Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
The question of where children learn to become responsible members of society—at home or at school—hassociety - at home or school, has sparked heated debate for generations. Some argue that parents, as the primary caregivers, hold primary responsibilityhold the ultimate responsibility for shaping their children's moral compass. Others believe that schools provide an ideal settingprovide the ideal platform for fostering social responsibility. I believe that schools play a more importantcrucial role in instilling a sense of civic duty and social awareness in children.
Proponents of parental influence point to the undeniable impact of early childhood experiences. Parents set the first examples of behaviour and interaction, and their values and actions are readily absorbed by their children. For instance, parents who actively participate in community service projects are more likely to raise children who are empathetic and engaged in social causes. Additionally, parents can tailor their guidanceteachings to each child's individual needs and personality, leading to a more personalized and effective approach.
By contrastOn the contrary, advocates of school-based civic educationproponents of teachers guiding young children to become responsible citizens argue that schools offer several unique advantages that are difficult to replicate within the home environment. FirstFirstly, schools provide a diverse social setting where children interact with individuals from various backgrounds and perspectives. This fosters tolerance, understanding, and the ability to navigate varieddiverse social situations, which are crucial for responsible citizenship in a multicultural world. Secondly, schools employ trained professionals who possess expertise in child development and social-emotional learning. These educators can implement structured programmes and activities designed to teach explicitlydesigned to explicitly teach social responsibility, including conflict resolution, empathy building, and ethical decision-making.
In conclusion, while parents undoubtedly play an important role in shaping their children's values, schools offer a unique and crucial environment for instilling a sense of social responsibility.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response presents a clear, well-supported preference for schools while giving balanced and relevant consideration to parental influence, and its language is consistently fluent and precise. Its main limitation is that the comparative case for schools is implied more than explicitly weighed against the distinctive strengths of parents. The highest-priority improvement is to sharpen that comparison by explaining why schools’ advantages ultimately carry greater weight.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views are developed with relevant support, and the preference for schools remains clear throughout.
Make the final judgement more analytical by directly comparing why schools’ strengths outweigh parents’ personalised influence.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through well-focused paragraphs, with cohesive devices used accurately and unobtrusively overall.
Replace the slightly awkward transition “On the contrary” with wording that introduces the alternative view without implying a direct contradiction.
Lexical Resource
A wide and precise vocabulary conveys social, educational, and ethical ideas naturally.
Refine a few conventional phrases so that the otherwise sophisticated language sounds fully natural rather than formulaic.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex structures is handled with strong control, and errors are rare and non-impeding.
Correct the punctuation and clause structure in the opening sentence to remove the awkward interruption around “at home or school”.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.