IELTS Commentry: IELTS Band 9 essay, topic: Some schools insist that students have laptops in class (advantages / disadvantages)

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is likely to score IELTS Band 9.

Set 2 General Training book, Practice Test 7

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Some of today’s schools insist that all students have their own laptop computer in class to assist in their education.

Do you feel that this would be an advantage to students’ education or would it be an unnecessary complication?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Answer

Several schools around the world insist that all students should bring their own private laptop to class to assist in their education. Technology has become a significant component of educating children and is considered beneficial in many ways. Nonetheless, there are likewise many disadvantages to using private technological equipment in classrooms.

Bringing a private laptop to class offers a variety of benefits for students. Firstly, laptops can be used to take notes in classes where teachers sometimes speak at a high speed. Many children find that they can type faster than they can write by hand and therefore prefer typing their notes in class so as to not miss any important information. Teachers could furthermore make use of learning programs and websites during class, as students would have the possibility of using these websites on their private laptops. Moreover, students can use periods meant for working on assignments effectively, because they can work on their assignments digitally right away and not have to type up handmade notes later on. Information can additionally be distributed more easily to students, as for example hand-outs can simply be emailed or shared electronically and do not have to be printed.

Although bringing private laptops to class offers these various advantages, it also creates several disadvantages. Laptops firstly are fairly expensive, meaning that families with more than one child will have to spend a large amount of money to purchase laptops for all their children. Furthermore, laptops can easily be damaged during class and outside of class as well as stolen, which could create future costs for families. During class laptops can also distract students, because they can surf the Internet or look at non-class-related work during class periods. The amount of time students are exposed to technological equipment is also increased by incorporating laptops into classrooms, which can result in several health-related problems.

In conclusion, bringing a private laptop to class involves several advantages and disadvantages. Nonetheless, I personally believe that if used wisely, a laptop is an extremely useful tool in lessons and therefore I would support this initiative.

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