IELTS Writing Task 2 essay with model answer
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic
Some people think that the government should pay one of the parents of very young children to stay at home to look after their children.
What do you think would be the advantages and disadvantages of this policy?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
The rising cost of living especially in the urban areas has propelled the trend of both parents working full time. One of the implications is that there is no one left to stay at home to look after young children. Some suggest that governments should compensate those who choose to stay at home since young children have greater needs to be attended for.
Firstly, parents have a strong sense of responsibility for their children, trusting no one as much as themselves to care for them. They are convinced that very young children need the attention of someone who truly cherishes them. And their desire to make sure that their children absorb the values that they believe in is almost tangible. Young children are more likely to get one-on-one affection and attention they need from a stay-at-home parent than from well-trained, caring people in child care. A child’s upbringing in a supporting environment acts as precursor for successful adulthood. In this sense, supporting such a policy move will reap benefits in the long-term.
However, despite the conviction that children will benefit the most from a stay at home parents, from the financial view point, when government decides to compensate such a policy change, it will create additional burden for the society. Government would now have less tax revenue for paying and providing social goods and services to the public such as subsidising transport fees. Ironically, the stipends received from the governments would have to be spent on more expensive public amenities.
In conclusion, I do acknowledge the advantages of having a parent staying at home while receiving salary from the government. However, it might be unrealistic option for most governments to pursue such a change.
Total Words: 297
Task Achievement: 8
Coherence & Cohesion: 8
Lexical resources: 8
Grammar: 8
Overall Score: Band 8.0
Tags: model answer writing task 2
IELTS Score Calculators and Estimators:
Useful FREE resources for IELTS preparation:
- Free IELTS preparation Course
- Free IELTS Model Answers for Academic and General Writing tasks
- Free IELTS Exam Day Cheat Sheet
Tutorials on Essay Writing
- How to identify the main topic and all parts of the IELTS writing task essay?
- How to brainstorm and organise ideas for writing task 2?
Finally, if you need ongoing feedback from an experienced IELTS teacher for your writing or speaking tasks, simply subscribe to one of our IELTS CORRECTION packs