Today, let’s look at a sample band 9 answer to a question about homeschooling. I will analyse the question, discuss some ideas and language, and then provide my answer.

The Question

Here is our question for today:

In some countries, there has been an increase in the number of parents who educate their children themselves at home instead of sending them to school.

Do you think the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

Note that this question seems to reoccur in different forms. For example:

Some people believe that teaching children at home is best for a child’s development while others think that it is important for children to go to school.

Discuss the advantages of both methods and give your own opinion.

Also:

Many parents choose to teach their children at home instead of sending them to school.

Do you think the benefits of homeschooling outweigh its drawbacks?

Of course, you need to think carefully about the question and don’t just memorise an answer that talks about homeschooling. Instead, think about the statement and the task. Two of these are “advantages and disadvantages” questions and one is a “discuss both views” question.

Today, I will use the first question although it is essentially the same as the third one.

Analysing the Question

Our main topic is homeschooling, which means parents teaching kids at home instead of sending them to school. This is a fairly controversial issue and an interesting one to discuss. Remember that there are no right and wrong answers here but you should try to keep your ideas realistic.

First, you should decide on your position. Essentially you have three choices:

  • the advantages outweigh the disadvantages
  • the disadvantages outweigh the advantages
  • they are pretty much balanced

I will personally choose to say that the disadvantages are more substantial here. That’s because I feel it is an easier viewpoint to justify and I feel confident that I can explain this perspective effectively.

Although you do not need to give a balanced answer, I will actually discuss both sides in order to show an awareness of the complexity of the issue, but also to argue against the so-called advantages. Thus, my structure will look like this:

IntroductionExplain the topic and mention that there is a divided opinion, then state my opinion.
Paragraph 2Give the advantages of homeschooling. Show that these are mostly limited to parents’ beliefs. Demonstrate that this is not really a strong opinion.
Paragraph 3Talk about the disadvantages, or more specifically the advantages of going to school rather than staying home. Talk about range of knowledge and the importance of teaching expertise.
ConclusionSummarise my essay.

Please remember that when you write your introduction to a task 2 essay, if you have been asked for an opinion, you must give one in your outline sentence.

If you are struggling for ideas, consider searching Google for articles about homeschooling. To be honest, the articles that appear at the top of a Google search for this topic are not very reliable in terms of research quality, but they do provide some interesting ideas and language that you can definitely borrow for an IELTS essay. Here is one example.

Language

This falls into the topic category of education. Obviously, homeschooling could involve some different words, grammar, and collocations than essays purely about classroom education, but mostly it will be pretty similar. Thus, you might want to brush up on words and phrases such as:

  • curriculum / curricula
  • values
  • standardised testing
  • ongoing assessment
  • afterschool assignments
  • student-centred education

The list could be endless. I suggest you read more on this topic to find useful language that reflects your ideas. I will list some more after my sample answer below.

One thing I’ll mention is the core idea of “homeschooling.” This is sometimes hyphenated: “home-schooling.” I chose the former because that’s what Cambridge recommends.

Note that “homeschool” is a verb and “homeschooling” is the gerund form. You can use “homeschooled” as an adjective. However, try to avoid too much repetition in your essay!

Sample Band 9 Answer

Homeschooling children is a topic that divides opinion. Some people believe that it should be a parent’s choice to educate their child at home, while others contend that all children must be taught in schools by professionally trained teachers. This essay will side with those who favour schools.

The advantages of homeschooling children are primarily that the child can be raised according to the parents’ beliefs. For example, some parents might consider the local educational authorities to be instilling negative values or perhaps values inconsistent with their religion. However, this is not a convincing argument, as it seems it gives too much power to parents, and many parents’ views are inconsistent with societal norms, which should ultimately be given preference. An additional advantage is that children who live very far away from a school may still receive an education without exhausting travel schedules. This is a more convincing argument, but these days it doesn’t apply to many children.

On the other hand, the arguments in favour of schools are far superior. For a start, schools are run by educational professionals who are under the mandate of a government department. All of these people are experts in establishing a curriculum that imparts necessary skills, values, and knowledge. Extensive supervision of teachers by independent experts ensures quality, whilst classrooms are safe environments with medical facilities nearby, and expertly produced learning materials in stock. Not even the most well-meaning parent can teach all subjects to their child, but a range of qualified teachers can give lessons on science, maths, geography, history, and many other subjects.

In conclusion, there are certainly advantages to both homeschooling and going to a regular school. However, children should definitely go to schools except in extreme cases.

Notes

Here are some useful phrases from this essay:

  • a parent’s choice
  • professionally trained teachers
  • the child can be raised according to the parents’ beliefs
  • local educational authorities
  • instilling negative values
  • inconsistent with societal norms
  • under the mandate of a government department
  • establishing a curriculum that imparts necessary skills, values, and knowledge
  • Extensive supervision
  • safe environments
  • learning materials

Note those important collocations, too, such as “give lessons.” It is important that your language is accurate and natural if you want to score above band 7.