Teaching Children to Be Good Members of Society

Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Annotated response

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Some people believe that children should be taught by their parents about how to function as useful members of society, while others believe that is the best way for them to . Although the latter opinion can be beneficial in some cases, I believe that family upbringing plays a more important role in educating children to be good parts of the community. Schools can be considered suitable places for children to learn to be good citizens. With standardized educational methods, schools can foster children’s cognitive development so that they are able to contribute to society in the future. For example, and Vinschool are well known for having nurtured successful alumni such as have devoted their talents to the development of the country. However, these people only represent a small fraction of the total number of students attending schools, and thus sending children to schools cannot be the best method of educating them to be good members of society. I believe that parents play a more important role in teaching them how to be good citizens. In Vietnam, the average class size is 20 students, which makes it difficult for educators to provide proper schooling for each student. One to one lessons at home, on the other hand, allow children to progress faster. Furthermore, parents form stronger bonds with their offspring for them to shape children’s personalities at an early age. For example, by telling stories such as Robin Hood, Cinderella before bedtime, parents can . These children are likely to become good members of society when they grow up. In conclusion, although sending children to schools can be seen as a way of teaching them how to be good citizens, I believe that has a bigger impact on determining in the future.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response directly addresses both views and maintains a clear, consistently supported opinion throughout, with logical progression across well-organised paragraphs. Its main limitation is the somewhat narrow and loosely relevant supporting evidence, particularly the school examples, which are not fully developed.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

7.0

Both views are discussed and a clear personal position is presented, developed with reasons and examples, though some evidence such as named schools is only loosely relevant and ideas are developed rather unevenly.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

The essay progresses logically through clear paragraphs with appropriate cohesive devices and referencing, with only occasional mechanical or slightly forced linking.

Lexical Resource

7.0

A good range of topic-related vocabulary is used with some flexibility and awareness of collocation, despite a few less precise expressions such as good parts of the community.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A variety of complex structures is used with generally good control, and most sentences are error-free, with only minor slips in articles and phrasing.