18 Phrasal Verbs Related to School and Education
Hello English learners, and welcome to a new lesson. If you want your English to sound natural in academic, classroom, and everyday situations, phrasal verbs are not optional — they’re essential. Native speakers use them constantly when talking about school, exams, studying, and learning in general.
In today’s lesson, we’ll look at 18 common phrasal verbs related to school and education, with clear meanings and natural example sentences. These are especially useful for B2–C1 learners and work beautifully in Cambridge exam speaking and writing tasks.
Phrasal verbs for learning & studying
Catch on
Meaning: to understand something gradually.
- It took me a while, but I finally caught on to how the system works.
- The students quickly caught on once the teacher explained it again.
Catch up
Meaning: to reach the same level as others after falling behind.
- Brian needs to study harder if he wants to catch up with the rest of the class.
- After being ill, Laura struggled to catch up on missed work.
Copy out
Meaning: to rewrite something neatly.
- Rob copied out everything the teacher wrote on the board.
- I’ll copy out the essay before handing it in.
Drop out
Meaning: to leave school or a course before finishing it.
- Many students drop out because of financial problems.
- If you drop out too early, finding a good job can be difficult.
Fall behind
Meaning: to fail to keep up with work or studies.
- Noel fell behind in his studies after missing several classes.
- Skipping revision can make you fall behind quickly.
Give up
Meaning: to stop trying to do something.
- I can’t solve this problem — I give up.
- He gave up university after failing the entrance exam.
Go over
Meaning: to check or review something carefully.
- Could you go over my essay before I submit it?
- Always go over your answers before handing in the test.
Phrasal verbs for classroom actions
Hand around
Meaning: to distribute something to everyone present.
- The teacher asked a student to hand the worksheets around.
- Can you hand around these forms, please?
Hand in
Meaning: to submit work to a teacher or authority.
- Please hand in your assignments by Friday.
- You must hand in all documents to enrol at the school.
Keep up with
Meaning: to progress at the same speed as others.
- Despite missing lessons, she managed to keep up with the class.
Also: to stay in contact.
- Do you still keep up with your old school friends?
Look at
Meaning: to consider or examine something carefully.
- You need to look at the context to understand the meaning.
- She’s still looking at her study options.
Look up
Meaning: to find information in a reference source.
- Look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary.
- I looked up the course requirements online.
Phrasal verbs for exams & decisions
Put off
Meaning: to postpone something.
- They put off the exam until next week.
- He keeps putting off choosing a university.
Read up on
Meaning: to learn about a subject by reading.
- You should read up on the topic before the lesson.
- She’s reading up on genetics for her biology exam.
Sail through
Meaning: to succeed easily.
- Martin sailed through his exams without much stress.
- With enough preparation, you’ll sail through the test.
Take up
Meaning: to start doing something regularly.
- Brenda took up piano lessons at school.
Also (formal/academic): to accept someone as a student or assistant.
- The professor took her up as a research assistant.
Work out
Meaning: to find a solution or calculate something.
- Try to work out the answer before asking for help.
- I can’t work out this maths problem on my own.
Write down
Meaning: to record something in writing.
- Write down any useful ideas during the lecture.
- She wrote down key points before starting her essay.
Final tip for learners
These phrasal verbs appear constantly in classroom instructions, exam tasks, and everyday conversations about learning. Learn them as complete phrases, not word by word — and try using them in short sentences of your own.
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