[ Task 2 - Discussion ] Schools are no longer necessary

Schools are no longer necessary because children can get so much information available through the Internet, and they can study just as well at home. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

There is no denying that with the wealth of information available on the Internet, students can study by themselves at home just as effectively they do at school, and therefore some people believe that schools are not needed anymore. To some extent, I agree that students can study well at home with the help of the Internet, I feel that schools still play a vital role in our society and cannot be replaced no matter what.

On the one hand, the opinion to learning from the Internet is attractive for several reasons. First and foremost, most of which are either free or affordable for almost everywhere. One great way is from online newspaper and video websites such as National Geographic, Youtube, Khan Academic ... which offer a wide range of topic areas suitable for people of different ages. Children can gain a great deal of knowledge about history, culture, science and many other areas which they are taught at school. They also can participate in online courses favored by a growing number of youths nowadays. As a result, this type of learning is even more advantageous in the sense that children can flexibly choose to study whatever subjects or topics that they are interested in.

Apart from the benefits above, I believe that formal education is irreplaceable in any society and country. It is true that students can acquire valuable knowledge at home very easily with the help of the Internet, however, the lack of teacher guidance and support is a clear disadvantage of this type of learning. For example, if students want to learn about history, there is a huge range of websites that furnish information about these topics. As a result, they may get confused and face many difficulties when choosing which one to read. Furthermore, knowledge and skills are not the only things to expect from formal school but social relationships and mental development. Children who go to school and establish friendships and can both have fun and improve their learning outcomes.

To draw a conclusion, while there are some benefits to learning from the Internet at home, I am of the opinion that school is irrelevant to children's learning due to the fact that it can significantly increase their understanding as well as social skills.

Your prompt response is not on the mark. You are agreeing with both sides to some degree rather than choosing a single opinion to discuss in an expanded form. You cannot discuss both sides in a single opinion essay. The problem lies in the way that you formed your response. You indicated:


The presentation is incorrect as I explained above. The reference must only be made to the discussion you will be using in your reasoning paragraphs, along with the basic reasoning for it. For example:

I strongly believe that schools cannot be replaced by the internet based on 2 specific reasons. (Indicate reasons 1 and 2 or 2 topics for discussion)

Since your reasoning paragraphs are also problematic, I will have to tell you that only the 2nd reasoning paragraph, the one that defends why schools cannot be replaced, will get a scoring consideration. That is because it is the only paragraph that supports the opinion you provided (schools cannot be replaced).

Therefore, this essay will struggle to get a passing score. There are 2 problem areas, as I indicated above, which will lower the scoring basis for the presentation. Remember, when not asked to compare or discuss both views, you are expected to use only the single point of view defense / discussion. Otherwise, the essay will be deemed under developed / under explained, and receive low marks for it based on overall discussion considerations.