For school children, their teachers have more influence on their intelligence and social development than their parents. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

ielts writing task 2 with sample

IELTS Writing Task 2:

For school children, their teachers have more influence on their intelligence and social development than their parents. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Essay Plan:

 Introduction: (1) refer to the task question (2) my opinion – teachers have more influence on intelligence, parents have more influence on social development

 Paragraph 2: (1) teachers are trained to impart knowledge to children and stimulate their intelligence – example – dedicated teachers who inspire youngsters (2) parents may play a supporting role

 Paragraph 3: parents have more influence than teachers on the social development of their children. (1) parents spend more time with their children than children spend in school (2) parents can be role models for their children in a wide range of social situations – give examples

 Conclusion: re-state opinion given in the introduction, paraphrasing some words.

Model Essay:

It is true that school children are at an impressionable age, and two strong influences on their intelligence and social development are teachers and parents. While I accept that teachers may have more influence on the intelligence of their pupils, I would argue that parents probably exert a greater influence on the social development of their children.

In terms of encouraging the intellectual development and stimulating the intelligence of school children, I believe that teachers play the major role. While not all teachers are capable of inspiring their students, they are trained to impart their knowledge of their subject areas in challenging and imaginative ways. For example, some students owe their lifelong love of a subject to dedicated teachers who taught this discipline in secondary school. Of course, at home parents may also reinforce this passion by encouraging study habits during the formative years of their children. Such support is vital for academic achievement.

From the perspective of social development, I think that parents are mainly responsible for guiding their children. Firstly, they spend far more time with their children than any individual teacher is able to do. They can therefore monitor the activities of children outside school hours, at weekends and during holidays. Secondly, parents are able to provide role models in a whole range of situations. These might include showing respect towards elders, choice of friends, or proper behaviour in public when eating out in restaurants.

In conclusion, although teachers probably have a greater effect in stimulating the intelligence of school children, parental influences on the development of children are stronger in social situations.

266 words by Ngoc Bach

Vocabulary for IELTS:

 impressionable [adjective]:

Meaning: easily influenced or affected by somebody or something

Example: Advertising is often targeted at impressionable age groups, such as children and adolescents.

 to exert influence on [expression]:

Meaning: to use one’s power to affect somebody or something

Example: Rock music exerted a strong influence on me when I was a teenager.

 to impart their knowledge [expression]:

Meaning: to pass knowledge to other people

Example: Good teachers are inspired to impart their knowledge of their subject to their students.

 dedicated [adjective]:

Meaning: working very hard at something, because it is important to you

Example: John is a very dedicated student, so he deserves to be successful.

 discipline [noun]:

Meaning: a subject that people study or are taught

Example: The school has excellent teachers in various scientific disciplines, such as physics and chemistry.

 to reinforce [verb]:

Meaning: to make a feeling or an idea stronger

Example: In order to reinforce her understanding of mathematics, Ann is taking a course at night school.

 formative years [expression]:

Meaning: having an important and lasting influence on the development of something or of somebody’s character

Example: Parents should supervise their children closely during the formative years of their adolescence.

 to monitor [verb]:

Meaning: to watch and check something over a period of time

Example: As a security guard, his job is to monitor who comes into the building.

 elders [noun]:

Meaning: people of greater age, experience or authority

Example: When we were children, our parents taught us to respect our elders, because they were older and wiser than us.

 to eat out [phrasal verb]

Meaning: to have a meal in a restaurant, not at home

Example: Last night, Caroline and I ate out at a Chinese restaurant.

 parental [adjective]:

Meaning: connected with a parent or parents

Example: They don’t want to have children, because they think that they are too young to accept parental responsibilities.

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 IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic: Economic Growth with Model Essay

IELTS Writing Task 2:
Some people say that economic growth is the only way to end hunger and poverty, while others say that economic growth is damaging the environment so it must be stopped. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Essay Plan:
Introduction: (1) refer to the first view (2) refer to the second view (3) my opinion – completely agree with the second view.

Paragraph 2: the first view – one main argument: progress and economic development is the only way to cure hunger and poverty, because the wealth from profits will find its way into the pockets of the poor. The argument made for imperialism.

Paragraph 3: the second view – many examples to support it. (1) Deforestation to produce cash crops for export (2) fossil fuels used for economic growth….global warming….sea level rise….homeless poor in Bangladesh.

Conclusion: economic growth which is not sustainable must be stopped. Production for human need, not profits, is the way forward.

Model Essay:
It is true that some people contend that economic growth is the only solution to the global problems of hunger and poverty. Others, however, argue for an end to economic growth in order to conserve our environment. I agree completely with this second view.

Those who see economic growth alone as the sole cure for the tragedy of world hunger and poverty propose one major argument. Only the growth of the economies of the developing countries will provide the poor with the wealth to afford the basic necessities of life. The profits made by corporations who are responsible for this economic growth will trickle down in the form of financial benefits to be enjoyed by the starving and needy. This view has justified the age of imperialism and the destruction of the livelihood of millions in the name of progress.

On the other hand, there are countless examples to support the opposing view that economic growth results in environmental destruction. Firstly, this is true for developing countries, where lowland rainforests have been cleared and unsustainable agricultural practices introduced to produce cash crops, often for export. Secondly, it is also true for developed economies. For example, the continued use of fossil fuels, which provide the energy for growing industrialization, is causing global warming. This is leading to a rise in sea levels, which will eventually make tens of millions of poor people in Bangladesh homeless.

In conclusion, economic growth which is not sustainable must be stopped. If it is not based on meeting human needs rather than generating profits, such growth will only create more poverty and lead to more hunger in the world by destroying natural resources.

277 words by IELTS Ngoc Bach



Vocabulary for IELTS
· to contend [verb]:

Meaning: to say that something is true (especially in an argument)

Example: Although Brazil did not win the World Cup, my friend contends that they were the best team.



· tragedy [noun]:

Meaning: a very sad event or situation

Example: It is a tragedy that many children die of starvation in the world today.



· the basic necessities of life [expression]:

Meaning: the things which you must have in order to live and survive

Example: Many people cannot afford the basic necessities of life, such as food and clothing.



· to trickle down [phrasal verb]:

Meaning: to spread money from rich people to poor people, through the economic system of a country

Example: Although the corporation made a lot of money last year, none of this trickled down to its employees.



· livelihood [noun]:

Meaning: means of earning money in order to live

Example: Communities on the island depend on fishing for their livelihood.



· in the name of [expression]:

Meaning: used to give a reason for doing something, often when what you are doing is wrong

Example: Many wars have been fought in the name of religion.



· countless [adjective]:

Meaning: very many (too many to be counted)

Example: I’ve told John countless times, but he still doesn’t remember my phone number.



· unsustainable [adjective]:

Meaning: that cannot be continued at the same rate or level

Example: The use of oil at the present rate is unsustainable – there are reserves only for 20 or 30 more years.



· cash crops [noun]:

Meaning: crops grown for selling, not for use by the person who grows them

Example: The best land in the country is using for growing cash crops like pineapples for export to Europe.



· to generate [verb]:

Meaning: to produce or create something

Example: In order to generate more electricity, the government is providing funding for wind farms.