IELTS Writing Task 2: Tricky questions

The fast pace of technological development has had a significant impact on education and the ways people learn. My essay will consider the likely developments in the coming years and the extent to which the traditional classroom will look different by 2050.

More and more people are learning on the Internet and through online courses. This method is often cheaper and more convenient and allows the learner the flexibility to choose the provider and tailor the content of the course to suit their needs. I would expect that over the next decades more students will learn in this way. Enhanced technology which allows users to see each other on screen will make the experience feel more authentic – developments which will encourage more people to use these ways of studying. The Internet also allows communities of learners to be created and this will enrich the process from the students’ point of view, enabling them to get new perspectives and share ideas freely with people they would not otherwise be likely to meet.

On the other hand, online learning is not, in my view, the ideal medium for all education. School education should continue to require pupils to attend school and interact with teachers and classmates. This interaction is a vital part of social and psychological development and helps to equip the student with the skills necessary to face the real world. Furthermore, some school subjects are simply not conceivable as online learning: physical education and dance, for example. The danger of online learning for children is that it encourages sedentary and passive behaviour, in an age when we face a problem of young people spending too much time on devices and not enough time doing physical exercise.

In conclusion, I feel that many types of learning will increasingly become available online but that school education should and will remain classroom-based.

310 words – if you’re aiming for Band 7+ it’s fine to go up to 330 words.