The pie chart gives information on UAE government spending in 2000. The total budget was AED 315 billion. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Schools are no longer necessary because children can get so much information available through the Internet, and they can study just as well at home.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
WRITING TASK 1
The graph tells us about the budget of the UAE government in 2000. In general, the most important targets were social security, health, and education.
The biggest slice of the pie chart is taken up by social security including pensions, employment assistance and other benefits which made up slightly under one-third of total expenditure. Health and personal social services was the second highest budget cost. Hospital and medical services accounted for AED 53 billion, or about 15% of the budget. Education cost UAE AED 38 billion which comprises almost 12% of the whole budget. The government spent about seven percent of revenue on debt, and roughly similar amounts went towards defence (AED 22 billion) and law and order (AED 17 billion).
Spending on housing, transport and industry totalled AED 37 billion. Finally, other expenditure accounted for AED 23 billion.
All in all, the bulk of UAE government spending goes on social welfare and health. However, education, defence, and law and order are also major areas of spending.
(167 words)
WRITING TASK 2
Since there is a wealth of information available on the Internet, students can study by themselves at home just as effectively as they do at school; and therefore some people believe that schools are not needed anymore. In my view, much as I agree that students can study well at home with the help of the Internet, I feel that schools play a vital role in our society and cannot be replaced no matter what.
There are ways for children to learn from the Internet, most of which are either free or affordable for almost everyone. One great way is from online newspapers and video websites such as National Geographic and Youtube, which offers a variety of topic areas suitable for people of different ages. Children can learn a great deal of knowledge about culture, science, and many other areas which they are taught at schools. Also, they can participate in online courses favored by a growing number of youths nowadays. This type learning is even more advantageous in the sense that children can flexibly choose to study whatever subjects they are interested in.
That being said, my conviction is that formal education is irreplaceable in any society. It is true that students can acquire knowledge at home very easily with the help of the Internet; however, lack of teachers’ guidance and peer support is a clear disadvantage to this form of learning. These factors are extremely important to a child’s intellectual development, which emphasizes the necessity of school environments. Furthermore, knowledge and skills are not the only things to expect from formal education but social relationships and mental development. Children who go to school and establish friendships can both have fun and improve their learning outcomes.
In conclusion, the Internet is a good way for young children to study at home, but I think that claiming schools are irrelevant to children’s learning because of this is merely absurd.
(319 words)