One Foreign Language or Several?
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 319 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
Some people think that children should learn one foreign language to a high level. Others believe that children should study several foreign languages at the same time. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Write at least 250 words. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
How to approach it
- 01Address BOTH views before stating your own opinion — this is a discussion task
- 02Use specific examples from school, family, or countries you know
- 03Avoid sitting on the fence — give a clear preference, even if nuanced by age or context
- 04Use vocabulary specific to language learning: 'fluency', 'exposure', 'mother tongue', 'bilingual'
- 05Use balancing connectives: 'On the other hand', 'In contrast', 'That said'
- 06Keep the register educated but accessible — General Training Task 2 allows some personal voice
Model answer
319 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
The question of how schools should teach foreign languages divides parents and educators alike. Some argue that pupils should master a single foreign language thoroughly, while others maintain that exposure to several languages at once offers richer benefits. Both views have merit, but I believe focusing on one language to a high level is the wiser approach for most children.
Supporters of the single-language approach emphasise depth and confidence. Reaching genuine fluency in even one foreign language takes years of consistent practice, and dividing children's limited study time between several languages risks producing only superficial knowledge of each. A child who can hold a real conversation, read a novel and write an email in French gains a usable skill that opens doors in study, travel and work. In my own school, the students who left able to speak Spanish well were the ones who had concentrated on it from primary level; those who had dabbled in three languages tended to remember only stock phrases.
On the other hand, advocates of multi-language learning point to broader cognitive and cultural gains. Young children pick up sounds and grammar patterns very quickly, and brief daily exposure to two or three languages can train the ear and build long-term flexibility. In countries like Luxembourg or parts of Switzerland, children routinely grow up using several languages without confusion. Multi-language schooling also signals that no single culture is privileged, which can be valuable in diverse societies.
In my view, the right balance depends on age and resources. Until the age of around eight, gentle exposure to a couple of languages through songs and stories is helpful. From then on, however, children gain most from concentrating on one main foreign language, with a secondary language introduced only once a solid foundation has been built.
In conclusion, while early multi-language exposure has its place, sustained focus on one foreign language usually delivers the most useful long-term results.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
28 more than the median answer for this task type
9 words at the shortest, 37 at the longest
2 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 21.3 words and vary by 7.4 words either side of that, running from 9 words to 37. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 6 of the 15 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
8 in total, spread across 3 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
on the other hand, however, while
then, once
in conclusion
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 80 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 71 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 5 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Response
Discuss both views with adequate depth and give a clear, well-supported opinion
Coherence & Cohesion
Clear paragraph structure with effective signposting and progression
Lexical Resource
Range of vocabulary for education, language and comparison, used accurately
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Variety of complex structures including conditionals and concessive clauses
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