Starting Age for Formal Education

Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age. Some think they should begin at at least 7 years old. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

7 sample answers, estimated Band 6.5–8.0. Your turn?

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Essay ideas: Starting Age for Formal Education

WhyThis is aDiscussion essay — it asks you to discuss two opposing views and give your own.

SoWe split the ideas intoFirst view(supports the first view)andSecond view(supports the second view).

First view

7 ideas

Second view

7 ideas

Same question · Different responses

Sample responses and feedback

Response 01

Must fixSuggested

Essay · 410 words · 4 paragraphs · 20 comments

Score details

Response 01
Estimated band6.5/ 9

Overall assessment

The response fully addresses the task, discussing both views and stating a clear personal opinion with a logical overall structure. Its strongest aspect is the sustained attempt at complex, ambitious language, but this frequently produces unnatural or inflated phrasing, and the first body paragraph develops the early-education view only thinly compared with the opposing side.

TR

Task Response

Both views are addressed and a clear opinion is stated and maintained, though the early-education view is developed less fully than the opposing position and supporting detail is uneven.

6.5
CC

Coherence and Cohesion

Paragraphing is logical and progression is broadly clear, but transitions are sometimes mechanical and the second paragraph relies on general assertion rather than cohesive development of ideas.

6.0
LR

Lexical Resource

There is a wide range of less common vocabulary attempted, but recurring unnatural collocations such as 'significant others', 'budded with bolstered fundamentals' and 'bone of innumerable discussions' reduce precision.

6.0
GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

A variety of complex structures is used with generally clear meaning, though frequent minor errors in article use, agreement and phrasing are noticeable throughout.

6.5

What to work on next

Replace inflated or memorised-sounding expressions with precise, natural wording and develop the first body paragraph with concrete reasons or examples so both views receive balanced support.

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Useful vocabulary: Starting Age for Formal Education

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Sentence patterns: Starting Age for Formal Education

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Part 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write at least 250 words.

Words: 040:00 starts on first word