Because some children do not seem to have the natural ability to learn other languages, schools should not force them to learn foreign languages.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
The task above has the shape of an argument. The first part (the because clause) is the support for the idea in the second part (schools should not force them to learn foreign languages). When we put a supporting idea and a claim together (using a because clause), we have an argument. Some tasks in IELTS Writing Task 2 have this format. Our response should address both the supporting part and the idea part.
One way to look at this task is to consider it a weak argument for two reasons:
One, the first part (because clause) assumes that only those who have natural abilities in a certain field must learn lessons in that field. By this logic, some students have no natural ability to learn math, so should we stop teaching them math? Do you see why the argument is weak?
Two, the second part (the main clause) uses the word ‘force’, which has a negative connotation. Schools do not force anyone. They design curriculums that go from easy to hard, from elementary school to high school, all based on the needs of society. Therefore, students can learn with the support of a teacher in a step-by-step fashion over a long period of time. Not everyone will learn everything. Students learn a proportion of the lessons to varying levels of quality based on their capacity to learn.
