Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
IELTS Writing Task 2
Sample Answer
Everyone would agree that we expect all children to grow up and become productive and responsible members of our society; however, how the burden of forming such responsible future citizens is apportioned can be questioned.
Many aspects of our society have changed in recent decades, the traditional nuclear family in many countries is not as strong as it once was, with more children growing up without both parents being present, making parenting a somewhat greater challenge maybe than in the past. Many parents, especially mothers, are now working more than ever and have less time to devote to family matters other than those which are immediate and pressing. The influence of technology and especially social media has introduced yet another source in terms of where children receive their information, not only from school and parents but also from outside sources.
You could argue that if society is to benefit in the future, then society as a whole; the government, the education system, the local community and parents should share the responsibility of teaching children how to be productive citizens. This would go against the traditional opinion which clearly left such responsibility in the hands of the parents and academic formation in the hands of the education system.
Moreover, parents actively chose to have their children and should therefore be expected to provide all the necessary resources, whether physical, emotional or spiritual for their children with the schools concentrating on developing learning and possibly life skills. However, as all parents are individuals, with their own beliefs, priorities and a variety of perceptions of life, this may not provide a cohesive foundation in terms of a future society built on common core values and beliefs.
Personally, I think a combination might produce the best results for the future; parents working closely in conjunction with their child’s school to establish the areas of responsibility and the goals to be met, with the government or the community providing resources to achieve this.