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.

Annotated response

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People have different views about whether children should start their formal education as early as possible or delay it until they are at least 7 years old. Personally, I believe an early commencement of study would be far more beneficial than a later start.

Firstly, starting school at a young age would generate a number of positive outcomes. Undeniably, the younger an individual is, the easier it is for them to acquire new knowledge and information. As a result, these children would have a head start over their peers pursuing higher education. Besides this, they would have opportunities to figure out their natural talents. Most Vietnamese children, for example, are sent to kindergarten at the age of 3 or 4 to learn some basic skills such as addition and subtraction. After a couple of months, those showing potential will be cared for by teachers with an aim to train them to become specialized students in the future.

However, several individuals advocate a later start to formal schooling due to a number of reasons. It is believed that commencing school at a later age will offer kids more time to learn many things via their parents at home. As a result, these children will become more mature and integrate more easily into the educational environment in the upcoming years. In addition, it might also be more beneficial for children to have a childhood in which they can cultivate their own skills and interests through normal activities at home.

To conclude, despite being safe with their parents at home, children would have fewer chances to engage in extracurricular activities which would equip them with vital soft skills including teamwork and communication skills. Not to mention, while not at school, many children tend to lead an unhealthy lifestyle as their free time is devoted to online games, which gradually isolate them from society. Therefore, I believe that it would be well-advised that parents send their children to school at an early age.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.5

The response fully addresses both views and states a clear personal position, with relevant examples and generally well-organised paragraphs. Its strongest aspect is the flexible, natural language use; the main limitation is that the conclusion introduces new arguments rather than consolidating the discussion, slightly weakening the ending.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

7.0

The essay addresses all parts of the task, discussing both views with a clear opinion and supported main ideas, though the second view is developed slightly less fully and the conclusion adds new content.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Progression is generally logical with appropriate paragraphing and a range of cohesive devices, but the conclusion functions as an additional argument rather than a summary, and some linking is mechanical.

Lexical Resource

7.5

Vocabulary is flexible and precise, with natural collocations such as 'head start', 'natural talents' and 'cultivate their own skills', though a few phrases show slight formality overload.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.5

A wide range of complex structures is used with flexibility and accuracy, including comparatives and conditionals, with only occasional minor errors that do not impede meaning.