Secondary school children should study international news – IELTS Writing Task 2 Practice Test 17

Some people think that secondary school children should study international news as one of school subjects. Other people think that it is a waste of valuable school time. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Outline

Essay type

Opinion essay

Introduction

• State your opinion clearly (whether you agree or disagree). Explain in brief what you are going to write in the body paragraphs.
• The importance of global media seems to increase every year. It could be dangerous and potentially damaging due to the nature of the media.

Body

• Paragraph 1: Considering the importance of education in modern society, it is extremely worrisome and dangerous to consider substituting school subjects with international news. This is because there is no correct, balanced, unbiased news source.
• Paragraph 2: If international news were to become a new subject it could have a detrimental emotional impact on young minds.

Conclusion

• Restate your opinion with a clear and direct sentence

Sample Answer

The importance of global media seems to increase every year, so much so to the point of introducing news channel into the classrooms. I believe this to be dangerous and potentially damaging due to the nature of the media.

Firstly, considering the importance of education in modern society, it is extremely worrisome and dangerous to consider substituting school subjects with international news. This is because there is no correct, balanced, unbiased news source. For example if a child spent their school days watching FOX NEWS, they would potentially have a skewed opinion of the world due to its unabashed right wing credentials. Therefore, changing a child’s information diet from traditional subject such as music or geography to watching a potentially partisan news channel is an extremely risky idea.

Secondly, if international news were to become a new subject it could have a detrimental emotional impact on young minds. In general the majority of news is negative, hence the expression ‘if it bleeds it leads’. For example, studies by the EFE News Agency show that 85% of headlines are negative in nature, usually referring to natural disasters, war, famine, etc. The logic of having these types of stories beamed into a school, to those of an impressionable age has to be challenged.

Although a majority of people see it as an exposoure to international standards for students, it is going to be nothing but deterrant in a positive growth.

To conclude, due to the risk from political influences, and the harsh reality of global news, I am strongly in favour of maintaining the current curriculum.

Vocabulary

• Potentially damaging
• Worrisome
• Substituting
• Unbiased
• Skewed
• Right wing Credentials
• Partisan
• Detrimental
• If it bleeds it leads
• Beamed
• Impressionable

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