish.
• Learn in chunks, not in lists. Memorising hand in your homework pays off far more than learning hand in and homework separately. Collocations are learnt whole.
• Say your own timetable out loud. On Mondays I have Maths, then English, then Biology… It’s the best present simple exercise there is, and it prepares your Speaking without you noticing.
• Link this vocabulary to your day-to-day English, especially daily routines and telling the time: I get up at seven and school starts at half past eight.
• Record yourself answering an exam question (What’s your favourite subject?) and listen back. It’s uncomfortable, yes. It’s also what improves you fastest.

Frequently asked questions

• How do you say «colegio» in English? School — never college, which means university in the US and a 16-to-18 centre in the UK.
• Is it maths or math? Maths in British English (and therefore in Cambridge exams), math in American English. Both take a singular verb.
• What’s «material escolar» in English? School supplies, or stationery for writing materials in general. Careful: stationary with an «a» means «not moving».
• How do you say «sacar buenas notas»? To get good marks (UK) or to get good grades (US).
• And «aprobar» and «suspender»? To pass and to fail. Never approve or suspend.

School vocabulary exercises

Now it’s your turn. Below you will find four interactive exercises. They mark themselves, so you will know straight away how you did. The fifth one, the exam question, is open-ended, so you will find it at the end of the text version. Good luck!

And if you prefer a version in text that you can copy and paste, you have it down here 👇

Exercise 1: what am I describing?

Read the definitions and write the correct word from the box.

Exercise 2: British or American?

Choose the word a British teacher would use.

Exercise 3: school collocations

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in the box. Use each verb once.

Exercise 4: spot the false friend

Choose the correct word. Watch out for false friends!

Exercise 5: answer as if you were in the exam

Write (or record) a four or five sentence answer to this B1 Preliminary question, using at least three words from this post:

Conclusion

School vocabulary looks like beginner material, and to some extent it is: pencil, notebook and teacher are among the first words anybody learns. But as you’ve seen, scratch the surface and out come the details that separate an A2 student from a C1 one: the false friends, the collocations, the British and American differences, and the way you talk about education in an official exam.

My advice: don’t try to memorise it all today. Spend this week on the objects and the subjects, next week on the collocations and phrasal verbs, and leave the idioms until the rest comes out automatically. A little at a time, but every day.

Did you find this post useful? Share it with other students and teachers starting a new school year — they’ll thank you for it. 👉🏻 And if you’d like more content like this, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube.

See you in the next post. Until then, don’t forget to keep smiling! 🙂