IELTS Writing Task 2: Education — Discuss Both Views Sample Answer

Whether young children should learn foreign languages from the start of their schooling, or whether curriculum time is better devoted to numeracy and literacy first, is a question that touches on cognitive development, global competitiveness, and the allocation of limited educational resources.

Advocates for early language learning draw on neuroscientific evidence that children acquire languages with greater ease and more native-like accuracy before the age of around ten, when neural plasticity for language processing begins to decline. Beyond linguistic benefits, research indicates that managing two languages from an early age builds cognitive flexibility, enhances attention control, and may delay the onset of dementia in later life. Economically, multilingual individuals have access to broader labour markets and are more effective in internationally operating organisations — advantages that accrue to those who acquire second languages young rather than those who begin as adults.

Those who prioritise core subjects argue that foundational literacy and numeracy skills are prerequisites for all other learning, and that dividing young children's attention across too many subjects simultaneously risks achieving shallow competence in each. They also note that in non-English-speaking countries where English is taught as a compulsory second language, the curriculum burden is already substantial, and adding further language requirements may overwhelm students and teachers alike.

In my opinion, the cognitive and practical advantages of early language learning are sufficiently compelling to justify its inclusion in primary curricula — provided it is taught communicatively and enjoyably, rather than through the rote grammar-translation methods that historically produced students who studied languages for years without acquiring functional ability.