IELTS Writing Task 2 - Discussion Essay - Homework effectiveness

Some people believe that school children should not be given homework by their teachers, whereas others argue that homework plays an important role in the education of children. Discuss both of these views and give your own opinion.

home tasks from school and their effects on children

People have different views about the effectiveness of homework in children's educational developments. While some may argue that this is a waste of time and ineffectiveness, I tend to believe that homework do more good than harm.

There are a variety of reasons why some people argue against giving more home exercises to school pupils. Firstly, homework does not improve or enhance children's performance at school. Many institutions have seen no apparent changes as regard to educational outcomes. Taking Finland achievements in education as an example, it is true that this nation is applying no homework programme, the secret behind the success of Finland's school system, which makes them become the most prestigious choice of studying overseas. Secondly, school-time nowadays is extremely long-lasting, which sometimes lead to fatigue, poor performance and even bad behaviour at school. Finally, leisure time and hanging out with school peers is equally as beneficial for students' development as the time spending in classes.

Despite of the arguments mentioned above, I would argue that a specific amount of homework is obviously essential. The main reason is that children can develop and progress entirely at their own pace while solving and handling with schoolwork given to them. This can also be beneficial in terms of applying important knowledge and skills taught in morning lessons. For example, maths definitely encourages school students to improve solving problem ability which can be employed later in the adult life. Having such vital skills on school leavers' CV can definitely impress many university admission officers or business employers.

In conclusion, while there are some disadvantages of doing a large amount of exercises at home, it is my firm belief that children can benefit better and fully develop when solving these home tasks.

(290 words)

Darren, you misrepresented the discussion instructions in your essay response. If you review your original instructions, you were asked to


. The essay should therefore be in a compare and contrast, with a personal supporting opinion format. What you wrote instead is a single opinion defense with a personal opinion as supporting evidence essay. Those are two different essays and the one that you were, doesn't comply with the essay requirements. Based on this fault, you will be deemed by the examiner to not have understood the instructions which will lead to your task accuracy failure. Once you fail the task accuracy party due to faulty English comprehension skills, you will fall the overall test as all other elements for scoring can no longer be considered. Always look at the final discussion instruction, that provides the format for the presentation. If you are not sure of how to approach the essay, then ask clarifying questions while you still can. That is what the practice tests are for.

To Holt:

Thank you very much, I really appreciate your advice, let's me fix it