GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 183
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Students from disadvantaged families and rural areas are finding it difficult to get a university education in many countries. Some people believe that universities and authorities should help them so that they can get a university education.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer: [Agreement]
In many nations, tertiary education costs a substantial amount of money. Eventually, getting higher education proves to be difficult for those students who come from low-income households and remote areas, and thereby sparking off a heated debate as to whether governments and universities ought to help them to pursue higher education. I entirely agree with the notion of helping those less privileged students.
The first reason is the positive externalities of tertiary education. Usually, higher education reaps some external benefits to society. University education drives to a more skilled and productive workforce. For instance, a plethora of empirical pieces of evidence is mounting that countries with better rates of higher education generally reach more eminent levels of invention and productivity growth. Thus, there is a valid justification for the authority subsidising tertiary education for all.
The second reason is human rights. The right to higher education is of profound importance. Put simply, to deny individuals with capacity access to tertiary education is to deny their worth and potentials as a human being. Many international laws recognize the right to higher education. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for example, recognizes the right to higher education, stating “higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit”. Therefore, the hindrances in the way of right to higher education are the flagrant violation of human rights.
Last but not least, another compelling reason is the increased specialisation of work. In the cut-throat competition of the business world, the global economy forces nations to specialize in higher-tech and higher value-added products. Thus, there is a growing demand for skilled graduates who can contribute to these high-tech industries.
To conclude, if students from lower echelons of society and rural areas are gran access to university education, it can derive substantial benefit to the rest of society. Therefore, universities and governments should formulate conducive policies so that students from all walks of life can exercise their right to higher education.