IELTS Writing Sample #153
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Nowadays many students have the opportunity to study for part or all of their courses in foreign countries.
While studying abroad brings many benefits to individual students, it also has a number of disadvantages.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Which of these things should you include in your answer to this question?
Write YES, NO or MAYBE next to each question.
1What countries gain and lose from people going abroad to study.
2What countries gain and lose from people going abroad to study.
3Whether governments should subsidise students' studies abroad.
4Your personal experience of studying abroad, or the experience of people you know.
5What is wrong with your country's education system.
Read the following sample answer. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with a word or phrase from the box below.
In recent years there has been a vast increase in the number of students choosing to study abroad. This is partly people are more affluent and partly the variety of grants and scholarships which are available for overseas students nowadays. foreign study is not something which every student would choose, it is an attractive option for many people.
Studying overseas has a number of advantages. , it may give students access to knowledge and facilities laboratories and libraries which are not available in their home country. , by looking abroad students may find a wider range of courses than those offered in their country's universities, and one which fits more closely to their particular requirements.
, studying abroad has a number of drawbacks. These may be divided into personal and professional. students have to leave their family and friends for a long period. studying abroad is almost always more expensive that studying in one's local university. , students often have to study in a foreign language, which may limit their performance and mean they do not attain their true level.
, however, the disadvantages of studying abroad are usually temporary in nature. Students who study abroad generally become proficient in the language quite soon and they are only away from their family and friends for a year or two. , many of the benefits last students all their lives and make them highly desirable to prospective employers.