IELTS Book 10 Test 2 Task 2 Writing Band 9 pdf

IELTS  10 Writing Model Essay (Free sample)

Test 2 Task 2 Question

Test 2 Task 2 Model Essay by an Expert 

In today’s knowledge economy, where a degree is portrayed as a ‘golden ticket’ to success and wealth, careful consideration needs to be given to the type of degree that young people choose. As the number of university places increases, there is an increasing number of unemployed and disillusioned graduates. In this essay, I will argue that restricting the subjects that students should be allowed to study is not the answer to this predicament.

If students are made to study subjects that do not correlate with their interests and passions, they are less likely to succeed in university and in life. The idea that university students should only study a range of ‘appropriate’ degrees oversimplifies the many reasons why students choose to study certain subjects. Whilst many students have their sights firmly set on a particular career, many decide to undertake tertiary education in order to follow their interests. A number of studies have shown that having a genuine interest in one’s degree subject is central to success in exams and also to wellbeing. A recent survey conducted in the UK revealed 12% of students who expressed little or no personal interest in their chosen subject dropped out in the first year of study, compared to just 3% of students who felt more passionate about their subject. Evidently, forcing students to choose certain topics would not create motivated and happy graduates.

Moreover, the view that students should study only ‘useful’ subjects necessarily assumes that studying certain subjects are ‘useless’. Whilst I concede that a minority of degrees wouldn’t be taken seriously in any workplace, such as degrees in ‘Football Culture’ and ‘Golf Management’, I draw the line at traditional arts subjects such as history and literature being labelled as ‘useless’. Indeed, many employers recognise the myriad of transferable skills that can be gained from studying such subjects. For example, studying literature at university trains students to take a critical approach to written texts: a critical life skill. Arts students also become used to reading and processing large amounts of information. This is an invaluable skill in careers such as journalism and law.

Whilst it is evident that in some places there is a crisis in terms of graduate unemployment, restricting the subjects which are available to be studied at university is not a viable solution. Instead, secondary school students should be educated about the likelihood of employment following certain degree choices, before making an informed choice about which subject to study.

(408 words)