Band 9 essay sample: Should students be separated on the basis of their academic performance?

IELTS essay topic

Some people believe all children should be taught together. Others say that they should be separated according to academic abilities. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Sample essay

In most schools fast learners and slow learners are taught together. Some people are against this arrangement. In their opinion, there should be separate classes for academically brilliant and academically poor students. I don’t agree with this view.

When students are separated on the basis of their academic skills it affects their self-esteem. Academically weak students may develop an inferiority complex which will further affect their performance. Worse, the brilliant students may look down upon them. While it is possible to argue that this arrangement will help the performance of both categories of students, in my opinion, the benefits are negligible.

Just because we put slow learners in a separate class, it will not improve their academic performance automatically. They will still have to work harder; teachers will still have to spend more time explaining the concepts. So, I don’t see what the advantages are. In fact, the presence of slow learners in a class has little impact on the performance of brilliant students. Of course, teachers will take more time to teach the lessons; however, they will still manage to cover the portions before the test. In most cases, this will mean paying less attention to slow learners, but the situation isn’t going to be any better in classes for slow learners either. Teachers are required to complete the lessons before the test. They can’t waste time on any student.

In my opinion, instead of separating the students the school should organize extra classes for the slow learners. This arrangement will have a better impact on their performance. Teachers have less time to work with slow learners during regular classes as they are under pressure to complete the lessons. If there are extra classes, they will be able to explain concepts in more detail and solve doubts.

To conclude, separating students on the basis of their academic skills is unlikely to have any positive impact on their performance. Worse, this arrangement might make slow learners feel inferior. In my opinion, a better solution is to arrange extra classes for them.

Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I'm Manjusha. This is my blog where I give IELTS preparation tips.

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