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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Some people believe that university students are required to attend the classes. Others hold the view that going to classes should be optional for students.

What is your view? Discuss. Give reasons for your answer.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Answer:
In some countries such as Russia and China, attendance in classes is compulsory at universities, whereas it is voluntary in many universities in Australia and New Zealand. I firmly believe that attending classes is important for students and should be a compulsory requirement. However, opinions could vary from case to case.

There is no doubt that the class attendance and the level of knowledge of a specific subject highly correlate to each other because during the lecture students can hear and see the lecturers who explain the topic as well as answer questions regarding this topic. This level of interaction impacts students positively who can understand better the topic after class participation. Additionally, during the lecture or tutorial teachers can explain the material in an easier or simpler way than it could be read from the book.  As a result of class attendance, students will not only have greater knowledge and have a deeper understanding of the topic but also will be able to solve questions based on the topic, pass a course and use this knowledge for their future careers. Teachers who conduct classes not only talk about the subject matter, but also tell stories and share their experience which is helpful for students to understand or remember a topic. Teachers also inspire students, give helpful guidelines and refer related books so that students can learn even better. If someone does not attend classes, he will less likely make friends and will miss the valuable lessons taught by the teachers.  

On the other hand, in some situations attending classes should not be mandatory. For example, students may be absent because of sickness, jobs, family needs or the necessity to take care of children or the urgent need to be in a different place during the class time. Some of the students are forced to work and sometimes the work hours come across the class hours. For the benefits of those students, attending classes at the university level should be voluntary. Many people believe that university education is quite different than pre-university level education. Students in university level are quite matured and they should be free to learn things they way they prefer- be it classrooms, library, the internet or some other sources.

To sum up, different views exist in regards to class attendance by university students. However, in my opinion, it is more beneficial for students to attend classes which will eventually help them to increase their knowledge, read more, learn more and, definitely, it will help them to prepare for their future career.

[ Written by - Natalia Svetlova ]

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