Sample Writing One 18th, Nov, 2006 IELTS TEST
Topic：Should secondary school have a class of international news? Some people think it is waste of time, while others think it is necessary. To some extent, do you agree or disagree, and why?
What does the significant role of education play in the cultivation of children? It is generally believed that education should function as a pattern which makes students well-educated and full of knowledge. However, I argue that education should make people mature and learned in and out of class.
It is the international news class that broadens and widens the horizons when students are being asked some big issues. When recently lots of people concern about the Iran nuclear issue, some secondary school students, or even college students say: “it's none of my business, just kick this out of my mind, it's not that serious.” But what if you saw the international news report about 1986 Chernoby Nuclear Accident, the human disaster, you would probably say that let those nuclear plans shut down. Therefore, international news can drive the information and events which later students experienced similarly can use to be more intellectual and mature.
Moreover, students can learn something very important beyond book knowledge from the international news, such as general compassion. For instance, a couple of months ago, there is a beyond-thought tsunami attacking eastern Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand, and parts of Malaysia. After this near-death experience, great help comes from all over the world, from which the main make-up is student. The example is simple, but tells great: Students look at the pictures and desperate faces of the people there from international news, which triggers their feelings, and then they begin to realize what a wonderful life they have and should shine a beam of light on these poor people—— compassion. Generally, students learned how important to show compassion to others.
To sum up, international news class appeared to be a way of wasting time, but students learned. They would probably tell you how their lives changed after this class. And I assert that international news class should be there, in the secondary schools.
，中学应开国际新闻课吗