Writing Task 2 Model Answers
WRITING
17. Studying
In some countries university education is provided free of charge to students while in others students are required to pay large fees.
In your opinion, is it better to charge students for higher education?
Essay Plan:
Opinion: Partially agree, but overall, it's better to avoid tuition fees.
Main Idea 1: High tuition fees make it difficult for poor students to go to university.
Sub-idea A: Leads to higher drop out rates for poorer students
Sub-idea B: Limits career opportunities for the poor and reduces social mobility.
Sub-idea C: Can lead to shortage of skilled professionals. Example: lack of IT graduates in many countries.
Main Idea 2: Free higher education is costly and can be difficult for the government to fund.
Sub-idea A: Free universities leads to a large number of students.
Sub-idea B: Can lead to underfunding of universities and therefore poor teaching and facilities.
Sub-idea C: Government funding can be done in a limited way e.g. scholarships.
Model Answer:
While in some countries higher education is extremely costly for students, in others education at universities is heavily subsidised by the state or even free to those who study. In my view, high tuition fees unfairly disadvantage the poor and although public funding for universities can lead to problems, governments must find a way to make it accessible to more people.
To begin with, a university education opens many doors, and restricting access to the wealthy through high fees unfairly holds back the poor. Due to high fees, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds may not be able to study at all, and if they do, are more likely to drop out because of the financial pressures. Without a degree, they will not be able to enter certain fields of work, nor climb the career ladder so quickly. This will have a significant negative effect on social mobility. Furthermore, limiting access to higher education could result in a shortage of professionals with the critical thinking skills or knowledge that can drive economic growth. A good example of this is the lack of qualified IT specialists in many countries. It would therefore benefit a country’s economy to make higher education possible for as many of its citizens as possible.
On the other hand, providing high quality and free education to everyone can place a large burden on the government. Free education will lead to a large number of students, which means large funding requirements. If the country is very wealthy, this may not be a problem, but if not, universities may suffer from underfunding. This can be seen in Argentina, where state universities offering free education often lack the funds they need to maintain top level facilities while adequately paying staff and the teaching faculty. Nonetheless, it may be possible to balance government and private funding. For instance, the state could offer scholarships to students who pass their school finals with flying colours. In this way, access to higher education would be ensured for the best students, no matter their financial situation.
To conclude, it is highly beneficial for a society to ensure that all members of society have the chance to access higher education. This promotes social mobility and increases the pool of skilled professionals in the economy. However, we must recognise the financial constraints some governments face and perhaps offering help to talented students rather than fully funding higher education for all is the answer.
*To see definitions and examples of the vocabulary in bold, along with practice exercises, go to Topic Vocabulary & Exercises.