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?
Sample Response
Traditionally, children have begun studying foreign languages at secondary school, but introducing them earlier is recommended by some educationalists. This policy has been adopted by some educational authorities or individual schools, with both positive and negative outcomes.
The obvious argument in its favour is that young children pick up languages much more easily than teenagers. Their brains are still programmed to acquire their mother tongue, which facilitates learning another language, and unlike adolescents, they are not inhibited by self-consciousness.
The greater flexibility of the primary timetable allows for more frequent, shorter sessions and for a play-centred approach, thus maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and progress. Their command of the language in later life will benefit from this early exposure while learning other languages subsequently will be easier for them. They may also gain a better understanding of other cultures.
There are, however, some disadvantages. Primary schools teachers are generalists, and may not have the necessary skill themselves. If specialists have to be brought in to deliver these sessions, the flexibility referred to above is diminished. If primary language teaching is not standardised, secondary schools could be faced with a great variety of levels in different languages within their intake, resulting in a classroom experience which undoes the earlier gains. There is no advantage if enthusiastic primary pupils become demotivated as soon as they change schools. However, these issues can be addressed strategically within the policy adopted.
Anything which encourages language learning benefits society culturally and economically, and early exposure to language learning contributes to this. Young children’s innate abilities should be harnessed to make these benefits more achievable.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Prefer active voice Original: introducing them earlier is recommended by some educationalists Suggested revision: some educationalists recommend introducing them earlier Why it matters: The active construction is clearer and gives the recommendation a direct source.
- 2. Improve collocation Original: maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and progress Suggested revision: maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and supporting their progress Why it matters: Maintain collocates naturally with enthusiasm, while support is more appropriate for progress.
- 3. Correct noun modifier Original: schools Suggested revision: school Why it matters: The singular noun school functions as the modifier of teachers.
- 4. Use plural noun Original: skill Suggested revision: skills Why it matters: The general teaching competence described here requires the plural noun skills.
- 5. Strengthen reference Original: the flexibility referred to above Suggested revision: this scheduling flexibility Why it matters: The explicit reference is clearer than directing the reader back to an earlier phrase.
- 6. Use precise wording Original: a great variety of levels Suggested revision: a wide range of proficiency levels Why it matters: Proficiency levels specifies what varies among the pupils.
- 7. Clarify group Original: within their intake Suggested revision: among their incoming pupils Why it matters: The revision identifies the people in the intake more directly.
- 8. Improve verb choice Original: which undoes the earlier gains Suggested revision: that undermines the earlier gains Why it matters: Undermines more naturally describes a situation that weakens prior progress.
- 9. Clarify reference Original: contributes to this Suggested revision: contributes to these cultural and economic benefits Why it matters: Naming the benefits removes the vague reference created by this.
- 10. Correct collocation Original: make these benefits more achievable Suggested revision: make these benefits easier to realise Why it matters: Benefits are realised rather than achieved in this context.
- 11. Sentence rewrite Original: Their command of the language in later life will benefit from this early exposure while learning other languages subsequently will be easier for them. Suggested revision: Their command of the language in later life will benefit from this early exposure, and they will subsequently find other languages easier to learn. Why it matters: The rewrite gives the coordinated ideas parallel subjects and clearer clause structure.
Suggested Rewrites
- introducing them earlier is recommended by some educationalists some educationalists recommend introducing them earlier
- maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and progress maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and supporting their progress
- schools school
- skill skills
- the flexibility referred to above this scheduling flexibility
- a great variety of levels a wide range of proficiency levels
Why this response received Band 8.5
The response develops a persuasive comparison through well-selected advantages and realistically manageable disadvantages, with highly controlled organization and language. The main limitation is that its final judgement remains somewhat implicit: the reader must infer that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks from the claim that the problems can be addressed. The highest-priority improvement is to state that comparative conclusion explicitly and tie it to the strongest evidence already presented.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response examines both sides in depth and makes the superiority of the advantages reasonably clear, though the final comparative judgement is implicit rather than direct.
State explicitly in the introduction and conclusion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then briefly identify the decisive reason.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is sequenced with exceptional clarity, and cohesive links guide the reader naturally through advantages, drawbacks, and their possible resolution.
Strengthen the final paragraph by explicitly linking its judgement back to the preceding concession about implementation problems.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and natural, with flexible expressions that convey educational processes and policy consequences accurately.
Correct the isolated noun-modifier slip in primary school teachers and continue favouring this level of precise, unforced wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a broad range of complex structures with very high accuracy, and the few minor slips do not impede communication.
Polish the isolated noun-form and punctuation details so the otherwise sophisticated grammatical control is consistently clean.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
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?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.