IELTS Writing Task 2 essay with model answer

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

Some people say that in all levels of education, from primary schools to universities, too much time is spent on learning facts and not enough on learning practical skills. 

Do you agree or disagree?

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

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

The perspective that most educational institutions emphasizes more on teaching theoretical facts than helping students acquire practical skills has sparked a heated debate among many. I strongly agree that too much importance is placed on learning facts by educators than on learning other skills.

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At all levels of education, that is, from primary schools to tertiary institutions enormous amount of time is spent on teaching theories. First of all, most curriculums require the students to memorize the facts from course textbooks and lecture notes. For instance, chemistry exams in high school are designed to test the candidate’s memory of periodic table, chemical compositions, et cetera. Moreover, educational institutions inundate the students with abundant information. For example, a postgraduate course usually consists of two to three textbooks, lecture slides, journal papers and news articles that completely overwhelm a graduate student’s study time.

Most educational institutions place less emphasis on teaching practical skills. The primary reason is the wide perception that students need to master the requisite theories than gaining practical expertise. For instance, most science faculty members provide lectures on theories rather than organising/ holding concurrent laboratory sessions for live demonstrations. In addition, a large capital is required for investment in order to build the facilities for teaching practical skills. For example, chemistry labs need to be equipped with a plethora of items such as test tubes, furnaces, chemicals and so on that can increase the initial capital.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that most institutions spend an immense amount of time on teaching theories; students are required to memorize facts and are overwhelmed with abundant information. Less emphasis is placed on practical skills because of the perception of importance of learning facts and large financial investment needed to set up facilities for carrying out experiments.

Total Words: 295

Task Achievement: 9

Coherence & Cohesion: 9

Lexical resources: 9

Grammar: 9

Overall Score: Band 9

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