学年 and 学期: school-year placement and a term
Compare a younger sister two grades below and classrooms grouped by school year with a new term and goals for this semester. Distinguish student placement from a period of education.
Student year levels and educational periods
学年 (がくねん) concerns a school year or grade, while 学期 (がっき) concerns a school term or semester. Distinguish a student's placement in a year level from the period into which education is divided.
A difference in grades compares school-year placement, while semester goals belong to a stated period. A grade difference does not establish an exact age difference, and recorded goals do not establish achievement.
A year-level difference and meeting rooms
「妹は私より二学年下だ。」 — “My younger sister is two grades below me.” The stated difference is two grades. The family relationship and school-year difference are given, but birthdays or an exact age difference are not.
「学年ごとに集合する教室が違う。」 — “Each school year meets in a different classroom.” The example distinguishes classrooms where each school year meets. It does not require every lesson to occur in that classroom.
A new term and this semester's goals
「新しい学期は来週の月曜日に始まる。」 — “The new school term begins next Monday.” This new term begins next Monday. The date belongs to this example, rather than every term or necessarily the current semester in the other example.
「今学期の目標を手帳に書いた。」 — “I wrote my goals for this semester in my planner.” Goals for 今学期, this semester, were written in the planner. Writing is completed, but achievement of those goals is not reported. Keep this period separate from the other example's new term.
Do the two-grade 学年 difference and the goals for 今学期 each concern student placement or a period of education?
Show the answer and why
The two-grade difference concerns school-year placement. The goals concern the period called this semester. Neither an exact age difference nor achievement of the recorded goals follows from those statements.