Some people think that teachers should be responsible for teaching students to judge what is right and wrong to grow up as good members of society. Others say that teachers should only teach students academic subjects. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
Some argue that teachers should take on the responsibility of teaching students to discern right from wrong, fostering their growth as responsible and ethical members of society. On the other hand, some believe that teachers should solely focus on imparting academic knowledge. In this essay, I shall explore both views and opine that teachers should actively guide students in developing their moral compass and understanding the importance of ethical conduct.
Some suggest that teachers play a crucial role in instilling moral values in students. By integrating discussions on ethics and values into their lessons, teachers can help young learners navigate the complexities of right and wrong. For example, through literature and history lessons, teachers can prompt critical thinking about moral dilemmas and ethical choices faced by characters or historical figures. This encourages students to develop empathy, compassion, and a sense of responsibility towards others.
On the other hand, opponents of this view argue that teachers should concentrate solely on academic subjects to ensure students' intellectual growth and success in exams. They contend that moral education should be the responsibility of families and religious institutions. This approach aims to maintain a clear distinction between the roles of educators and parents.
I believe that the role of teachers extends beyond academic knowledge. Teachers hold a unique position to guide students in understanding the ethical implications of their actions. By providing a nurturing environment for open discussions and moral reflections, teachers can help students develop a strong sense of integrity and social responsibility.
In conclusion, while academic subjects are undeniably essential for intellectual growth, teachers have a profound influence on shaping students' character and values. Therefore, teachers should embrace their role as moral educators, guiding students to distinguish right from wrong, and helping them become honest, empathetic, and responsible members of society.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use concise phrasing Original: take on the responsibility of teaching Suggested revision: take responsibility for teaching Why it matters: The shorter phrase is more direct and uses the natural “responsibility for” construction.
- 2. Clarify the result Original: fostering their growth as Suggested revision: helping them become Why it matters: This wording states the intended outcome more directly and naturally.
- 3. Use natural adverb placement Original: solely focus on Suggested revision: focus solely on Why it matters: Placing “solely” after the verb sounds more natural in formal prose.
- 4. Use natural academic wording Original: opine Suggested revision: argue Why it matters: “Argue” is a more natural academic verb for stating the essay’s position.
- 5. Improve the preposition Original: on Suggested revision: of Why it matters: “Discussions of” is the more natural collocation for the subject being discussed.
- 6. Use a clearer phrase Original: prompt Suggested revision: encourage Why it matters: “Encourage critical thinking” is a more established academic collocation.
- 7. Use the precise verb Original: faced Suggested revision: made Why it matters: People face dilemmas but make choices, so “made” is the precise verb here.
- 8. Clarify the reference Original: This encourages students Suggested revision: These activities encourage students Why it matters: The plural noun phrase clearly refers to the preceding discussions and lesson examples.
- 9. Use concise wording Original: success in exams Suggested revision: exam success Why it matters: The compact noun phrase expresses the same idea more efficiently.
- 10. Use natural phrasing Original: hold a unique position to guide Suggested revision: are uniquely positioned to guide Why it matters: The revised collocation is more idiomatic in formal English.
- 11. Use the uncountable noun Original: reflections Suggested revision: reflection Why it matters: “Reflection” is normally uncountable when referring generally to thoughtful consideration.
- 12. Remove the extra comma Original: right from wrong, and helping Suggested revision: right from wrong and helping Why it matters: No comma is needed between the two coordinated participial phrases.
Suggested Rewrites
- take on the responsibility of teaching take responsibility for teaching
- fostering their growth as helping them become
- solely focus on focus solely on
- opine argue
- on of
- prompt encourage
Why this response received Band 8.0
The essay fully discusses both positions, states a consistent view, and develops the case for moral guidance through a well-chosen example from literature and history. Its strongest feature is the controlled, logical progression and precise academic language; the opposing view is comparatively brief. Prioritise deepening that counterargument—such as concerns about parental authority or conflicting values—before explaining why teachers should still share responsibility.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Response
Both views and a clear opinion are fully addressed, with the preferred case well explained and illustrated, although the academic-only view is less developed.
Expand the opposing case with one specific concern about authority, cultural values, or limited classroom time before rebutting it.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay is coherently paragraphed and progresses smoothly from both positions to the writer’s evaluation and a consistent conclusion.
Make the relationship between the counterargument and personal evaluation even sharper by explicitly signalling the rebuttal after the third paragraph.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is flexible, precise, and consistently appropriate for education, ethics, and social responsibility, with only minor repetition.
Vary repeated references to ‘moral’, ‘ethical’, and ‘teachers’ while preserving the clear distinction between academic instruction and character education.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately and naturally, with only rare minor punctuation issues that do not affect communication.
Polish parallel punctuation in the conclusion by avoiding the unnecessary comma before ‘and helping them become’.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that teachers should be responsible for teaching students to judge what is right and wrong to grow up as good members of society. Others say that teachers should only teach students academic subjects. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.