Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age. Some think they should begin at least 7 years old. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
People have different views on whendifferent opinions about when children should start school. While beginning formal education earlystarting school early could be beneficial for a child's academic performance, I believe that the best time for a child to attend school is when they are at least seven years old.
On the one hand, proponents of early formal education often claim that children can develop stronger study habitsdevelop much better study habits if they are sent to school early. Some experts say that the first seven years of a child's life are the most important, as this is when children develop and formthey are developing and forming their personality and ideas about the world. External influencesAny external factors will have a strong impact on them and directly affect their overall development. Therefore, if educators can instil an appreciation of learninginstill the value and importance of learning during these formative years, children may develop an interest in education, making them more eager to learn. As long as children can sustain this enthusiasmmaintain this passion, they may become more academically successful in the future.
On the other hand, I believe that it is immoral to deprive children of a carefree childhood. This should be the time for children to naturally develop naturallyexplore themselves, discover their talents, and cultivate their skills and interests. However, these activities cannot be done when a child enters school at such an early age, and they cannot enjoy their childhood while having to deal with homework and other aspects of school. In other words, sending children to school when they are psychologically unprepared means that people are treating children unfairly. If a child has to experience an unhappy childhood, the benefits of developing good study habitsthe benefit of having good study habits becomes insignificant.
In conclusion, although forcing children to attend school early may enable them to form highly effective study habits, I believe that educators should delay formal education until children are at least seven years old so that they can enjoy their childhood to the fullest.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is strongest in its clear, consistent position and logically developed comparison of both views, supported by relevant explanations about study habits and childhood. Its main limitation is that some claims are stated too absolutely, while the discussion of early schooling could consider educational quality or age-appropriate provision more precisely. Prioritise adding a more nuanced example or qualification to deepen the argument.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views are addressed with a clear personal position and relevant, substantially developed reasoning.
Qualify the more absolute claims and add a specific example to make the comparison more nuanced and persuasive.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through well-focused paragraphs, with cohesive devices used clearly and unobtrusively.
Strengthen the transition within the second body paragraph so the sequence from exploration to psychological readiness feels even tighter.
Lexical Resource
A broad and generally precise vocabulary conveys abstract ideas effectively, with only occasional awkward phrasing.
Refine collocations such as exploring themselves and activities cannot be done for more natural and exact expression.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is handled accurately, and errors are rare and do not impede meaning.
Polish the few awkward clause combinations to make already strong sentence control more consistently natural.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age. Some think they should begin at least 7 years old. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.