Many parents encourage and prepare their children from an early age to attend a university and pursue a professional career. However, some people may not be suited for a job in the professional fields and would do better in other occupations, such as being a construction worker or a grocery store clerk. Should parents insist on a university education for their children, and is a university education necessary for someone to be successful in their chosen field?
Sample Essay with Corrections
Expert Feedback
The essay effectively addresses the prompt, presenting a clear position on whether parents should insist on a university education. Key strengths include a balanced discussion of both sides of the argument and relevant examples, such as Bill Gates, to support the points made. However, critical areas for improvement include grammatical accuracy, particularly with plural forms and article usage, as well as enhancing the flow of ideas with smoother transitions. Structural changes made include correcting grammatical errors, improving clarity in the introduction, and adding necessary linking phrases between paragraphs. Suggestions for further improvements not implemented in the corrected version include varying vocabulary to reduce repetition and enhancing the engagement level of the introduction. The tone used is appropriate for an academic essay, maintaining a formal and objective stance throughout.
Detailed Scores
What this means:
The essay is generally well-organized, with clear paragraphs that each focus on a specific aspect of the argument. However, some transitions between ideas could be smoother. For instance, the shift from discussing parental intentions to the suitability of different career paths could benefit from a clearer linking phrase to enhance the flow of ideas.
How to improve:
- Use a clear paragraph structure
- Connect ideas with appropriate linking words
- Maintain logical progression
- Use referencing effectively
What this means:
The essay demonstrates a reasonable range of grammatical structures, but there are several grammatical errors, such as 'childs' instead of 'children,' 'a difficulties' instead of 'difficulties,' and missing articles like 'a' before 'very young age.' These errors affect the overall accuracy and clarity of the writing. To improve, the writer should proofread for grammatical mistakes and aim for more complex sentence structures.
How to improve:
- Use complex sentence structures
- Maintain grammatical accuracy
- Use a variety of sentence patterns
- Check for common grammar errors
What this means:
The vocabulary used is appropriate for the topic, with some varied expressions such as 'financial stability' and 'critical thinking skills.' However, there are instances of repetition, such as the use of 'university degree' and 'professional career.' To improve, the writer could incorporate synonyms or more varied phrases to demonstrate a wider lexical range.
How to improve:
- Use a wider range of vocabulary
- Demonstrate awareness of collocations
- Avoid word repetition
- Use more sophisticated vocabulary accurately
What this means:
The essay addresses the prompt effectively, presenting a clear position on whether parents should insist on a university education. It discusses both sides of the argument and provides relevant examples, such as Bill Gates, to support the points made. However, the introduction could be more engaging, and the conclusion could summarize the main points more succinctly to enhance clarity.
How to improve:
- Address all parts of the task fully
- Support ideas with specific examples
- Develop each point thoroughly
- Stay relevant to the topic
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