Sample IELTS Writing #2

In today’s post, we are sharing a Model IELTS essay in response to a Task 2 question. There are a few CRITICAL points to be observed for this Task. You will see how paying attention to these details will ensure a good score on the IELTS Writing module.

First, let’s look at the question:

Some people say that practical skills are not paid enough attention to throughout years of schooling, but others disagree.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Note that there are TWO opposing views given in the question. A candidate would lose marks if they only addressed one of the views. Writing about BOTH opinions is important for “Task response”. The other equally important point is regarding expressing YOUR POSITION throughout the essay. Simply presenting the two views is NOT ENOUGH. You must express YOUR POSITION on BOTH views. Let’s see how these goals are achieved in the Model Essay:

It is true that schools of all levels aim to provide good education. Nonetheless, I support the idea that current school programs place too much emphasis on learning facts and ignore skills of a more practical nature. This, unfortunately, impairs the quality of education.

It is my view that equipping pupils with hands-on experience helps them meet their needs throughout life. For instance, cooking is a skill that is often neglected, yet it is undeniably useful. Unfortunately, many adults do not know how to cook simply because cooking was not taught to them in primary or secondary school. Another example is the absence of subjects that introduce social and interpersonal skills at tertiary level in many universities. If students were taught how to interact with others in an intelligent and respectful way, they would be more successful in personal and professional relationships.

In contrast, some people assert that learning facts is more important since practical skills can be acquired later in life. They argue that, instead, it is necessary to memorize the names of rivers, capital cities and historical dates. I, however, am not convinced by this reasoning and believe that overwhelming students with too many facts is counter-productive. This is especially true since today most people can use the Internet to access information whenever they wish. Moreover, practical skills should be learned from educators in schools rather than later in life from those who spread misinformation.

In conclusion, I completely agree that the current primary focus on fact-learning in the school curriculum is not productive. A shift towards inclusion of subjects that teach skills with more utility would benefit pupils as individuals as well as participants in relationships.