Band 8 essay sample | Advantages of English as a global language

General Training task 2

The advantages provided by English as a ‘global language’ will continue to outweigh the disadvantages. To what extent do you agree with the statement?

Band 8 essay sample

English has become the default global language. Someone who speaks English can travel all over the world without experiencing any difficulties. English is also the language of business and science. Therefore, I agree with the argument that the merits contributed by English as a world language will continue to outweigh the drawbacks.

There are compelling reasons to learn English. The primary benefit is that English has been widely used for communication purpose ever since the days of imperialism. For instance, a tourist usually uses English for a plethora of purposes such as asking for directions, buying food and so on. In addition, English is the preferred language for conflict resolution around the world. Moreover, scientific education is mainly imparted in English. For example, almost all journal articles and conference papers are in English. Therefore, these merits vindicate the importance of the English language.

However, there are some disadvantages to using English as a world language. First of all, it is not easy for non-native English learners to become fluent in reading, writing or speaking English. Furthermore, people in some countries find learning English to be extremely difficult because of burgeoned differences in written expression. For example, each symbol is a word in the Chinese language, hence learning English may be an arduous task for the Chinese people. Consequently, people from non-English speaking nations have to learn English as a second language in addition to their native language. But none of these are valid excuses for not learning English because someone who speaks English has a clear advantage over someone who doesn’t speak English.

Having considered a range of arguments, I have drawn the conclusion that the merits provided by English as a global language outweigh the drawbacks. English is widely used for communication among people and even for conflict resolution. Scientific study is also conducted using the English language.