You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Nowadays, education overseas has become more accessible and growing numbers of people send their offspring to study in other countries. However, this trend has its detractors.
Do you agree or disagree with the above statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
One of the greatest advantages of studying in a foreign country, especially, in a developed one, is that the children learn to be independent. Having to cook, clean, and pay bills instil this quality in them. Often they have to work part-time to make ends meet, and this impresses upon them the importance of work and money management. I believe that overseas education gives students many excellent opportunities including better education, better environment, becoming self-reliant and so on despite some of the negative aspects that are not tough to control.
Apart from being self-dependant, another important factor of pursuing the education in a foreign country is that those children will be exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking. They will become more open-minded and tolerant and are likely to become more adaptable individuals.
One of the main motives for sending young people abroad to study is that it enhances their employment prospects. In my experience of living in foreign countries and speaking to various youths, it seems that a foreign education is regarded as something desirable and helpful in getting a decent job. A degree from Britain, for example, is seen as being of a higher standard than one from a developing country. Furthermore, living in a foreign country may lead to fluency in a second language, which is another selling point for prospective employers. In addition, many companies are keen to recruit people with a global outlook.
There are a few drawbacks of this trend that cannot be avoided. For instance, without parental supervision, the new found freedom children experience may lead to harmful practices such as drug-taking and drinking. Reluctance or inability to reintegrate into their mother country is another. To sum up, it can be seen that the advantages of studying abroad for children are more numerous than the disadvantages. Of course, a lot depends on the age of the child, but I believe that for most teenagers it would be a positive experience.
(Approximately266words)
(This model answer has been prepared by the site developer. However, please note that this is just one example out of many possible answers.)