The idea of whether children should be taught a foreign language at primary or secondary school is still debatable. Many people are of the opinion that it is more beneficial for a child to learn a second language at secondary school rather than primary. In this essay, I will attempt to explain the advantages and disadvantages of . To begin with, a child's mind cannot absorb at primary school and from two languages (native and foreign) may lead his mind into a state of confusion. A student studying for instance, to talk in his mother tongue will face great difficulty in learning a second language. Thus, it would be more appropriate to teach such a child a second language at secondary school where his mind will be ready to learn a new language. Secondly, in some situations, for instance in the case of an immigrant child, it would become very stressful for the child when he has to learn three languages (Native, Country Language, foreign language at school) simultaneously at primary school. , as some researchers have shown from their studies, such children have difficulty in deciding which language to speak and may end up learning nothing. would face no difficulty if he is taught the third language at secondary school. Other commentators are of the view that foreign languages should be taught at primary school as it will spark new languages in the child's mind and as he grows up, by the time he enters secondary school he might be able to communicate in the foreign language. The argument here is that at secondary school, most of the children will not in learning and may find it unnecessary. To recapitulate. children are mentally ready to learn a second language at secondary school and also suitable in circumstances where the child has to learn more languages. It is the responsibility of the child if he wants to continue learning this language after secondary school or not. In , I believe that teaching a foreign language would be more appropriate at secondary level as its advantages clearly outweigh its disadvantages.
Learning a Foreign Language in Primary vs Secondary School
Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school? Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
Annotated response
13 correction notes
Overall assessment
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response directly answers the question with a clear position that secondary-school instruction is preferable, and its arguments are organized into recognisable paragraph units. The main limitations are underdeveloped supporting ideas and recurring sentence-level grammatical and mechanical errors that occasionally strain clarity.
IELTS criteria
How each score was decided
Task Response
6.0The response addresses the question and states a clear position with relevant, if unevenly developed, advantages and disadvantages, though some arguments remain general and the framing of 'advantages of this view' is slightly imprecise.
Coherence and Cohesion
6.0Ideas are arranged in a logical paragraph structure with a range of cohesive devices, but referencing is at times mechanical and errors such as 'To recapitulate. children' and 'In , I believe' disrupt progression locally.
Lexical Resource
6.0Vocabulary is adequate for the task with some attempt at less common items like 'bombarding' and 'recapitulate', though awkward collocations such as 'absorb too many contents' and 'spark the interest of learning' show limited precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
6.0A mix of simple and complex structures is used with generally clear meaning, but frequent errors in agreement, articles, punctuation, and sentence boundaries recur across the response.