Some People Think That Intelligence Is Innate; Others Think It Can Be Improved Through Learning | Band 9 IELTS Essay Sample

Some people think that intelligence is innate while others think that we can improve our intelligence through learning. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

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Band 9 IELTS essay sample

While some people opine that intelligence is inherited, others insist that it can be acquired through learning. In my opinion, intelligence is both innate and acquired.

There are certainly some innate aspects to intelligence. That explains why children taught in the same class acquire different grades. Another interesting aspect of intelligence is that people have different skills or aptitude. For instance, some people have a natural flair for writing, singing or drawing. They can excel in these areas even if they do not receive formal training. Some students can solve arithmetic sums more easily and there are also children who have a natural aptitude for science. What’s more, although a number of people study science or arts, only a handful of them emerge as successful scientists or artists. Obviously, they have certain skills that others do not possess and that probably explains why intelligence is innate.

On the flip side, there are certainly some aspects of intelligence that can and should be acquired and developed. For example, just because someone is born ‘intelligent’ there is no guarantee that they will achieve great things in life. In almost all cases, they need training and practice. If intelligence was truly an innate quality, there would be no need for this training. There are also examples of many people who became great success in their life in spite of getting poor grades in school. Their intelligence certainly is not ‘innate’. Rather it is something they acquired through learning and practice.

To conclude, after analyzing both sides of the argument it is not hard to see that intelligence is both innate and acquired. All of us are born with certain levels of intelligence. If an intelligent person is born in a conducive environment and receive adequate levels of external stimuli they can produce outstanding results. At the same time, someone born with only average levels of intelligence can also achieve great things through learning and hard work.

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