University Students Doing Other Activities

Full-time university students spend a lot of time studying. Some say they should do other activities too. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Annotated response

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Nowadays, it is common knowledge that university students are becoming busier than ever. Some people think that despite this, students should participate in other activities aside from only studying. I strongly agree with this statement.

However, I do understand why university students should spend time studying. Firstly, working part-time jobs or participating in extracurricular activities can distract them from their studies. These activities sound more attractive than studying because there are rewards for them, such as money, connections, or friends. As a result, there have been cases where students eventually fail classes because of these activities. Another reason is that universities often promote team orientation by encouraging collective efforts. If students allocate too much time to peripheral activities, they would barely have time to squeeze a group meeting into their schedule, resulting in project failure.

Despite these challenges, I still think university students should engage in other activities rather than just studying. As university students, they are becoming young professionals, so working either part-time jobs or internships means preparation for the workplace. Working also provides them financial independence from their family, which lessens their burden. Moreover, by participating in extracurricular activities, students can have a better understanding of what is going on in society. For example, many universities have debate clubs that discuss both international and domestic socio-political issues. Students can gain crucial insights into society through these.

In conclusion, although I understand that many students cannot afford to participate in other activities aside from studying, I strongly believe that participation in extracurricular activities or working is essential for their personal development.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response presents a clear position, addresses counterarguments, and develops ideas with relevant examples, which is its strongest aspect. The main limitation is some uneven reasoning in the concession paragraph, where the framing of counterpoints is slightly confused, and a few imprecise expressions.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

7.0

The position is clear throughout, main ideas are developed with examples, and counterarguments are acknowledged, though the concession paragraph's framing is slightly muddled.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Paragraphing is logical and cohesive devices and referencing are generally used well, with only occasional awkward progression such as the abrupt 'However' opening the second paragraph.

Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is sufficiently flexible and mostly precise, with natural collocations like 'financial independence' and 'crucial insights', alongside a few less apt phrasings.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A range of complex structures, including conditionals and relative clauses, is used with generally good control, and errors are minor and rarely impede meaning.