Some people believe that reducing the number of students in each class is the best way to improve education. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
This IELTS Writing Task 2 answer was marked Band 7 on the four official criteria. All four criteria were marked at 7. The biggest single improvement: Answer "to what extent" more completely by adding a brief limitation or counterpoint, then reaffirming that smaller classes are the most effective measure.
How it was marked
| Criterion | Band | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Task Response | 7 | The essay presents a clear position in favour of smaller classes and develops it through individual attention, reduced disruption, and the example of "Vaila's School for Special Students". However, the response does not fully explore the extent of agreement because it does not acknowledge any possible limitations or alternative ways to improve education. |
| Lexical Resource | 7 | The essay uses a good range of relevant educational vocabulary, including "tailor their lessons", "one-on-one interaction", "focused listening", and "tailored guidance". Some collocations are less natural or imprecise, particularly "a negative impact on education" and "impart quality education", which prevent the vocabulary from being consistently precise and flexible. |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy | 7 | The response demonstrates a useful range of complex structures, including "When students find it easier to approach their teacher, they are more likely to receive better guidance" and the relative clause in "students with special needs". Grammar is generally accurate, but the construction "students seated close to the teacher ... or being distracted" is not fully parallel, and the generic pronoun choice in "the teacher can give her full attention" is avoidably inconsistent. |
| Coherence & Cohesion | 7 | The response is clearly organised into an introduction, two reasoned body paragraphs, an example paragraph, and a conclusion, with ideas progressing logically from attention to classroom disruption. Cohesive references such as "This enables", "These distractions", and "There" are generally effective, although some connections and repeated references to class size could be made more varied. |
The answer
A learner answer, not a model answer — study what the marks reward, don't copy it.
The initiative to reduce class sizes to improve education quality has been widely debated. I agree that a smaller number of students can result in a higher quality of education for the following reasons.
Having smaller class sizes makes it easier for the teachers to pay attention to each student individually. They can tailor their lessons according to each student's needs. This enables one-on-one interaction between the students and teachers, which also promotes learning and trust. When students find it easier to approach their teacher, they are more likely to receive better guidance.
In larger class sizes, the chaos is inevitable. Noise, students talking or playing, and the sheer responsibility of managing several students at once can be distracting for both the teacher and the students. These distractions result in a negative impact on education. Students seated close to the teacher might be able to understand the lesson well, whereas students seated farther from the teacher or being distracted may not be able to receive the same guidance.
A good example of the effectiveness of reducing class size is the focused learning classes held for students with special needs. Class sizes are intentionally smaller in such schools so that the teacher can give her full attention to each and every student. Vaila's School for Special Students in Karachi, Pakistan, typically has ten students per class. There, the teachers are trained to impart quality education through one-on-one interaction, focused listening, and tailored guidance for every student.
In conclusion, a smaller class size allows educators to be more focused, interact with their students productively, and impart guidance without chaos, distractions, or burnout. This results in an improved quality of education.
Corrections from the marking
This results in an improved quality of education.
This results in improved educational outcomes.
"Result in an improved quality of education" is an awkward collocation; "result in improved educational outcomes" is more natural and precise.
How this answer could score higher
- Answer "to what extent" more completely by adding a brief limitation or counterpoint, then reaffirming that smaller classes are the most effective measure.
- Improve collocation precision by replacing "a negative impact on education" with "undermine students' concentration and learning" and "impart quality education" with "provide high-quality instruction."
- Correct the non-parallel structure "students seated farther from the teacher or being distracted" to "students who sit farther away or become distracted" and maintain consistent generic pronouns.
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