Not eveything that is learned is contained in the books

It has been said, "Not everything that is learned is contained in the books"
Discuss..

This is an Ielts essay topic. I was going to write an essay about this topic, but I was kinda lost during brainstorm. There are different types of books. Fiction books(novel,...etc.), nonfiction(encyclopedia,..etc) and other type(album,..etc) If I try to define all these, then it is going to be a very long essay. I dont think that kind of detailed information is asked from students who has to write an Ielts essay about this topic. The arguments I will give all depend on the information that books include. That is why I feel the need to write all those differences in different types of book. Afterwards I was thinking to compare knowledge gained from books with knowledge gain from experience.

What do you think ?

Right. You went off on a time-consuming wrong track by focusing on the different kinds of books. What they were looking for is an answer to the age-old question of the relative value of "book learning" (formal education) versus practical experience.

Haha . My brain has a strange way of thinking. You are right. I have potential to get even the simpliest things wrong.

I thought it was generalized. Not just formal education. I mean the purpose of reading book for most people is self-development... bla bla. I know it is not a good excuse

"Not everything that is learned is contained in the books"

Are you sure it didn't ask about how "Not everything that is learned is contained in the books?" If it asked about "the books," then you would indeed have to ascertain which specific set of books was being referenced.

In any event, your approach was not a foolish mistake. To answer the question literally, it makes sense that one would first have to determine what sort of knowledge is contained in books. Clearly, fiction books impart a different sort of knowledge than nonfiction, philosophy texts than history texts, and so on. But, as you say, the problem is that there are so many different types of books. This is like the Birthday Problem. It is easier to solve by looking at what is NOT contained in books. For instance, if everything that is learned is contained in books, how could anyone ever add to the sum of our existing knowledge? For that matter, how could people have learned anything before the first book came in to existence? Clearly then, it is possible to learn from something other than books, and at this point practical experience springs to mind.

Part of the problem here is that it is obvious to most people, and to the test-makers, that the real question is about "the relative value of 'book learning' (formal education) versus practical experience." However, given the prompt phrasing you gave, that is not in fact self-evident. It is obvious only to people who are familiar with these sorts of tests and the way they are constructed.

Yes, Orlando, don't put yourself down so much! You simply misread the question, something that it is very easy to do in a language that is not your first. Also, it's in English that this age-old debate between formal education and practical experience is phrased as "book learning" versus life experience. The constructors of the test ought to have understood that the phrase would not have the same associations for learners of English as it would have for a native English speaker.

I just checked the topic again. It is as you corrected, without "the". Why does it matter with or without "the" ?

I sometimes get topics really wrong. I never seen this topic before so I did not think it would be directly related to formal education.

Yea there are lots of different types of book. I was freaked out during brainstorm :). I just wondered if the type of books meantioned in the topic include novels or etc. I could have written an essay without touching different types of book but at the same time I wanted to consider your advises so far. (making logic, brainstorm)

No no I am not putting myself down. I am just trying to fix it. I like when you guys say my mistakes directly.

Remember last time you have read our writing topic from pollution in general to air pollution only. Be more careful! I made this kind of mistake in reading test (true, false -> yes,no) too. I lost 4 questions because of this. It was so terrible and I am so regretful for that now. So, taking time to understand and analyse the writing question is really important. Don't just read it and write hastily, right?

I think this topic is not difficult to write as people here have pointed out several ideas.
In the first part of the essay, you can write about what people can learn from books.
On the other hand, there are things that you will never know if you do not experience by yourself. For example, you have heard about cultural shocks, but you will not understand thoroughly that until you go overseas or meet foreign people through travelling ...these are what you can write in the second one, I think. So this essay should contain 4 paragraphs.

Than you trangquynh. Yea the topic is easy, I was not struggling with finding ideas. I just thought it might be a little tricky.
Yea that happened when I was writing about pollution too. Well I just hope it it won't happen again.
Thanks for your comments

Books have been the major source of knowledge for individuals since the beginning of their educational life. However, reading book is not sufficient in itself as a source of knowledge. People also gain knowledge from experience throughout their lives.

It is now possible to attain a detailed information about any subjects in any areas by reading books. However, it can be easily forgotten if it is not supported by an experience about the information that is learned. Books cannot provide that experience. At high schools, chemical experiments are a part of chemistry classes. A student who attends to those classes can intensify the knowledge of an experimental process with putting that knowledge into practice by an experience. On the other hard, it would be more possible to forget that knowledge for a student who does not attend to those classes.

Books take the most important part in individuals' educational life, from the first level to the most advanced level. However, one who does not put the knowledge gained from books into practise, might fail in the following steps of life. In particular areas such as physic and law it is important to put knowledge into practise. In most countries law and physic graduates are not allowed to practise as a lawyer and doctor unless they intern in courthouses and hospitals for a particular period. This is because gaining knowledge from books is not sufficient in itself to be able to success in those areas. A physic student has to have experience additional to the knowledge gained from books in order to be capable of dealing with patients.

While books provide us detailed information about what we are searching for, experiences give us the opportunity to observe. I believe that observation skill is an important factor improving learning skills. Learning about a different culture from books does not make the same impression on one who visits that country and learns about that culture in place. Being in that environment and learning about that culture from the first hand is more effective than just reading about that culture.

To sum up, I believe that gaining knowledge from experiences is more effective than gaining knowledge from books. We can learn lots from books but experience is essential to intensify the knowledge.

Orlando, your arguments are strong, with excellent examples. However, your conclusion doesn't quite match the essay. The essay seems to argue that both books and experience are necessary to learn, but your conclusion puts experience ahead of books.

mmmm... Yes.. I should have touched 'gaining knowledge from books' in the last body paragraph instead of giving another evidence about importance of experience ? or touching it in conclusion would be enough ?

Btw, did anyone see any major gramatical or structural error ?

Thank you

Orlando , the main platform is very nice, with all supportive structures. Yes, i also agree with the moderator to make a strong conclusion like adding books necessary for learning as well as experience. Thanks you

This might be your best essay ever to me. Although, I agree that you can create a better conclusion. In addition, you should pay attention to liking words in your essay. I can see that you just use however and on the other hand, making repetition and you may lose your point in this way. But, overall, very good!

On the other hand, it would be more likely for a student to forget that knowledge who did not attend those classes.

Being in that environment and learning about that culture from the first hand is more effective than just reading about that culture.

Because "Not everything that can be learned is contained in the books" implies that there is some specific set of books (an encyclopedia, perhaps?) that are being referenced. Whereas, "Not everything that can be learned is contained in books" is asking about the power of books in general to act as learning aids.

Thank you... I dont want to dig it as I am not expected to touch different types of book in an Ielts exam. Obviously formal education was meant in the topic.

But...
"Not everything that can be learned is contained in books" is the topic. I checked few times in different places. So I was right to consider other type of books during brainstorming and generalizing the issue ?

And thanks to everyone commenting on this thread

It was a reasonable course of action, but for this topic, as I said earlier, it is better to start by looking at what cannot be learned from books, rather than trying to catalog everything that can. Think about scientific hypotheses and theories -- all you need to find to disprove one is one example where it clearly doesn't work. So it is in this case also. If you can think of even one thing that cannot be learned from a book, then the hypothesis that everything can be learned from books has been negated.

Thanks for the comment Sean. I decided to take the exam in Sept. instead of Aug.. I dont think I improved my writing enough to be able to get a good score. I think I have to re-write these essays I posted here. That will be better than coming up with new topics and essays without improving the previous ones.

Very practical of you to give yourself another month. But, since your problem, in particular, has been thinking of things to say within the alloted time frame, I think you should prepare by writing fresh essays on new topics rather than by endlessly reworking previous topics.