IELTS Writing Task 2 essay with model answer

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic

Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

Over the last half-century, the pace of change in the life of human beings has increased dramatically beyond our wildest expectations. This change has been driven by the booming breakthrough in science and technology. This makes the world seem like a small village and necessitates learning a foreign language. The latter facilities communication between people and eases the exchange of knowledge and experience. However, when to start learning a foreign language has been thought to be a contentious issue. Although, there are some commentators who advocate that learning a foreign language should start at high school. I am strongly inclined towards the view that children should be taught foreign language in the elementary schools.

Firstly, the intellectual abilities of children make it easy for them to acquire more than one language. For example, a recent study conducted in London has shown that children below 7 years could learn a second language four times faster than those above 15 years. Furthermore, starting to learn a foreign language at a young age allows the student to achieve a higher level of fluency when they become youngster. Consequently, this gives them better opportunities to study overseas or find good careers in the international organizations.

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On the other hand, a strong argument can be made on the opposite side. Opponents believe that introduction of a foreign language could negatively influence their identity and their speaking of their mother tongue. For instance, a recent study published in Egypt has revealed that pupils who studied in international schools that taught English from grade one got lower marks in Arabic compared to their peers who were taught English later.

To sum up, it can be clearly seen that the pros of learning a foreign language in young age outweigh the cons. I do recommend that the ministry of education involves foreign language as an integral part of all the elementary schools.

Total Words: 314

Task Achievement: 8

Coherence & Cohesion: 8

Lexical resources: 8

Grammar: 8

Overall Score: Band 8

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