Rewrite – 40 minutes (part 2)

Some people think that [all school students should learn a foreign language]. Others [think that a student should not be required to learn a foreign language if he or she does not have talent for it].

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Paraphrase:

Nowadays most school students are required to learn at least one foreign language as part of their studies.

Thesis:

A lot of people support this practice, while others hold the view that a student should not be required to learn a foreign language if he or she does not have talent in it.

[side a – why we should learn a foreign language!]

It is understandable that so many parents and teachers think that a student should learn a foreign language. They believe that in this increasingly globalized world, foreign language skills are indeed important if a student is to become a knowledgeable and socially-respected person. In addition to that, mastering a foreign language will give a student a distinct advantage over others who are monolingual, enabling him or her to have more choices and opportunities later in life, especially in terms of college educationa dn employment.

[side b – should not be required]

However, people who think a student should not be required to learn a foreign language do have a point. They argue that students should be given the right to make their own decisions on this issue based on their own interests, talents and life goals. They also claim that knowledge of a foreign language is not absolutely essential for a student’s future success, career-related or otherwise, and that it therefore should not be compulsory for a student to learn a foreign language at school if he or she has no interest or talent in it.

[give your own opinion]

Personally, I tend to side with the view that a student should be given the right to decide whether or not to learn a foreign language. I do think a student should be forced to study a second language when he or she has absolutely no talent or interest in it. At the end of the day, without foreign language skills, a student can still become a well-balanced, intelligent and successful person. In shortr, foreign language skills are indeepd important, but they are in no way essential. I think foreign languages courses should be listed as optional at school. For students who choose not to study any foreign language at school, they can always start learning one later in their life when they genuinely feel they want or need to.