IELTS - writing task Part 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.
"Studying at a university overseas is an exciting prospect for many people. Although there are some advantages in studying abroad, it is often better to study at home due to the difficulties a student may encounter living and studying in a different culture."
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
You should write at least 250 words.
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
TIPS
There are several types of question in Part 2
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Which do you consider to be the major influence?
What are your opinions on this?
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this.
So in part 2 you need to state your personal opinion and include reasons why you believe this.
For this question you need to say to what extent you agree or disagree to the following statement:
"Studying at a university overseas is an exciting prospect for many people. Although there are some advantages in studying abroad, it is often better to study at home due to the difficulties a student may encounter living and studying in a different culture."
You need to give your view, which could be the following:
you may totally agree with the statement
you may totally disagree with the statement
you may partly agree and partly disagree
REMEMBER, there is no right or wrong answer and as long as you do the following you will gain a good IELTS score:
write an introduction, 2 or 3 paragraphs and a conclusion
write clear statements
provide evidence and reasons why you believe this
use linking words eg however, moreover, whereas, therefore etc
organise your ideas in a logical order
use a wide range of vocabulary
answer the question fully
Vocabulary
Introduction
You need to write an introduction. Start with a simple statement about the current situation.
Nowadays, it is common for....
Recently, there has been...
In recent years....
- In recent years it has become quite popular for university students to study abroad rather than at home so they can experience a new culture and learn a new language. There are certainly many advantages of choosing to study overseas but I think that the decision to do so should be carefully considered.
I agree that... (I am agree that...)
I strongly agree that ....
I am convinced that ....
It is my opinion that studying at home is more beneficial as ....
There is no doubt that ....
It is certainly true that ....
I disagree that... (I am disagree that...)
I am not convinced by the argument that ....
I totally disagree with the idea that ....
It is my opinion that students should be encouraged to study abroad so as to ....
Supporting your argument
You must always support your point of view with a clear reason why you think it is true.
The reason for this is because.....
Studying at home/ abroad gives students ....
... as this allows them to ....
Adding another reason
You can add another reason to support your argument.
Moreover, they find it .....
Furthermore, students can achieve ....
Showing an argument for and against in the same sentence/ paragraph
You may want to provide an argument for doing something followed by a reason why this may not be such a good idea.
Although it is good for students to study abroad, as it widens their horizons, they may feel homesick and isolated in their new environment, which may affect their overall results.
It may be true that studying abroad can widen students' horizons, as it gives them a chance to explore a new culture and learn a new language. However, there are drawbacks such as feeling homesick and feeling isolated from friends and family, which may result in students dropping out of the course or not achieving the results that they expected.
Conclusion
You need to state/ restate your opinion.
Taking everything into consideration, I believe that on the whole it is better for students to attend university at home as this option gives them the opportunity to achieve the best possible results. However, they should be encouraged to travel during their holidays as this will allow them to broaden their horizons, experience new cultures and learn other languages.
Disadvantages of studying abroad
expensive
feel homesick
language barrier
social exclusion
possible racism
Advantages of studying abroad
opportunity to learn new language
personal development and independence
experience new culture
better job opportunities
opportunity of a lifetime
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