TASK 2 (AGREE OR DISAGREE): FREE HIGHER EDUCATION

Some people believe that governments should pay full course fees for students who want to study in universities. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Sample Answer

There has been a considerable debate as to whether it is advisable for governments to wholly subsidise the tuition fees for those wishing to pursue higher education. I disagree with this proposal despite legitimate defences underpinning state-subsidised tertiary educational coverage.

Supporters of a state-backed university education argue in favour of tangible socio-economic reasons. Socially, these proponents maintain that higher educational subsidies, when implemented, would allow students of impoverished backgrounds to get access to further education, thereby narrowing the existing wealth gap and strengthening social equality. From an economic standpoint, a government-backed tuition waiver can engender a high-quality and productive workforce, and this can be achieved through a generation of future employees with tertiary qualifications, who are literate, well-educated, and possess employability skills. Salient examples include countries in the West, such as Germany and Finland, which have implemented free higher-education policies, leading to increased social stability and sustainable economic growth.

However, this free coverage can come at the expense of student complacency and escalated workforce competition. It is, first and foremost, inevitable that high-school students, when presented with an opportunity to be enrolled in university completely free of charge, may take this for granted, which can, in turn, breed complacency. Compared with those who are obliged to study in earnest to fulfil the desired entry requirements of their higher education institutions, fully subsidised high-school graduates tend to lack the necessary drive to apply themselves, potentially resulting in academic underperformance and later diminished career progression. In addition, subsidising tertiary education, while being a positive driving force for the advancement of economically disadvantaged students, can lead to increased competition in the workforce. This is specifically evidenced in Vietnam, where many industries are currently facing high rates of recruiting competition and youth unemployment due to the alarmingly high rates of university graduation. This, in the aggregate, can result in high levels of nationwide joblessness, and perhaps a stagnating economy alongside its multiple issues.

In conclusion, while I acknowledge the socio-economic benefits of government subsidies in terms of higher education tuition fees, such as enhanced social equity, a narrowed income gap, and a productive workforce, these are largely theoretical and are vastly outweighed by the immediate and far-reaching drawbacks. Indeed, this proposal, when in effect, would engender individual complacency and rising workforce tension stemming from increasingly fierce competition, alongside its myriad problems. On balance, a full coverage of tuition fees should only be reserved for those who show exceptional academic performance, extracurricular excellence, and stand-out social contributions.

Marking by Chat GPT 5

TỪ VỰNG HAY

Some people believe that governments should pay full course fees for students who want to study in universities. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

There has been a considerable debate as to whether it is advisable for governments to wholly subsidise the tuition fees for those wishing to pursue higher education. I disagree with this proposal despite legitimate defences underpinning state-subsidised tertiary educational coverage.

Supporters of a state-backed university education argue in favour of tangible socio-economic reasons. Socially, these proponents maintain that higher educational subsidies, when implemented, would allow students of impoverished backgrounds to get access to further education, thereby narrowing the existing wealth gap and strengthening social equality. From an economic standpoint, a government-backed tuition waiver can engender a high-quality and productive workforce, and this can be achieved through a generation of future employees with tertiary qualifications, who are literate, well-educated, and possess employability skills. Salient examples include countries in the West, such as Germany and Finland, which have implemented free higher-education policies, leading to increased social stability and sustainable economic growth.

However, this free coverage can come at the expense of student complacency and escalated workforce competition. It is, first and foremost, inevitable that high-school students, when presented with an opportunity to be enrolled in university completely free of charge, may take this for granted, which can, in turn, breed complacency. Compared with those who are obliged to study in earnest to fulfil the desired entry requirements of their higher education institutions, fully subsidised high-school graduates tend to lack the necessary drive to apply themselves, potentially resulting in academic underperformance and later diminished career progression.

In addition, subsidising tertiary education, while being a positive driving force for the advancement of economically disadvantaged students, can lead to increased competition in the workforce. This is specifically evidenced in Vietnam, where many industries are currently facing high rates of recruiting competition and youth unemployment due to the alarmingly high rates of university graduation. This, in the aggregate, can result in high levels of nationwide joblessness, and perhaps a stagnating economy alongside its multiple issues.

In conclusion, while I acknowledge the socio-economic benefits of government subsidies in terms of higher education tuition fees, such as enhanced social equity, a narrowed income gap, and a productive workforce, these are largely theoretical and are vastly outweighed by the immediate and far-reaching drawbacks. Indeed, this proposal, when in effect, would engender individual complacency and rising workforce tension stemming from increasingly fierce competition, alongside its myriad problems. On balance, a full coverage of tuition fees should only be reserved for those who show exceptional academic performance, extracurricular excellence, and stand-out social contributions.

Vocabulary

1. considerable debate – cuộc tranh luận đáng kể
2. wholly subsidise – tài trợ toàn bộ
3. pursue higher education – theo học giáo dục bậc cao / đại học
4. legitimate defences underpinning – những lập luận hợp lý làm nền tảng cho
5. state-subsidised tertiary educational coverage – chính sách bao cấp giáo dục đại học của nhà nước
6. state-backed university education – giáo dục đại học được chính phủ hỗ trợ
7. tangible socio-economic reasons – lý do kinh tế – xã hội rõ ràng
8. impoverished backgrounds – hoàn cảnh nghèo khó
9. narrowing the existing wealth gap – thu hẹp khoảng cách giàu nghèo hiện có
10. strengthening social equality – củng cố công bằng xã hội
11. government-backed tuition waiver – chính sách miễn học phí do nhà nước bảo trợ
12. engender a high-quality and productive workforce – tạo ra lực lượng lao động chất lượng cao và năng suất
13. employability skills – kỹ năng giúp có việc làm
14. salient examples include – ví dụ điển hình là
15. increased social stability – sự ổn định xã hội gia tăng
16. sustainable economic growth – tăng trưởng kinh tế bền vững
17. at the expense of student complacency – đánh đổi bằng sự tự mãn của sinh viên
18. escalated workforce competition – sự cạnh tranh lao động leo thang
19. breed complacency – tạo ra sự chủ quan, tự mãn
20. academic underperformance – kết quả học tập kém
21. diminished career progression – sự thụt lùi trong tiến trình nghề nghiệp
22. increased competition in the workforce – cạnh tranh lao động gia tăng
23. in the aggregate – xét tổng thể / tổng quát mà nói
24. stagnating economy – nền kinh tế trì trệ
25. immediate and far-reaching drawbacks – những hạn chế tức thời và sâu rộng

✔ DÀN Ý

Introduction – Mở bài

• There is a debate about whether governments should wholly subsidise university fees.
  → Có tranh luận liệu chính phủ có nên bao cấp hoàn toàn học phí đại học hay không.
• Writer disagrees, despite some reasonable arguments supporting free education.
  → Tác giả không đồng ý, dù có vài lý lẽ hợp lý ủng hộ giáo dục miễn phí.

Body Paragraph 1 – Lợi ích (Pro side)

• Free university brings social & economic benefits.
  → Đại học miễn phí mang lại lợi ích xã hội và kinh tế.
• Helps poor students access education → thu hẹp khoảng cách giàu nghèo.
• Builds a qualified workforce → tăng năng suất và ổn định xã hội (Germany, Finland as examples).

Body Paragraph 2 – Tác hại (Con side)

• But it may cause student complacency → sinh viên tự mãn, thiếu cố gắng.
• Leads to academic underperformance → học yếu, giảm động lực.
• Also causes workforce competition → cạnh tranh việc làm gay gắt, thất nghiệp gia tăng (ví dụ Việt Nam).
• Overall → joblessness & stagnating economy (kinh tế trì trệ).

Conclusion – Kết luận

• Acknowledge some social benefits, but drawbacks outweigh advantages.
  → Dù có vài lợi ích xã hội, tác hại lớn hơn lợi ích.
• Free tuition should be reserved only for outstanding students.
  → Miễn học phí chỉ nên dành cho sinh viên xuất sắc cả học tập lẫn đóng góp xã hội.