IELTS Writing Task 2 – In the past, lectures were used as a way of teaching large numbers of students
In the past, lectures were used as a way of teaching large numbers of students, but now with the development of technology for education, many people think there is no justification for attending lectures.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
You should write at least 250 words.
IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay Sample
Sample Answer 1:
I disagree with the view that technology has reduced the need to attend lectures. I
firmly believe that going to college or university and attending lectures is as important
as before and even more so. In the following paragraphs I shall put forth my
arguments to support my views.
It is irrefutable that computer and internet have made possible distance education
and on-line education. In this regard, computers are a boon for the handicapped,
those living in remote areas and those in job. They can study any time of the day or
night because of the internet. This has made education approachable for many who
cannot for some reason or the other attend a college or university.
However, I still feel that technology can replace the need for going to the classroom.
When students attend lectures, they learn from teachers. In learning and practice of
more complex ideas, the computer is not adequate. It can tell if the answer is right or
wrong but it cannot tell where the student went wrong. Tasks involving reasoning
cannot be taught using computers. Moreover, teachers add their own knowledge
gained through experience to that of books and other resources.
Furthermore, teachers can stimulate interest and it is an undeniable fact that
interested stimulated people tend to learn more. They can keep students focussed on
study. A student studying by himself may get bored and stop studying. Teachers can
provide a faster and simpler way to present information to the students. They can
come down to the level of a student and so are definitely better than computers.
What is more, teachers are role models for students. They are scholars in action. They
not only teach academic subjects, but also many social skills. Finally, when students
attend lectures, they have interaction with other students which gives them a sense of
competition to study more.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that there is no doubt that modern
technology has added many new ways to reach education to students, but attending
lectures will always hold its importance.
Model Answer 2:
Nowadays, the strong development of technology affects to the large numbers of people, including teachers who use technology in teaching. There are both benefits and drawbacks, but in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
On the one hand, using technology in teaching causes along many disadvantages. The most negative impact is that the school might invest heavily in classroom facilities. To illustrate, they must spend a lot of money on buying computers, projectors, attractive whiteboards with high cost, and they might construct some new building to contain those devices. An additional problem is that older lecturers who always use traditional methods of teaching often lack technological skills because of the difficulty of using new devices. Another minus can be seen that if teachers only use technology for teaching, the interactions between teachers and students will be reduction. This can be explained by the fact that the face-to-face lessons might disappear of the face of the Earth.
Despite these cons, however, I think that the pros are more important. The most crucial positive effect is that online lessons enable students to study anywhere and anytime. Specifically, they can join a class to study via a smartphone or a computer connecting the Internet. Another good point is that teachers could use some fantastic software to prepare their lessons with vivid image and sound effects such as using PowerPoint, Virtual screening of Chemical Library… Last but not least, students can do the tests or exams via computers without written by hand.
To sum up, in spite of its many minuses, the pros of using technology in teaching are more significant. The schools should invest modern technologies into teaching and learning to improve the quality of education.
Model Answer 3:
Although lectures are normally used to teach students knowledge, there has been an argument that students no longer need to attend lectures, due to the development of technology. Personally, I think that lectures deserve a place in the education system.
Instead of attending lectures, people can depend on computers and the internet to improve learning outcomes. One benefit of using social networking websites is that they can keep the pace of learning by themselves and manage to make the most of time and resources. This educational model is important especially for those people who have work commitments. They are likely to outperform in the related area easier.
Another approach to replace lectures is to register for online courses, and this can help people pursue a higher educational qualifications. Online courses provide people with opportunities to gain access to knowledge without paying educational expenses. In this way, they are more likely to pursue a university degree, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
On the other hand, attending lectures plays an inevitably role in preparing people for their future career. It offers an environment where students are encouraged to communicate with each other and build up a network of contacts, which is beneficial to improving their interpersonal skills. This can help them make a transition to the workplace.
To summarise, I believe that attending lectures remains the most important way for students to acquire new knowledge and achieve good performance, although technology and the internet are likely to make learning more easily.
Model Answer 4:
Consistent with the continuous popularization and extensive application of modern science and technology, education tends to be increasingly reliant on technology. As more and more subjects can be taught via computer, there would seem to be less and less need for traditional lectures to be present. However, modern technology will never replace lectures because it is only a tool which can help schooling.
It is no doubt that new technology such as computers or even mobile phones have their own benefits on education. It makes possible study at any convenient time and location at a personal speed and intensity. Take families from the remote areas for example, rather than breaking up families by sending their children to the city center, education authorities have been able to use the Internet to delivery schooling online. The mass usage of new technology also provides possible universal access to information, which contributes to the convenience of study.
On the other hand, however, such new technology can never take the place of lectures because it lacks interaction. Machines not only lack the ability to answer all the questions in terms of different individuals but also lack the flexibility to cope with very specific problems.
Different from those new technologies, lecture, being one of the traditional ways of educating, has its advantages too. Large numbers of students sitting in the same classroom provides good opportunities for the teacher and students to communicate. Students can ask questions at the end of the lecture and they have the possibility to discuss with each other when problems arise.
In conclusion, without suggesting that new technology is definitely good, I think it is by no means ‘unjustifiable’, in any way, to maintain the lectures alive in the present day.
Model Answer 5:
Technology has played an important role in bringing innovations in every field of life. It has also changed methods of teaching. Although, use of technology in teaching has many advantages, yet it has some disadvantages too. Both sides of the use of technolgy in teaching are discussed in the following paragraphs.
The first and foremost advantage of using technology in teaching is that it has made teaching very easy. In this modern era, teachers spend less time on writing on black board as compared to the traditional methods of teaching. For example, in old methods of teaching, the teachers used to spend majority of their time on writing on blackboard and then explaining the concepts. Computer presentations, projectors and lectures through videos has made the task of lecturers very easy. For instant, a teacher only explains the difficult concepts while using a recorded video lecture.
Another advantage of the use of new technology in teaching is that it saves time. As a result, a teacher can teach a large number of topics in a very small time. This is due to that fact that time is not wasted on writing, rather the teacher focuses on explaining the concepts. This takes far less time than the traditional approach of teaching.
The use of technology in teaching is not free from disadvantages. In order to use the technology more effectively in educational institutions, we would require teachers and lecturers who have up-to-date knowledge to use the technology as well as competencies in their own subjects. Due to this requirement, universities and colleges may face difficulties in hiring excellent faculty. For example, many excellent teachers may not have awareness or adequate knowledge of using technology in teaching.
To summarize, technology has made the task of teachers and lecturers very easy. However, to use the technology effectively , the teachers must have considerable knowledge of using modern tools in educational institutions.
Model Answer 6:
As we move into the twenty-first century, technology is affecting many different areas of life and education is no exception. Indeed, in some institutions traditional forms of education have been revolutionised by new technology to the extent that the lecture is no longer the main method of delivery. While there are a variety of benefits to this new approach, there are also significant drawbacks.
Perhaps the greatest bonus of the introduction of technology is the flexibility it offers. This is evident in two different ways. Firstly, it is now no longer essential for students to be present in the lecture theatre for their courses. This means that part-time courses for adults who are in employment and distance learning courses for people in other countries are now much more practical. Another area of flexibility is of course that the lecturer and tutor are able to use Moodles, interactive whiteboards and other tools to deliver their courses in a more stimulating way to large numbers of students.
Not everything, however, about the introduction of this new technology into education is positive. One major problem is that not all students are comfortable with using technology, even if they are part of the digital native generation. This is a serious issue as they may suffer from their lack of technological skills. Another related issue is that education is a human activity and it works best with as much human interaction as possible. Impersonal technology cannot replace the human contact found in traditional face-to-face tutorials and seminars.
As we have seen, there are major benefits to the introduction of technology into education, not least because it enables modern forms of education such as distance learning courses. This is balanced, however, by the fact that it can be too impersonal for some and disadvantages others for their lack of technological skills.
Firstly, lectures provide students with an element of theatre, which can be positive for their education. For example, while studying at university in Canada, I was once involved in a course that was televised in my city. During the first semester, I engaged in the classes solely by watching this broadcast from home and found myself to become quite lethargic and unenthusiastic regarding the content. However, during the second semester I was informed that as a registered student I could attend the classroom sessions of the same course and discovered this change revitalized my interest in the topics being discussed. As my experience shows, being present for a lecture physically can have positive effects on students.
In addition to this, classroom lectures allow students to strengthen their wit and abilities as orators and this is not possible on the Internet. For example, although university classes usually have an online forum to provide a context for debate, this medium does not completely replicate the challenge faced when presenting and defending ideas in front of a live audience. Thus, the idea that traditional lecture-styled learning is less effective for students than more modern methods can be debunked.
After analyzing how traditional in-class lessons benefit the academic process, it is felt that this style of learning will never be replaced entirely by technology.
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