The typical academic programme for university students in Great Britain is composed of a varying number of courses or subjects within a field of specialisation.
The academic obligations for each subject fall into three types. Lectures, at which attendance is not always compulsary, often outline the general scope of the subject matter and stress the particular specialisation of the lecturer. Tutorials, through individual or group discussion, reading extensively, and writing essays under the tutor’s direction, ensure focused and in-depth understanding of the subject.
Examinations on each subject require the student to consolidate his knowledge of the subject, which he has gained through lectures, discussions and a great deal of independent study. These three categories of academic activity-lectures, tutorials and examinations-provide the means by which students prepare themselves in specialised fields of knowledge in British universities.