You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people say children no longer need to develop handwriting skills. Others believe that handwriting is still important. Discuss both these views and give your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
With the marvel of technological progress, the process of learning and teaching have changed to a great extent and the modern children, most of the time, use computers to compose their essays, presentation and homework. One group of people thus think that handwriting skills for children are no longer relevant while many others disagree. In this essay, I shall discuss both aspects and include my verdict.
To begin with, education sectors and schools in many countries have embraced the computer and the internet technology and the way of teaching and learning is no longer the same as it was in the past. For example, one of my nephews, George, who is 4 years old, have learned the alphabets, colours, digits and many rhymes from the internet which was unimaginable even in our era. University students prepare their assignments and thesis on a computer, a plagiarism checking software initially reviews it, the teacher assesses the answers on a computer and this process goes on with the help of technology. Professionals like journalists, writers, bloggers, programmers, bankers and so on, no longer need to write manually as computers are there for them. With more corporations going digital, the need for handwriting is shrinking rapidly. Furthermore, may of the standardised exams have their computerised version and this eliminates the needs for an excellent handwriting skill and demands the skill of typing on swipe a digital device like the computer.
According to the second group of people, handwriting is still essential and no matter how much dependant we become on technology, it will always be a handy ability for a person. For instance, a computer literate would still be considered ignorant if he can not write something on a paper. This group of people also opine that handwriting ability enables someone to excel in his academic studies and exams. Though some exams have become digitalised most others require us to write on a paper using a pen or pencil. Thus to present our skills we still need the handwriting skills. Last but not least, use of the technology requires electric power, devices like computers and the internet connections which are yet to be available in many parts of the world. For students in such areas, handwriting skill is a must.
To conclude, a thorough analysis of the topic reflects that handwriting is still an essential skill and parents, for this reason, should focus on developing this ability among their children from and early stage.