IELTS Writing - Sample Essay 1

Some people believe that children can be better educated by being taught at home rather than by attending lessons at school. To what extent do you agree with this idea?

Education is now generally regarded as a basic human right. In most countries, children from 5-11 receive compulsory primary school education, and in others, they also receive secondary education during their adolescence. However, there are some children who are entitled to go to school but whose parents prefer to homeschool them. In some countries this is a growing trend. In this essay I will explore the reasons for this development and the advantages of both approaches.

First of all, in mainstream education, pupils not only gain knowledge in a range of academic subjects, but they also learn valuable social skills such as cooperation and team work, which can be used in their adult life. Secondly, staff have acquired qualifications which means they can use effective teaching methods. They can also set benchmarks; in other words, they know exactly what children at different ages should be able to achieve.

Home schooling, on the other hand, can allow a child to receive individual attention, develop at their own pace and also concentrate more as they will not have to deal with disruptive fellow studets. Another point in favour of home schooling is that more lessons may involve e-learning and the use of interactive media.

Continuous innovation in education is providing students with many learning options. If an option helps students to be motivated, it should not be ruled out.