IELTS essay about declining handwriting skills
IELTS essay topic
Fewer and fewer people today write by hand using a pen or pencil. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or a negative development?
Band 9 IELTS essay sample
Handwriting is a skill that we need to develop with practice. Before computers and printers became commonplace, there was a great deal of emphasis on good handwriting. Both parents and teachers encouraged children to write neatly and clearly. Good handwriting could even get one better grades. Handwriting is still important but very few people now use a pen or pencil in their everyday life. In my opinion, this is a negative development. It is okay to adopt technology but it must not be at the expense of the skills integral for our growth and success.
Computerization has affected the handwriting skills of both children and adults. Now nearly every office has computers. Schools and colleges are also computerizing their classrooms. As a result, typing has replaced writing. This explains why handwriting skills are deteriorating.
Handwriting is a reflection of character. By simply analysing your handwriting, experts can get clues about your personality traits. In fact, some businesses commission this analysis before hiring employees. Obviously, those who write legibly have improved chances of getting jobs. What’s more, many standardized tests are still paper-based. IELTS is a very good example of this. A candidate with poor handwriting skills will have a tough time achieving a good band score in this test. If handwriting is not legible, the examiner will not be able to find out what the student has written. This will lead to poor grades. Handwriting helps the brain development in younger children. It activates the brain more than keyboarding. It is also known to improve reading fluency. For example, cursive writing is known to help both children and adults with dyslexia.
To conclude, over dependence on computers is the number one cause of declining handwriting skills. This is a negative development and can have an adverse impact on one’s career prospects.
