CHỮA ĐỀ THI THẬT BAND 8.0+ IELTS WRITING TASK 2 NGÀY 09/09/2023

ESSAY INFORMATION:

Written by: Xuân Phi, 11/09/2023

Supported by: Ex-BC Examiner, 12/09/2023

Question:  Schools should focus on academic success and passing examinations. Skills such as cookery, dressmaking and woodwork should not be taught at school as it is better to learn these from family and friends. To that extent do you agree or disagree?

(IELTS Academic – 09/09/2023)

ANSWER (8.0+):

It is sometimes asserted that educational institutions are to prepare students for academic achievements and qualifications instead of general life skills such as cooking which can be learnt outside of schools. I largely agree with this assertion given the fact that schools are the best place to acquire academic knowledge and are not designed to teach non-academic subjects; however other skills can still be an extended part of the curriculum.

The first rationale for my agreement to the idea of schools focusing on academic subjects is that only these institutions have the adequate environment for students to acquire the necessary  knowledge. Schools, in general, possess various professionals and teachers that are not only well-trained but also experienced in teaching complex subjects such as maths, physics or literature, which enables students to pass important exams and get prestigious degrees. Family members and friends, by contrast, are unlikely to provide such highly specialised support.

A further argument for why I agree that academic achievement should be prioritised in schools is that these places are not ideal locations to organise vocational skills courses. In fact, practical classes, such as dressmaking, tend to require special settings and equipment including casual and comfortable spaces, cutting tools or sewing machines. All of these conditions are generally lacking in schools but rather can be available at homes with the help of families and peers.

Nevertheless, I acknowledge the possibility of including craft and skill classes as extracurricular activities at schools. For example, schools can provide occasional wood carving lessons, in which students are allowed to create simple wood figures at their own discretion. These would be stress-relieving activities , enabling students to ease the tension and increase their academic performance.

In conclusion, I mostly support the assertion that schools ought to emphasize academic subjects given their unique advantage in academic training and the disadvantage in providing appropriate conditions for handicraft and life skills courses. However, I also maintain that these institutions can still incorporate these kinds of courses  outside of the main curriculum, which would make schools useful yet more enjoyable to their students.

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