IELTS Writing Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic:
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?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
IELTS Sample Essay | Bilingual Education
Learning a second language has many benefits for children apart from simply additional linguistic ability. Experts have already shown that bilingual children are more adept at problem solving and processing information. It is also commonly believed that children learn a second language more easily and quicker when they are younger – certainly easier than adults learning another language.
Children who grow up in bilingual families learn much of both languages passively as any child does with their first language. To introduce second language learning formally into the school curriculum would not necessarily mean sacrificing other subjects or academic activities as it might be first thought, but the advantages would be obvious, as previously mentioned, and may produce brighter and more capable pupils in general.
If a second language was correctly integrated into the curriculum and used to instruct one or more of the other core school subjects such as math or history then there would be no perceived loss of time from the school curriculum. Second language learning could be introduced as early as in kindergarten and definitely in the first years at elementary school with the objective of all pupils having an equivalent level of competency in the second language within a few years of starting school.
Bilingual education is already a fact in many schools and colleges throughout the world so the only real concern should be the exact method of implementation in order to achieve the best results all round. More adept and mentally agile school pupils might lead to quicker and more productive learning across the curriculum and better academic performance in general, so the advantages would seem to be far greater than in traditional monolingual education schools.
How would you answer this essay question about some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school?