IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.
IELTS Essay # 1199 - It is essential to learn history
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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people think that studying history is a waste of time while others think it is essential for us to learn history.
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: [Opinion: It is essential for us to learn history.]
In today's fast-paced world, where every minute counts, some people argue that studying history is a waste of time, while others believe it is crucial for us to learn about the past. In this essay, we will discuss both viewpoints and present an argument in favour of learning and understanding history.
Those who claim that studying history is a waste of time argue that it is a subject with little practical value, unlike math, science, and technology, which have direct applications in the real world. They also argue that history is monotonous, and students are often forced to memorize a list of names, dates, and events, without fully understanding their significance.
On the other hand, others think that there are compelling reasons why history is an essential subject to learn. Firstly, history provides a rich source of knowledge and understanding about our past and how we got to where we are today. It helps us to understand the origins of political, social, and cultural institutions, and how they have evolved over time. I believe that studying history teaches us critical thinking and analytical skills, which are essential for success in all areas of life. We learn to evaluate evidence, identify bias, and develop our own perspectives on events.
In conclusion, while some may argue that studying history is a waste of time, it is clear that learning about our past has many benefits. History provides us with a deeper understanding of the world around us and helps us to develop critical thinking skills. Therefore, it is essential for students to learn about history, and educators must make every effort to present the subject in a way that engages and inspires students.
Model Answer 2: [Opinion: Studying history is not necessary.]
There are differing opinions on whether studying history is a worthwhile pursuit or a waste of time. Those who argue that history is a waste of time often believe that it has no practical applications in modern society, while others contend that it is essential to learn from the past in order to make informed decisions about the future. In this essay, I will discuss both views, but, personally, I think that studying history is not essential.
On the one hand, proponents of studying history believe that it is essential for us to learn from the past in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes. History provides a framework for understanding the present and helps us to appreciate the context in which we live. It also allows us to learn from the successes and failures of previous generations, and to build on their achievements.
On the other hand, those who believe that studying history is a waste of time argue that it is irrelevant to modern life. They claim that the past is gone and cannot be changed, so there is no need to dwell on it. Furthermore, they argue that history is subjective, with different interpretations of events depending on who is telling the story. This can lead to confusion and a lack of agreement on what actually happened.
In my opinion, studying history is not vital and can often kill our valuable time. Some say that without a thorough understanding of our past, we cannot shape the future. But in reality, no matter how much knowledge we gather about wars and conflicts of the past, the world will always have wars and conflicts. In addition, studying history is not only irrelevant but also impractical, as it does not provide any tangible benefits in terms of employability or career advancement.
In conclusion, while there are differing views on the value of studying history, I firmly believe that it is not an essential pursuit. Through studying the past, we can gain very few valuable insights about the future. Moreover, they are not practical and have little value in today's job market.
Sample Answer 3: [Opinion: it is essential for us to learn history.]
People have different views about learning history and using the knowledge of history to shape the future. Although some people argue that studying history has nothing to offer, others opine that examining history has a great prospect for discovering our past and using the knowledge to shape our future. This essay investigates both views, but I am personally inclined toward the latter viewpoint.
According to some people, learning history is a waste of time and energy. They believe that learning technology and science can bring significantly more benefits to humankind, and the knowledge could be utilised for future development. History, on the contrary, has no utilisation in our daily life, according to them. For instance, science students can experiment and build helpful tools and devices, and this can lead to magnificent future inventions while pupils from history majors are imposed to memorize dates and events from the past.
But according to many others, learning history tells us about past events and prepares us for the future. We can not expect to avoid a large-scale catastrophe if we do not know why it happened in the first place. In the 19th century, for example, Ireland suffered the blight of potatoes, known as the Irish Potato Famine, and it happened because the Irish were largely dependent on potatoes. Had they planted another crop, this could have been avoided. However, this unpleasant history has taught us a great lesson - to cultivate a wide diversity of crops.
In conclusion, people learn important lessons from experience and to build a prosperous nation, we must learn from our history which offers the greatest experience of all. Without knowledge of history, scientific discoveries alone cannot bring a wide range of advantages.
[Written by - Faisal Abda]
Sample Answer 4: [Opinion: studying history is a waste of time.]
History, according to many, is the gateway to the past and a reflection of the future. Others, however, see very little value in learning history and emphasize the study and practice of more important subjects and fields like science, arts, technology, engineering and so on. This essay will attempt to explore both views. Personally, I possess the opinion that studying history is not useful, and we should better utilise our time by learning technology and science, and other important life skills instead.
On the one hand, supporters of learning history emphasize that it offers us the opportunity to learn about our past society, civilisation, important national and global events, outcomes of major decisions, wars, social changes and so on. It helps us plan for a better future as the lessons learned from history can help us avoid catastrophes or plan for a brighter future. For instance, we can learn what triggered a major war or how a natural disaster caused havoc to people from history. Such knowledge and insights are important to prevent future conflicts and disasters.
On the other hand, opponents of learning history opine that most students study and memorise important dates, names of people, events, causes and results of something and so on when they study history. People, outside of the academic arena, also study history mostly for the sake of learning about past events. Such studies have little significance in the practical world. Knowing how ancient people used to survive has almost zero value in survival in the modern world. So goes for the inventions as well. Learning about past inventions has very little to do with inventing something novel. Moreover, human history is full of human conflicts and wars, and learning about them may discourage people from respecting our very civilisation.
This is why, I wholeheartedly believe that people should invest more time learning and researching science, technology, engineering, and arts to bring about positive changes in their lives as well as in the society they live in instead of learning and memorising history.
To conclude, history can give us some details of the past which has very little value to shape the future. It is more practical to learn and hone our knowledge and skills in science, arts and technology for a better future.
Nowadays, the need for history has been thrown into question. Some people insist that people do not need to study and learn history, however, others refuse to agree with this opinion. My way of thinking is that history is essential for the development of our civilisation.
On the one hand, the reason why some people think that making people study history is not useful is that those who get involved in major work industries of states can straightforward ly do so even if they do not have much knowledge about who discovered the American continent and why Japan closed the border in Edo era. That is why I judge that the feelings which they recognize the importance of history become less.
On the other hand, others think that history is essential. Now, it is impossible that people disregard the world state, for example, a large number of them are forced to save money because of the proliferation of the price of oil and flour in the world. It is not that such a today's world situation suddenly occurred yesterday but that has been relevant to past results. Thus, in order to make themselves understand the current unsteady world state, people should not keep away from learning about the past.
In conclusion, there are both viewpoints that people waste time by gaining knowledge about the history and people should learn about what happened in the domestics and foreign countries in the past. I believe that we need to be knowledgeable of history in order not to be left behind to understand what happened in the world before we were born and why the current consequence has appeared.
Some people think that studying history is a waste of time while others think it is essential to learn history.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Essay:
Different views persist regarding the usefulness of history as a subject. Some people consider it necessary and some find it redundant. This essay discusses both viewpoints with some examples before drawing a reasoned conclusion.
Everyone should know their past, ancestors, cultures, and traditions. History not only teaches about the glorious past but also tells the hardship faced by our past generations. These teachings help many in fighting adversity in life. In other words, some of the historical legends are still inspirations for many. Without studying history we cannot learn about Mahatma Gandhi, Carl Marx, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Mother Teresa and many other iconic figures who changed the world. Without knowing the past, we cannot prepare for the future nor can we be motivated to change our lives.
On the other hand, acts of ruthless rulers in our history and violent past like World War I and II are filled with hatred and immoral examples. Many argue that youth should not get exposed such history in the early stages of their life as it might have detrimental effects on them. This might fill the minds of the younger generation with prejudice and violence. Moreover, the world constantly changes and many lessons learned from the distant past could be useless in dealing with present problems. For instance, how the encrypted code during the Second World was decoded has little value in this era of modern technology.
In conclusion, I believe, history is very useful for taking lessons, learning one's nation and getting inspiration. But we also can censor some of the violent past events and obsolete knowledge as they are no longer useful.
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