IELTS Band 9 Essay, topic: Women, not men, should stay at home to care for children (agree/disagree)

Traditionally in many parts of the world, it has been women who have stayed at home to care for children. This has led to the ideology and expectation

View online

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from the High Scorer's Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission).

Writing Task 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: It must be a woman who stays at home to care for children. Men are not suited to this kind of work. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience. You should write at least 250 words. Sample Band 9 Essay Traditionally in many parts of the world, it has been women who have stayed at home to care for children. This has led to the ideology and expectation that women are more suited to this type of work than men. The overwhelming status quo where women stay at home to care for the children probably derives from the fact that women are the ones who have to actually give birth to children and, following that, they are the ones who for the early part of a child's life have to feed the child until it is weaned. In times past, this state of affairs probably led to the women assuming the permanent role of carer for the home and children, whilst men went out to work, whether it was to gather food or work in fields or factories. In spite of the fact that this became what was expected in family dynamics, it does not mean that men are necessarily less suited to caring for a child than women. It is very possible for men to care for a child, even from birth onwards in today's world. Babies' milk formula can be mixed by anyone and fed to a child. The fact that many women today choose not to do this again does not mean that they are better suited by nature to care for the child. Suitability for childcare is a matter for individual temperament and aptitude. Not many people, whether they are men or women, feel totally confident and knowledgeable about how to care for a baby or young child at the start. They need advice from their own mothers and fathers, midwives or from books. It is only from experience that skill with childcare comes and this skill can be acquired regardless of gender. All in all, I do not agree with the statement that men are less suited to childcare than women. I believe that aptitude to look after children is a matter of individual temperament, not gender-specific inherited qualities.

IELTS Fact The fastest improvement in your Writing score happens when you get feedback on your written tasks from an IELTS Expert. Avoid the costly 'trial and error' method, submit your writing for correction and start progressing quickly and reliably to a higher Band Score today.

Start Here

Recommended Resources

Academic IELTS Book "Personally, I can say that your book was so fundamental to my preparation that without it I think I would barely receive a 6.5." - Leonardo from Brazil Learn more Buy Now

General Training IELTS Book "This book provides concise and useful tips to complete all test tasks well and on-time. Thanks again for recommending this great book to me." - Michelle P. from Malaysia Learn more Buy Now

Practice Tests for IELTS "As it turned out, the test was in exactly the same format as your examples. I would not have been able to achieve my 8 overall score on my own" - Martin from Germany Learn more Buy Now

IELTS Online Prep Platform *Desktop / Laptop (not for mobile) "These practice tests are in the same format and at the same difficulty level as the real test. The tests are not only useful for preparing for the exam, but also for developing all the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking." - Mironi from Japan Start Free Trial Register Now

IELTS Prep Tools

Free App for Practice Download IELTS Books Online practice (free trial) Subscribe to daily tips Recent IELTS questions Model Essays IELTS Success Stories IELTS results competition

Download IELTS-Blog App for Practice

Connect with us - we're easy to find

Greater Web Publishing, PO Box 562, Brighton, VIC 3186, Australia You may unsubscribe or change your contact details at any time.

Powered by: