noun · neutral
semester
UK/sɪˈmɛstə(r)/US/səˈmɛstər/se·MEST·er
Band 4-5speakingtask2
One of the main parts of an academic year, usually lasting about half a year.
Examples
“I had three major modules in the second semester.”
“The semester ends in December.”
“She improved her grades during the spring semester.”
Band 8 sentence
“During my final semester I concentrated on dissertation research while balancing part-time work and revision.”
Collocations
- start of the semester
- final exams at the end of the semester
- spring/fall semester
Word family
semester nounsemesters noun (plural)
Common mistakes
In semester two, I took biology.→In the second semester, I took biology.
My university has three semesters per year.→My university has three terms per year.
Say it for a higher band
5term→6half-year→7+semester
Synonyms
term
Easily confused
term
“At my college, an academic year is split into three terms.”
Related words
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