1 .
OPINION ESSAY
“In order to study at university students are required to pay expensive tution
fees. Not all students can afford them. So some people think that university
education should be free for everyone.”
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
SAMPLE
Fees for higher education are expensive and not affordable for everyone. So,
according to some, university education should be free for all pupils
regardless of their background. In my opinion, I agree that university
education ought to be free as it will greatly benefit both individuals and
society.
A good reason to abolish university fees is that it gives people, whether they
are rich or poor, equal rights. At present, students from a poor background
are prevented from entering university because they are unable to pay the
fees. This excludes a large proportion of society and is discriminatory which
can be avoided by getting rid of tution fees.
Another point to consider is that having no fees at university means, students
will no longer have to work at the same time as studying to cover their costs.
For example, around three-quarters of all students in the UK have to work
either full time or part time while studying to pay their fees. Free higher
education should, therefore, produce better result as students will be able to
afford to apply themselves to their studies exclusively.
Finally, free university education will benefit society in the long run because
it will open up higher education to a wider section of the population. In other
words, having a great resource of skill and knowledgeable professionals will
bring greater rewards to society as a whole.
In conclusion, free university education is a must for any country that values
equal rights and one that wishes to advance. Free eduation will also create a
fruitful society which is essential for significant benefits in the future.
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2 . DISCUSSION ESSAY
“Some people think that children should be taught to be competitive in
school. Others, however, say that cooperation and team working skills are
more important.” Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
SAMPLE
Although it is sometimes thought that schools ought to teach children to
compete, other people believe that the focus should be on cooperation and
teamwork skill. In my opinion, I consider that competition helps children
learn the most important skills for their academic and future.
On the one hand, some people and I think that children who learn to
complete often do better in school. The competition among students
motivates them to excel in their studies which consequently produces better
academic results. For example, students generally apply themselves and
work harder when they are in direct competition with their classmates.
Besides this, being driven to achieve the best is vital inorder to succeed later
in life when as adults they must compete against various factors.
On the other hand, it is often believed that it is better if the emphasis at
school is on cooperating with others. As people, we do not live, work or
socialise apart from others, so learning how to work along with other people
ought to be taught from childhood without these skills, children would lack
the ability to communicate with each other and know how to deal with
conflicts in a constructive way. Another reason why team skills are useful
for children is that the importance of being as a unit will be learned which
is an essential skill to learn for their future life.
In conclusion, while people may vary in their opinions, I think that children
stand a better chance to succeed both in schools and later in life if they are
encouraged to compete against each other.
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3 . ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
“Some people think that it is beneficial for children to do paid work, while
others think that can be harmful for children.”
Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
SAMPLE
Although paid work is thought by some to be a good experience for children,
other people think that it can be detrimental. In my opinion, I think that paid
work can bring about more problems for children compared to any
advantages it might bring.
There are some basic benefits of children working for money. Firstly,
children can develop an understanding of value of money. These teaches
them that money could be earned only by putting a great deal of hardwork
and helps them appreciate the efforts needed to earn it. Secondly, they take
the first step in learning how to manage money. Many older children, for
instance, have a part time job inorder to save for something they would
otherwise be unable to afford. Understanding money management is useful
when, as adult, need to balance their finances.
Neverthless, despite the advantages above, children could face serious
drawbacks from paid work. One potentially dangerous problem is that it
exposes them to exploitation through slave labour. In some countries that do
not enforce child employment laws, they may end up working under
extreme conditions or even in the life threatening situations for negligible
wages. Another obivious issue is that working may affect a child’s ability to
focus on their school. This is a concern as only with a strong academic
performance a child can hope to advance as an adult.
In conclusion, being exploited or struggling with academic grades far
outweigh any of the minor benefits that could result from children involving
in work experience.
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4 . PROBLEM – CAUSE – SOLUTION ESSAY
“Medical professionals such as doctors and nurses from poorer countries
often migrate to richer countries to work.”
What problems arise from this situation?
What measures can be taken to deal with it?
SAMPLE
Doctors and nurses often leave their home countries in order to find more
lucrative jobs abroad. Various problems that can arise from such migration
patterns are decrease in number of efficient doctors and lack of experienced
expertise. It can be addressed by putting certain limitations as well as having
some associations.
There are various issues associated with the migration of medical
professionals to other countries. Firstly, the home country is left without
medical expertise it once had. For instance, there are shortage of trained
expert doctors who have left their country in order to find work in other
more opulent countries. Secondly, when the experts leave the country, there
is no one to train student doctors who could replace them. Knowledge is
something which should be taught, and require experts to share information.
The would mean that lack of medical knowledge can be damaging to poor
countries.
While the problems may seem intractable, there are solutions available. The
first solution is to limit the number of medical practitioners who can migrate
from those poor countries. These would force them to stay in their countries
to practice medicine. Another option is to create associations between
countries with high rates of migration. If, for example, an Iraq doctor entered
Australia, an Australian doctor has to work in Iraq to fill the gap.
In conclusion, the problems associated with medical professionals from
downtroden countries seeking higher paying jobs in wealthier nations can
be effectively addressed by different measures.
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5 . DOUBLE QUESTION
“Success is often measured in terms of how much money somebody has
earned.”
Do you think wealth is a good measure of success?
How else could we measure whether somebody is successful or not?
SAMPLE
In this day and age, success is often equated(measured) to the amount of
money one has accumulated over the course of time. Eventhough it is
considered as an easy way to quantify, it is overly simplified and not
adequate enough. Another way though which success can be measured is
education levels.
A person’s personal health is certainly cannot be considered as a way to
measure how successful one has been in life. Eventhough people earn
relatively high amount of money, if they are not acknowledged or respected
in the society during their life period, these people will not be counted as
success. Private money lenders, for instance, accumulate a substantial
amount of money by various unethical activities but are not respectful in
humanity, and cannot be measured as a great achiever. This would mean that
it is not a completely reliable way to measure success.
Another way to measure an individual’s achievements in life would be to
access their educational achievements. Knowledge is a sure way to life, and
the accumulation of it, unlike money, is a way of determining how
successful one has been. For example, I feel like I have achieved a lot in
life because I studied hard and learned a lot. Though it cannot be measured,
a person’s intellect could certainly be used as a way to determine the
achievements in life.
In conclusion, money is not a straight forward way to measure success as it
is not particularly accurate. Success should probably be measured in terms
of person’s education though it is difficult quantity.
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