You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated non-specialist audience on the following topic.

Are computers an essential feature of modern education? What subjects can be better taught using computers? Are there aspects of a good education that cannot be taught using computers?

You should write at least 250 words.

提示

You should you your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Topic words:

Computers Essential features / absolutely necessary

Modern education / good education

Task words:

There are no specific task words. Three separate questions are given.

Questions I should ask myself:

Do I think computers are essential for education? What subjects do I think are best be learnt using computers? What do I think are the features of a good education, and are computers important in it?

The answer must:

Answer each of the three related questions. If you answer the second and third question you will answer the first question, which is the most general and gives the basic topic of the essay. Show which subjects can benefit from the use of a computer, and explain why a computer is so useful. Show what cannot be taught by computer, and explain why a computer cannot help with those areas. After explaining when computers are useful and when not, write a compulsion in which you say whether computers are essential in education or not, using arguments from your essay.

范文(在阅读此范文之前你至少已经花了一些时间写作)

Computers are now essential in many areas of life – modern banking, retail and information exchange among others. However, this is not true for education. At a simple level some subjects may be better taught using computers, but to explain important concepts a human teacher is still indispensable. - Introduction shows main idea

There are some subjects in which a computer can be used successfully to teach. Elementary mathematics, elementary language leaning, any area which requires a student to memorize basic facts through repetition is well suited to computer learning. The computer can be programmed to provide an endless number of simple questions, and as the student answers these questions the facts are learned and reinforced. - Why computers do well, with examples

However, in the learning and practice of more complex ideas, the computer is not adequate. A computer can evaluate an answer as right or wrong, but it cannot determine why. It cannot find out why a student is making mistakes, and then re-present important concepts in a different way so the student will understand. It cannot determine at what stage in a mathematics problem the student has made an error, it can only indicate that the final answer is wrong. Tasks involving reasoning cannot be taught by computers, as there are too many variables for a computer to deal with successfully. - What computers cannot be, with an example

Thus, while computers may be useful as a tool for practicing simple skills, they are not an essential feature of modern education, because they cannot monitor a student’s grasp of concepts, nor evaluate a student’s reasoning. Until further developments in computers are made the human teacher will remain indispensable. - Conclusion re-states main ideas

Remember: this sample answer is one of several satisfactory ways to answer the question. Other essays which respond to the writing task would also be acceptable.

Source: Prepare for IELTS, by Vanessa Todd & Penny Cameron, 1996, UTS, Australia.