IELTS Writing Sample #115
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Families who do not send their children to government-financed schools should not be required to pay taxes that support universal education.
You should write at least 250 words.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own
knowledge or experience.
model answer: (Agree)
Families who do not send their children to government-financed school should not
be required to pay taxes that support universal education.
When families send their children to non-public (that is, parochial and private)
schools, they must pay tuition and other school expenses. Spending additional
money to pay taxes creates an even greater financial hardship for these
families. They must make sacrifices, trying to have enough money to pay for
school in addition to other bills. For example, my friend Amalia is a single
mother with an eight-year-old son, Andrew. Because they survive solely on her
income, money is tight. Amalia works at least 10 hours of overtime each week to
cover Andrew's school expenses. This gives Amalia and Andrew less time to spend
together, and she is always so tired that she is impatient with him when they do
have family time. Clearly, this extra expense is an unfair burden for
hard-working parents like Amalia.
While some people may consider parochial or private school to be a luxury, for
many families it is essential because their community's public schools fail to
meet their children's needs. Unfortunately, due to shrinking budgets, many
schools lack well-qualified, experienced educators. Children may be taught by
someone who is not a certified teacher or who knows little about the subject
matter. Some problems are even more serious. For example, the public high school
in my old neighborhood/neighbourhood had serious safety problems, due to
students bringing guns, drugs, and alcohol to school. After a gang-related
shooting occurred at the high school, my parents felt that they had no choice
but to enroll me in a parochial school that was known for being very safe.
Unfortunately, even when families prefer public schools, sometimes they can't
send their children to one. These families are burdened not only for paying
expenses at another school, but also by being forced to pay taxes to support a
public school that they do not use.
(323 words)