What school is like: rules and pressures; celebrating success

Theme 3: School — What School is Like: Rules, Pressures, and Celebrating Success

Konnichiwa! Welcome to your revision guide for GCSE Japanese (1JA0). In this chapter, we explore everyday school life in Japan and compare it to life in the UK. You will learn how to discuss school rules (what you are allowed and not allowed to do), talk about the pressures students face with exams and homework, and describe how schools celebrate hard work and success.

Don't worry if talking about rules and feelings seems tricky at first. By breaking down the vocabulary and sentence patterns step by step, you will be able to construct confident answers for your Speaking (Paper 2) and Writing (Paper 4) exams!

1. Essential Topic Vocabulary

Let's look at the core words you need for this topic. They are split into three helpful categories.

A. School Rules & Daily Life (校則 - kōsoku)

• 制服 (せいふく - seifuku): School uniform
• ブレザー (burezā): Blazer
• ネクタイ (nekutai): Tie
• スカート (sukāto): Skirt
• 上履き (うわばき - uwabaki): Indoor shoes worn inside the school building
• 携帯電話 (けいたいでんわ - keitai denwa): Mobile phone
• 持ち込み (もちこみ - mochikomi): Bringing items in
• 掃除 (そうじ - sōji): Cleaning (in Japanese schools, students clean their own classrooms!)
• 遅刻 (ちこく - chikoku): Being late / tardiness (e.g. gakkō ni chikoku suru = to be late for school)
• 規則・校則を守る (きそく・こうそくをまもる - kisoku / kōsoku o mamoru): To follow / obey rules
• 守らない (まもらない - mamoranai): Not obeying / breaking rules

B. Pressures & Demands (プレッシャー - puresshā)

• 試験 / テスト (しけん / tesuto): Exam / test
• 試験勉強 (しけんべんきょう - shiken benkyō): Studying for exams
• 受験 (じゅけん - juken): Taking entrance examinations
• 塾 (じゅく - juku): Cram school / after-school tutoring academy
• 宿題 (しゅくだい - shukudai): Homework
• 忙しい (いそがしい - isogashii): Busy
• 大変 (たいへん - taihen): Tough / hard / demanding
• 厳しい (きびしい - kibishii): Strict
• 疲れる (つかれる - tsukareru): To get tired
• 心配 (しんぱい - shinpai): Worry / anxiety

C. Celebrating Success & Milestones (お祝い - oiwai)

• 成績 (せいせき - seiseki): Grades / school marks
• 良い点数 (いいてんすう - ii tensū): Good score / good marks
• 合格 (ごうかく - gōkaku): Passing an exam (e.g. shiken ni gōkaku suru)
• 入学式 (にゅうがくしき - nyūgakushiki): School entrance ceremony (held in April)
• 卒業式 (そつぎょうしき - sotsugyōshiki): Graduation ceremony (held in March)
• 表彰 (ひょうしょう - hyōshō): Commendation / awards
• お祝い (おいわい - oiwai): Celebration / congratulatory event
• 頑張る (がんばる - ganbaru): To do one's best / persevere

Did you know? (Cultural Insight): The Japanese school year begins in April when the cherry blossoms bloom, marked by the formal nyūgakushiki (entrance ceremony), and finishes in March with the emotional sotsugyōshiki (graduation ceremony).

Key Takeaway: Make sure you know both the positive milestone terms (gōkaku, oiwai) and pressure terms (juku, kibishii) to give balanced comparisons in writing and speaking.

2. Grammar Masterclass: Rules and Obligations

To talk about rules, you must be able to express what is allowed, what is forbidden, and what is mandatory. Let's look at the four core sentence structures.

A. Expressing Permission: Verb [て-form] + もいいです ("You may...")

Use this structure when a rule permits you to do something.
• Rule Formula: Take the て-form of the verb and add もいいです (mo ii desu).
• Example: 休み時間に携帯電話を使ってもいいです。(Yasumi jikan ni keitai denwa o tsukatte mo ii desu. — You may use mobile phones during break time.)

B. Expressing Prohibition: Verb [て-form] + はいけません ("You must not...")

Use this structure for strict rules where an action is prohibited.
• Rule Formula: Take the て-form of the verb and add はいけません (wa ikemasen).
• Example: 教室で食べてはいけません。(Kyōshitsu de tabete wa ikemasen. — You must not eat in the classroom.)
• Example: 学校に遅刻してはいけません。(Gakkō ni chikoku shite wa ikemasen. — You must not be late for school.)

C. Expressing Obligation: Verb [ない-form] (drop い) + ければなりません / くてはいけません ("Must / Have to...")

Use this to express compulsory duties and rules.
• Rule Formula: Conjugate verb to plain negative ない-form, remove the final い (i), and attach ければなりません (kereba narimasen) or くてはいけません (kute wa ikemasen).
• Example (Taberu -> Tabe-nai -> Tabe-nakereba narimasen):
毎日、制服を着なければなりません。(Mainichi, seifuku o kinakereba narimasen. — I have to wear a uniform every day.)
• Example: 放課後、教室を掃除しなければなりません。(Hōkago, kyōshitsu o sōji shinakereba narimasen. — After school, we must clean the classroom.)

D. Lack of Obligation: Verb [ない-form] (drop い) + くてもいいです ("Do not need to / Don't have to...")

Use this when something is not necessary, but optional.
• Rule Formula: Conjugate verb to ない-form, drop the final い (i), and attach くてもいいです (kute mo ii desu).
• Example: 土曜日は学校へ行かなくてもいいです。(Doyōbi wa gakkō e ikanakute mo ii desu. — You don't have to go to school on Saturdays.)

Key Takeaway: Memorise the difference clearly:
• ~てはいけません = Must NOT (Prohibited)
• ~なくてもいいです = Do NOT have to (Optional)

3. Explaining Pressures, Routines, and Feelings

GCSE examiners look for your ability to explain why you feel stressed or busy, connect daily routines, and give detailed opinions.

A. Linking Routines with Verb [て-form] + から ("After doing...")

Show your daily schedule and study habits by chaining actions together:
• Example: 宿題をしてから、テレビを見ます。(Shukudai o shite kara, terebi o mimasu. — After doing homework, I watch TV.)
• Example (Routine Chain): 朝七時に起きて、朝ご飯を食べて、学校へ行きます。(Asa shichi-ji ni okite, asa gohan o tabete, gakkō e ikimasu. — I wake up at 7, eat breakfast, and go to school.)

B. Giving Reasons with ~から ("Because...")

Link your opinions to clear causes:
• Example: 毎日テストがありますから、大変です。(Mainichi tesuto ga arimasu kara, taihen desu. — It is tough because there are tests every day.)
• Example: 塾に行かなければなりませんから、とても忙しいです。(Juku ni ikanakereba narimasen kara, totemo isogashii desu. — Because I have to go to cram school, I am very busy.)

C. Expressing Excess with ~すぎる ("Too much / Overly...")

Great for describing high pressure and extreme workloads:
• Verb stem + すぎます: 勉強しすぎます (benkyō shisugimasu — study too much)
• い-Adjective (drop い) + すぎます: 忙しすぎます (isogashisugimasu — too busy)
• な-Adjective + すぎます: 大変すぎます (taihensugimasu — too hard / overwhelming)

D. Giving Personal Opinions with Plain Form + と思います ("I think that...")

State what you think about your school's rules or academic expectations:
• Example: 私の学校の校則は厳しすぎると思います。(Watashi no gakkō no kōsoku wa kibishisugiru to omoimasu. — I think my school's rules are too strict.)
• Example: 制服を着たほうがいいと思います。(Seifuku o kita hō ga ii to omoimasu. — I think it is better to wear a uniform.)

Key Takeaway: Use ~から to justify why school is demanding, and soften opinions with ~と思います for natural, high-scoring Japanese.

4. Celebrating Success: Past Tense and Milestones

When discussing celebrations, exams passed, or award ceremonies, always remember to switch to the past tense.

• 試験に合格しました (Shiken ni gōkaku shimashita): I passed the exam.
• 良い成績をもらいました (Ii seiseki o moraimashita): I received good grades.
• 家族とお祝いをしました (Kazoku to oiwai o shimashita): I celebrated with my family.
• 卒業式で泣きました (Sotsugyōshiki de nakimashita): I cried at the graduation ceremony.

Useful Phrase for Encouragement:
When students encourage each other before exams, they say 「頑張ってください」 (Ganbatte kudasai — Please do your best!).

5. Common Pitfalls & Examiner Tips

Pitfall 1: Mixing up "Must Not" and "Don't Have To"

This is one of the most common errors reported by Edexcel examiners.
• Incorrect meaning: 勉強してはいけません (You must NOT study — forbidden!).
• Intended meaning: 勉強しなくてもいいです (You do not have to study — optional!).
• Memory Trick: ~wa ikemasen contains ikemasen (meaning "no good / not allowed").

Pitfall 2: Confusing Similar Kanji Radicals

Take care when writing kanji under exam conditions:
• 校 (school, as in 学校 / 校則)
• 教 (teach, as in 教室 / 教科書)
• 勉 (effort, as in 勉強)
Make sure you write clear strokes and do not mix up their phonetic components.

Pitfall 3: Missing or Incorrect Particles

• 遅刻する (To be late): Always uses the destination particle に (ni): 学校に遅刻する (NOT 学校を遅刻する).
• 守る (To obey / follow): Uses object particle を (o): 校則を守る.
• 合格する (To pass): Uses target particle に (ni): 試験に合格する.

Pitfall 4: Forgetting Tense Consistency

When asked about rules, use the present habitual tense (e.g. mamoranakereba narimasen). When asked about a recent success or ceremony, ensure you consistently use the past tense (e.g. tanoshikatta desu, oiwai o shimashita).

6. Summary & Quick Review Checklist

Before sitting your exam, make sure you can confidently check off these goals:

[ ] Can I name 4 school rules using ~てはいけません and ~なければなりません?
[ ] Can I describe why Japanese or UK students feel pressured using 塾 (juku), 宿題 (shukudai), and ~から (kara)?
[ ] Can I explain what happens during 入学式 (nyūgakushiki) and 卒業式 (sotsugyōshiki)?
[ ] Can I clearly distinguish between ~てはいけません (prohibition) and ~なくてもいいです (lack of obligation)?
[ ] Can I express my personal opinion about school uniform or rules using ~と思います?