IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.
IELTS Essay # 1077 - University students should study whatever they like
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- Written by IELTS Mentor
IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people think that all university students should study whatever they like. Others believe that they should only be allowed to study subjects that will be useful in the future, such as those related to science and technology.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1:
The debate over whether university students should have the freedom to study subjects of their choice or be confined to those deemed more utilitarian has long been a contentious issue. In this essay, I will examine both viewpoints and argue that granting students the liberty to pursue their passions and interests is vital for fostering creativity, and a love for learning that ultimately helps build individuals who do better in their careers and contribute more to society.
On the one hand, proponents of teaching useful science subjects at the tertiary level argue that it promotes individual interests in education and skill development. Numerous research and data show that a practical approach to education is important in an ever-changing job market driven by technology and scientific advancements. In this modern era when the job market is highly competitive, it is essential to equip students with skills that align with future career opportunities. A recent study conducted by the University of Illinois shows that encouraging subjects related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can better prepare students for the demands of the job market, where expertise in these fields is highly sought after.
On the other hand, advocates of allowing students to study whatever they like believe that this approach promotes intrinsic motivation, as students are more likely to be enthusiastic and engaged when studying subjects that align with their interests. This passion can drive them to excel and explore the subject matter in greater depth. Additionally, allowing students to follow their passions nurtures a love for learning, making education a fulfilling and lifelong pursuit. When students are free to choose their academic path, they become active participants in their own education, leading to a more meaningful and empowering learning experience. As a result, the university builds leaders not just workers. Those well-rounded individuals are more adept in their professional life and help society flourish.
In conclusion, granting university students the freedom to study subjects of their choice is essential for nurturing individual growth, creativity, and lifelong learning. Allowing students to follow their passions empowers them to take ownership of their education, leading to more meaningful and fulfilling academic experiences. It is expected that universities would consider the benefit of this approach in education and help build a prosperous and thriving nation.
Sample Answer 2:
Whether university students should study subjects of their own choice or should they be obliged to study career-oriented subjects like technology and science is a widely debated issue. Both of these views have arguments for and against them. This essay delves into both views and expresses an opinion that tertiary education should grant freedom to its students when it comes to the subject they want to study.
On the one hand, many contend that the university authority must consider the consequences of letting students choose their subjects and offering a wide range of subjects that has little employability benefits. A recent study shows that a predefined syllabus at a university bound a student to study regularly and prepare for the exam while the freedom to take any subject or major they like dramatically increases the number of dropout students. This is an alarming outcome, and this is why the university authority needs to think twice before implementing the policy. Furthermore, the development of a nation, these days, highly depends on a technologically sound workforce and universities should yield such a workforce for the country. From this perspective, it seems quite logical for universities to teach technology and science-related subjects to most of their pupils.
On the other hand, some opine that a university is the highest citadel for education, and helps build the next generation who would lead the country. In this regard, the education and teaching policy of the university affects the whole nation. When students at the university are given certain freedom while picking their majors, it helps create all-rounded individuals who are ready to lead the nation. Forcing them to study some selected subjects for future employment would make them become workers for offices, not leaders for the country. They also express that letting them study a wide range of subjects, including history, arts, commerce and so on, would make them far more knowledgeable and prepared to take on future challenges. Society needs artists, filmmakers, writers, journalists, politicians and so on, and not only scientists, doctors and engineers.
To conclude, universities have to consider the pros and cons of any policy adopted including whether the students are free to pick their subjects or not. Personally, I believe that letting university students prefer their subjects has far more benefits and seems more logical in a broader sense.
Sample Answer 3:
University students will be leading different important sectors in a country in the near future, and hence their education is one of the most important aspects. It is often debated how much freedom they should be given while choosing the subjects they study. Personally, I believe that they should have the freedom to pick subjects within a prescribed syllabus, not whatever they like. This would ensure a balance in maintaining a well-rounded education and their future employability.
From one perspective, the freedom of selecting subjects at the university would make education more effective and passion oriented for learners. They would not be forced to study subjects that they have no interest at all. Though technology-related subjects are quite important, students would not learn that much if they are forced to do so. For instance, if we force a learner to learn to code on a computer while her interest is in literature, it would not bring favourable results. Thus a student should be given the freedom to pick the subjects she likes, especially for university students.
From another angle, offering absolute freedom to pick subjects is not a good idea for university students. This will often lead to situations when students will not have sufficient knowledge of important aspects that are crucial for their careers. Some students would misuse this facility and pick only easy subjects in different semesters. It will also lead to a haphazard situation as most of the students would like to study the same subjects and the university authority would not be able to offer these courses to all.
To conclude, certain freedom while picking subjects at the university level is helpful for the overall development and knowledge enhancement of students. However, absolute freedom would make the outcome worse. Therefore, universities should develop a well-rounded syllabus and give some freedom to learners to pick subjects from this prescribed syllabus.
Sample Essay 4:
While some citizens believe that university students should enjoy the freedom to study subjects that they are interested in, others disagree with it and opine that they have to study subjects that will be useful for their future and career. In this essay, I will explore both perspectives and opine that universities should teach learners subjects that have practical values and employability.
Some believe that allowing tertiary students to choose subjects fosters their passion and helps them thrive academically. To illustrate, my brother, Luce, who always had an interest in analysing data and numbers, was offered a seat in political science at a university. He got admitted to that major but did very poorly. After two semesters, when he got admitted to a private university and took statistics as a major, he was one of the best scorers in his class. Thus it is evident that allowing learners to choose their majors and subjects has a significantly positive impact on their performance.
From the opposite point of view, many people feel that college and university students should learn subjects that would help them get prepared for future careers. Thus they advocate for subjects that are related to technology and science considering the present job markets. Based on research carried out by the Statistics Center in Semarang, it is evident that technology, engineering, mathematics, physics and science dominate the job sectors and students from those majors have far better career prospects than majors from art faculties. Therefore, they advise that universities should teach those subjects to their students so that they can adapt to future circumstances and make themselves ready for professional life
After analysing both views, it can be concluded that although people should enjoy some freedom to choose their major in university and college, it is a wise decision to study subjects that can be utilised in their future and that can prepare them better for their future career.
[ Written by - Izzah Raisya ]
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Some young people believe that learning subjects only related to science and technology will benefit their future. Others, however, want to study whatever subjects they feel passionate about in their tertiary level education. This essay briefs about both the ideologies. Personally, I hold the belief that...
To commence with, the university authority should respect the students' preference for choosing their dream subjects. Young generations, these days, have good exposure to various kind of courses, so they should pick the subjects which will suit them and which they feel interested in. Employment opportunities, unlike in the past, are also growing enormously in miscellaneous industries which require knowledge in different subjects. For instance, in the last couple of years, the food industry has grown abundantly in several countries which invite people to invest in those businesses. So students in university should be allowed to study this if they want.
On the other hand, a few students are naturally inclined to a specific department, nevertheless, science and technology are always considered to be noble and inevitable. There has been no regression in the graph of science-related fields for the last 3 decades. It is evident that any new development influences science, and nowadays, we can not name any gadget that does not have "smart" in it. We could also witness that our society is shifting from manpower to artificial intelligence with the introduction of CAD-CAM technologies and Robotics. So students should adhere to learning science and technology-related subjects.
To conclude, students should be given a wide range of subject choices for studies at the university as newer professions which require skillsets in diverse areas are coming up. Alone with that, science and technology should be integrated and without these two fields, university education cannot bring desired benefits.
On the one hand, many people think university students should study subjects that they like and this way, they will learn better. I strongly agree with this because it would create new ideas and help students learn more. According to research, if students are allowed to study whatever subject they want, new ideas will be created and students will study more attentively and passionately.
On the contrary, university students should study important subjects which are important for their future. It is predicted that studying science and technology-related subjects is useful because students are the future of every nation. If they study only what they like, they may end up learning skills and knowledge that are not useful for professional life. It is true that when the students would be allowed to study only what they like, many of them will end up studying less and just a couple of easy subjects. That would create a situation when we will have graduates from some particular departments and not from more complex majors.
In conclusion, universities should make enough provisions so that students study important subjects while also can choose some subjects of their choice. This way, they would allow pupils to learn in the best possible manner.
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