IELTS Writing Task 2 essay with model answer

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic

Today, more and more students are deciding to move to a different country for higher studies. Do you think that the benefits of this outweigh the problems?

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

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

Nowadays, an increasing number of students are travelling to another country for higher education. This trend has both positive and negative outcomes. This essay will try to look at both sides of the picture and come to a reasonable conclusion.

As a matter of fact, heading to a different nation for tertiary education has several advantages. Firstly, it gives the student better quality of education, which in turn, enhances the job prospects in today's fiercely competitive job market. A coveted post with higher remuneration is often, the key to a better quality of life. For instance, every year, thousands of students from different parts of the globe travel to the US and UK to join their prestigious and world-renowned universities. A recent survey conducted in February 2017 showed that MIT graduates are hired by multinational companies at twice the yearly salary of non MIT graduates. Secondly, travelling to a different country for university education widens the horizons of a student's outlook because these universities are an amalgamation of bright students from different cultures and ethnicities. Studying together creates a sense of brotherhood and makes an individual more tolerant towards other communities. For example, university education has given rise to several long-lasting cross country marriages, friendships, and business partnerships. Finally, moving to another country teaches a student to become self-reliant and independent. To illustrate, a recent survey conducted in the UK in 2016, showed that 30% of university graduates, mostly foreign nationals, funded their education by doing summer internships and other odd jobs which gave them hands-on experience with the real world scenario. Thus, moving to a different part of the world for higher education has definite benefits.

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Just as a coin has two sides, this trend of moving to a different nation for higher studies has some disadvantages too. To begin with, the parent country suffers a brain-drain due to the efflux of good students. For example, the Silicon Valley in the US gets 40% of its workforce from Indian graduates who travel in the US for their masters and settle there. Moreover, coping with a foreign language, separation at home, and monetary issues often take a toll on the student's physical and mental health. An example on this is a survey conducted in the UK which showed that over 30% of foreign students studying in the UK universities suffer from depression and low self-esteem. 

To conclude, it is evident from above arguments that advantages of studying in different international universities clearly outweigh the disadvantages. I, therefore, believed that students should travel to foreign universities for a better education and rich experience of the world. 

Total Words: 420

Task Achievement: 9

Coherence & Cohesion: 9

Lexical resources: 9

Grammar: 9

Overall Score: Band 9

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