Some authorities think that it is more favourable for pupils to begin studying languages at primary school instead of secondary school. This essay will argue that the advantages of this outweigh the drawbacks. The essay will first demonstrate that the earlier someone learns an additional language, the more likely they are to master it and that it brings added cognitive benefits, followed by an analysis of how the primary disadvantage, namely confusion with their native tongue, is not valid. The main reason to foreign languages early is that this increases the fluency in adulthood. That is to say that they will have far more years to perfect their skills, and will seem perfectly normal. For example, in countries such as Holland and Norway, where English is taught from a very young age, most adults speak it at an advanced level. Learning a second language also helps to improve overall cognitive abilities. In other words, it benefits the overall development of a child’s brain. It is well known that children are significantly more likely to score higher in . Those opposed to this say that it causes the child to become confused between their mother tongue and the other language. However, there is actually no evidence to support this view and children from bilingual families do just as well in both languages. My son was brought up speaking both Vietnamese and English and outperforms most of his classmates in both. On balance, the fact that early foreign language learning leads to higher fluency and improved brain function clearly outweighs the flawed argument that it impairs the of native languages.
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
7 correction notes
Overall assessment
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response presents a clear position, develops two well-supported advantages, and directly rebuts the main disadvantage, with logical paragraphing and cohesive linking. Its strongest aspect is the sustained, relevant argumentation with concrete supporting examples, while the main limitation is the slightly informal personal anecdote and occasional reliance on assertion rather than fuller development of evidence.
IELTS criteria
How each score was decided
Task Response
7.5The response addresses all parts of the question with a clear position, develops relevant main ideas such as fluency and cognitive benefits, and supports them with examples, though the personal anecdote and brief treatment of the counterargument slightly limit full extension.
Coherence and Cohesion
7.5Ideas progress logically across well-organised paragraphs with effective cohesive devices such as 'that is to say' and 'on balance', though the referencing and development within paragraphs are good rather than consistently sophisticated.
Lexical Resource
7.5Vocabulary is flexible and precise, with natural collocations like 'achieve fluency', 'cognitive abilities', and 'impairs the uptake', showing some awareness of style, though not reaching the rarity and precision of higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
7.5A wide range of complex structures is used with flexibility and accuracy, including relative clauses and conditionals, with errors being rare and non-impeding, but control is strong rather than fully natural.