IELTS Writing Task 2 – Some people think secondary school students should study international news
Some people think secondary school students should study international news as
one of their subjects. Other people say this is a waste of valuable school time.
Discuss both views and give your 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:
Because of the IT revolution and the faster means of travel, we do not belong to a big
planet ‘Earth’; we belong to a small global village which is very well connected and
that is why there is a debate as to whether secondary school students should study
international news as a subject. In this essay I shall discuss both views followed by my
opinion.
Admittedly, the youth of today can benefit by studying international news as a
subject. This would enrich their experience and broaden their horizon. From the news
of any part of the world students would become aware of the social, political and
environmental problems faced by that country. This could motivate them to do
something for their country if they are lagging behind or even help the other nations
by volunteering to help. For instance, when Tsunami struck Japan voluntary workers
from all parts of the world reached out to help. Moreover, the significance of opening
international news subject is that students can have a general view of the world which
could help them decide their career.
On the other hand, as secondary schools students face stiff competition nowadays it
would be unfair to add the burden of another subject. Moreover, ‘international news’
would have an ever changing syllabus and so would be practically impossible to
introduce as a subject. Finally, in the pluralistic society of today, some news may hurt
the sentiments of any particular sect of people and could give rise to conflicts.
In my opinion, international news should not be introduced as a subject. However,
steps should be taken by secondary schools to keep students abreast of what is
happening in the world by having a short (5 minute) session in the morning assembly
in which every day a student could speak the headlines. This would keep students up-
to-date without having the tension of memorising things
To, put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, international news should not be a
subject but students should be made aware of the international scenario in other
informal ways.
Model Answer 2:
The importance of global media appears to increase year after year, so much so there have been calls to introduce news channels into the classroom. I believe this to be politically dangerous and potentially damaging due to the nature of international media.
Firstly, considering the importance education has in a modern society, it is extremely worrying and dangerous to even consider substituting school subjects with international news. This is because the danger lies in choosing a correct, balanced, unbiased and neutral news source, if one even exists. For example if a child spent their school days watching FOX NEWS, they would potentially have a skewed opinion of the world due to its unabashed right-wing credentials. Therefore, changing a child’s information diet from traditional subjects such as music, PE, or geography to watching a potentially partisan news channel is an extremely worrying and risky idea.
Secondly, if international news were to become a new subject it could have a detrimental emotional impact on young minds. This is because in general the majority of news is of a negative nature, hence the expression, “If it bleeds, it leads”. For example, studies by the EFE News Agency show that 85% of headlines are negative in nature, usually referring to natural disasters, war, famine, etc. The logic of having these types of stories beamed into a school to those of an impressionable age has to be challenged. Thus the obligation of watching news of a negative nature makes for a convincing argument against such an innovation.
To conclude, due to the risk from political influences and the harsh reality of global news, I am strongly in favor of maintaining the current curriculum.
Model Answer 3:
The ability to catch up with worldwide news is of particular significance in this day and age. Many people claim that international news should be one of the mandatory subjects of secondary school’s syllabus while others reject this notion for some reasons. Discussed below are several factors accounting for the stark contrast between these two perspectives.
It is indisputable that this implementation would bring many benefits. Firstly, it helps children to gain social knowledge which is crucial for them in their career ladder later on. No doubt that many students spend too much time on studying and are lack of commen sense. This adverse trend is prone to lead to low self-esteem and even isolation at school. Secondly, this new subject opens up opportunities for children to improve their verbal ability. In fact, secondary school age students are encouraged to read The Guardian, National Geographic, The Economist as well as listen to BBC anh CNN. They provide pupils with huge range of academic vocabulary which is more important than spoken language on televisions and magazines.
Although this theory could be paid off in many dimensions, it is problematic itself. The major drawback of studying global news is the pressure put on young learners. Recently, stress and depression have been popular among children in many nations due to their tight schedule. Another compulsary subject is likely to worsen the situation. Vietnam, where children have to study 12 different subjects which leave them no time for recreational activities, could be taken as an example of this. In addition, another concern is the equipment and facilities for this newborn subject. Studing international news may require computers, projectors, Internet access, printers and so on financed by the governments. This financial support is limited since many countries are still struggling against economic crisis.
As displayed above, I personally believe that the advantages of studying global news are outweighed by its pitfalls. Perhaps it is not the appropriate time to revolutionize the curriculum and therefore, the authorities should have further considerations on this phenomenon.
Sample Answer 4:
Ever since the broadcast of the first international news, it has become an essential element in people’s daily life. Therefore some claim international news should be included in the curriculum of secondary students whereas others oppose this suggestion. Personally, I believe that international news should be taught to secondary students.
There are two supporting arguments to my statement. First of all, acquiring international news helps students to rich their knowledge and broad their horizon. To be specific, with the development of globalization, the ties between countries have been enhanced leading a more integrated world where nations depend on each other. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of international affair provides secondary students the basic knowledge for exploration of the world. Thus, it is important to these students.
Secondly, equipped with knowledge of international news, secondary student are more likely to find a good job in the future. Under the impact of commercialization and globalization, there are an increasing number of international companies. These firms require their employees have global visions which can only be achieved through the learning of international news. That is to say, those who studied international news will have more globalized visions making them more competitive in the job market. Therefore, they have a better chance to work in multinational companies.
However the biggest weakness of this statement is that secondary students may find it very difficult to absorb such news. For instance, some foreign policies such as economic sanction and humanitarian aid may not be familiar to students who are in the second level. In respect of this, the idea of teaching international news is neither attractive nor productive. Nevertheless, if teachers could explain these terminologies to their students with patience and illustration, students would sooner or later understand international news.
In summary, the suggestion of teaching secondary students international news benefits both the educational system as well as the job market. However, substantive patience and demonstration should be involved in the process of teaching so that efficiency could be accomplished.
Sample Answer 5:
It is claimed that international news should be added into the curriculums of secondary schools. While some people advocate this, I hold a contrary opinion on this matter.
There are some people who are in favour of making international news a compulsory subject in the curriculum of secondary schools. As the world becomes more open, it would be more necessary than ever before for children to know about what is happening in the world. However, the effectiveness of this practice should be carefully considered because secondary students are often too young to understand news, and they tend to forget the information once the exam is over.
On the other hand, teaching secondary school children about world news would mean that they have less time to learn about core subjects such as Maths and Physics, which are proved to be more important to their education. Furthermore, international news could be soon out of date, even before curriculums are completed. Therefore, news that children learn is actually stale, and this can be viewed as a waste of time.
Of course, I do not imply that teenagers should be isolated from international news. On the contrary, I suggest that secondary school children can access a great source of information through the internet and television, provided that they find it helpful. However, this does not mean that educators should include international news in the school curriculums.
In conclusion, I tend to believe that international news should not be considered to be a subject at the level of secondary education.
Model Answer 6:
In this modern era, students should take advantages via technological media to improve their insight which connect to subjects in the school. In fact not all of people agree about it. They argue that reviewing global news is just waste of valuable school time. It is right that reviewing international news has positive and negative effects for students, especially junior high school students.
The first viewpoint, secondary school would improve their general knowledge to develop their insight. The news comes from around the world so they would get much information from many countries. It will add their science and insight when they get good quality news. For example when students know about development of science such as discovery or research, then economic development and nature condition, they have insight which can be connected to their subjects in the school.
In the other hands, learning international news will give negative effects. It will happen if the students get the global news which is not has relation with their subjects, for instead criminal news. The criminal news such as kidnapping, rape, and murder will make anxious and traumatic for students, even without protection they will imitate the cases. The information like that does not have synchronization with their subjects. It means waste time because it is not useful.
To overcome the negative and to maximize positive impacts, the teachers have to prepare the news. For according to develop theory of Ericson, any information obtained by children will affect the way of thinking, feeling, and reacting in their attitude.
Personally, I think that learning international news give benefits for junior high school students but there should be supervision to control the appropriate information needs students.
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(Collected; Source: Internet)
