IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic: Living in Schools or Home & Sample Answer

Courtney Miller

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Updated On Dec 04, 2021

Sample Essay
Band 9 Sample Essay

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It is better for college students to live in schools than live at home with their parents. Do you agree or disagree?

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Sample Essay

Many students are faced with the dilemma of whether to live in a university dormitory or at home with their parents. From my perspective, a dormitory is evidently the better option for most students.

Firstly, there is a common belief that living with their parents is better for students’ personal development. Many people argue that students living at home may fully concentrate on their academic studies because their parents are likely to support them in various ways, such as by doing household tasks. However, I believe some students may become over-reliant on their parents as a result, and thus do not develop the ability to live independently in the future. By contrast, students who live in dormitories must assume responsibility in all aspects of life. Therefore, they may acquire the skills necessary for self-reliance, ranging from financial management and problem-solving to meal planning and home management, all of which are essential to foster the all-round personal development of this group of students.

In addition, there are several distinct advantages of choosing on-campus residences. The most evident advantage is that students who choose this type of accommodation would have easy access to libraries and various learning resources that are readily available at university. Another clear benefit is that those living in student accommodation are exposed to a diverse environment with people from various social and cultural backgrounds. As a result, students are better prepared to live in today’s multi-cultural world.

From the issues outlined above, one can conclude that living on a university campus is a better choice for students than living at home with their parents. I predict that the number of students choosing to live in university accommodation will remain high in the future.

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The choice of living in a hostel or staying with your parents during college is one that every student has to make before commencing their education after high school. Although such a decision is determined by several factors, barring personal preferences, residing in a college dormitory is much more functional than operating from one’s family residence. In the following paragraphs, I will elaborate on the topic and justify my views on the same.

In order to understand the superiority of hostel life for students, we must look at both alternatives objectively. One of the key benefits of residing at the hall of residence of a university is the absence of travel costs. It is a well-known fact that most academic institutions are situated in the centre of a city or a town. That being said, an individual who lives in the suburbs has to spend a lot of time, energy and money to make the journey to their university on a daily basis. Such expenses can be cut down to a great extent if students choose to stay in the student residence of their college which are mostly located within the campus.

Furthermore, residing in a dormitory helps students grow as individuals and develop skills that are impossible to acquire when living with parents. The most significant life skill that an individual emerges with after spending their college years living in schoolrooms with other collegemates is the ability to be self-sufficient. The burden of household chores always falls on our mothers when we stay at home, whereas in hostels, tasks like fixing meals, maintenance of personal belongings and other errands are the onus of every individual themselves. Students have to organize their time between such duties and classes which naturally makes them better at time management and household work at the same time.

Nevertheless, there are limitations to staying away from your family and residing in university dorm rooms like the lack of proper meals and the ordeal of surviving on a tight budget. However, such difficulties are necessary to build and grow character and develop personal maturity.

In conclusion, I would like to say that in the end, the decision of where to reside while pursuing higher education is entirely based on financial and individual circumstances. Even so, living in dormitories and being responsible for yourself is always a prudent course of action.