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June 15, 2011



I completely disargree with the proposal that there should be equal number of male and female in every subjects at a university.
Firstly it is completely preposterous to have equal no. of males and females in every subject as Universities should accept students on the basis of academic merit,skill and no other criterion.As we are heading towards egalitarian society,all should have equal rights and caste,color,creed or gender should not be the determining factors when university is considering to offer a place.
Secondly,some subjects appeal more to women and vice versa.It is simply unreasonable to accept all subjects to be equally attractive to both sexes.for instance nursing is more female dominating subject and engineering is male dominating.
Consequently,for above mentioned reasons i firmly believe that it would not be practical to have exactly the same number of males and females on every course.

hi simon and everyone
Could you please suggest me some ideas on the topic Countries should produce all food that is required to feed its population and import as little as possible?
It would be highly generous of you.

Hi Simon!

I have a really big problem and I have no idea how to overcome it. After five days I am going take an IELTS exam the third time! It`s my last chance to enter university. First time I got the band score of 6, second time (after 6 months) I got even less - 5.5! I feel confident about my English (I lived one year in London). But everytime I completely fail in writing the essay and describing the graph..I feel that this third attempt will be the same..Any suggestions? I spend all the time worring about it ( I even dream a nightmares about IELTS exam and my failure). Any suggestion how should I overcome my fear of writing an essay?

Hi Kani,

You could say that by producing its own food, a country is self-sufficient. It doesn't have to rely on other nations and it does not have to worry about changes in prices - the government can make sure that food is affordable and available for all of its citizens.


Hi Kristina,

In my opinion, the way to overcome fear is by working hard. Try to stop thinking about passing or failing, and just focus on the question in front of you. Spend your time practising using the techniques in the lessons on this site, and remember that you can only do your best.

Don't be afraid, just do your best!

Thanks alot Simon for your valuable advice.

In my opinion, taking the IELTS or any examination is sometimes a psychological challenge... I always tell students NOT to waste time worrying; instead, they should spend time thinking on how to improve and try to enjoy the process of learning. There are several ways and countless resources to use to improve, but it is all up to the student to decide which methods or materials to follow. Learning a language is definitely time-consuming, TAKES A LOT OF THE STUDENTS' EFFORT , and cannot be mastered in just a few days/weeks/months or even years!!!

But for those students who just have a few days before the exam, I guess the only thing to do is follow Simon's advice: DO YOUR BEST!!!

Hi Simon!
i have tried to post the essay on this page but it is not accepting my essay,i am doing your lessons daily and i am really enjoying it thank you very much for your help and wish me good luck.

Thanks Martin. I completely agree with everything you say.


Hi Jiya,

It should work ok now. Good luck!

Many people think that higher-education institutions must give equal chances to both genders,while the others advocate that this should never be happen.In my opinion,universities should not fix number of male and female students in major courses.
The main reason of opposing this view is that it would not be practical or realistic to have exactly the same number of boys and girls in every course.Although research have proved it that both genders have the same capabilities for performing any task.But it my opinion its rather nature or nurture that women go in the detail of everything,while men take the things as adventure and take the decisions quickly.For example,women can perform well in nursing and teaching fields because these fields require care and delicacy while men can play significant role in engineering and computer departments.However,in some fields of high female interest such as gynaecolgy and obstetrics male have proved themselves more competent.
Another reason is that it would be unfair to base the admission policy of the major courses on gender or if university allocate an equal number of seats to boys and girls.For example if in a university there are 50 seats for girls and only 25 female students enroll then what about then what about the remaininq 25 seats?So universities should accept all the candidates on their skills,qualification and experience.There should be a proper and fair system to assess students abilities.So the deserving students can approach for higher studies.
To sum up,I believe that gender should be irrelevant in higher education system.It is not the best way to ensure equal opportunities for men and women at university.

In today’s modern world, where the traditional social role of genders has remarkably changed, talking about equal opportunity in higher education should come as no surprise. Would not it be a proper idea if an admission criterion were enforced that equal number of both boys and girls were placed to pursue the same subject in the universities?

The fact is that every profession and job requires a certain type of a person and gender to be successfully perfumed. Take working in coal industry for example. This profession is more convenient for men because not only the health of a pregnant or lactating mother can be at high risk, but also carbon is well known toxin and killer to her foetus and child.

It is extremely important that both men and women are given equal chance to study a subject in the university so gender balance is kept. Given that there are women that are much better than the male in performing the same job. Females, for example, till recently were considered to be not attuned for politics and did not encourage to study law. Nowadays, however, they are considerably successful in this field.

As for as my position is concerned, selection of a profession and studying of subjects should be left to boys and girls rather than raising genders issue, because humans are diverse and so are their ability and interested area to work in.

To conclude, while studying certain subject suit for a particular gender, both gender can be equally successful in the same job. It is better their equal right in education is guaranteed.

In today’s modern world, university education is an indicator of a direction the countries moving. Because of that the policy of entrance to universities must be very clear. Competitiveness and the ability to learn what you want to learn must be the single most factor underpinning the admission criteria . the idea of equal genders in each subject of higher education is absurd and retrogressive- it will not take science and technology to the next higher level.

Because of the fact that both genders do have their own preferences in terms on what they want to learn. In higher education success depends on a matter of right choice , the student must know his or her natural bent . they must be helped in making the right choice on their way to university . the family , the high school teacher and the student including the exam results must put together for the student to take the right choice so that he performed better at leisure. Many students who might not succeed in the universities are not because of lack of mental capacity , mostly of poor choice. Gender is not an issue , talent and the right is the issue so balancing gender in universities subjects is unproductive .

It is extremely important to know that it is impossible to enroll equal number of males and females students in each subject . male and female students do have their preferential areas of study trying to influence the choice of the student to balance a number, would put some boys or girls in the subject which they do not have an affiliation for. When there is no affiliation and interest -there is no energy to learn. One must be enthusiastic about the subject to learn. Their comes effort to bear a fruit . a graduate of a given subject who in not fervor about his subject is unlikely to be employable.
To conclude , the idea of balancing the number of students by gender in universities endangers the basic principle of competitiveness and the choice. This compromises the standards of the universities and makes them less relevant in the rat-race competition global education.

Hi Simon,
Can I write:
- there are physical and intellectual differences between men and women, so their perspective of careers may be not similar.
- although people can do an unsuitable job, they cannot perform as well as others who enjoy their jobs.


Hi Ngan,

Yes, those ideas are fine.

People have different views whether universities should allocate equal number of seats for men and women in each course.Although,females are taking part in every field of life with male equally nowadays,I do not agree it.

The criteria of fix number of seats for admission on the basis of genders seem to be unrealistic and impractical.Firstly,both genders have different choices.For instance,some courses have mainly male applicants such as engineering and accountancy where as,subjects like medicine and art are popular with female students.Secondly,if universities do not get enough female candidates for reserved seats in particular course then what will happen to the remaining seats.It will be the loss for students as well as for universities.In this way many deserving and brilliant students will be devoid of taking admission in their course of interest.

It seem to be the unjustified way of admission.Only merit should be the main criteria for getting admission.Therefore,applicants should be accepted on the basis of qualification,skills and experience.So ,the deserving students get enrol in their preferred courses.

To sum up,I would say that selecting candidates according to genders is not the ideal way to ensure equal opportunities for male and female at universities.

In this modern world, streaming of genders is essential for university studies , if authorities are looking for a high standard of education. The implication of this idea is un-welcoming and having many drawbacks, so I strongly do not go with it.

The fact is every person has his own pace in terms of higher education and motivation in studying in universities. As far as higher education is concerned It is illogical to discriminate men from women or vice versa. The reason is that higher education studies are likely depending on brain preferences and skills of the individual man or woman which is extremely different than vocational studies such as car mechanics, study to be a plumber or carpenter. Streaming genders is possible to be considered in the latter mentioned studies because some of these studies ought to go with men such as plumber and vice versa . Therefore, every person should be selected according to his bent when applies to higher education .
Moreover, I decided to disagree because it would not be practical or realistic to have exactly the same number of males and females on every course. Some courses have mainly male applicants, while others are more popular with females. if we try to allocate one gender in a particular subject, we might end up by a few individuals who are not in favour of the subject . so when there is no affiliation and interest -there is no energy to learn of that is we might lose . take the discovery of uranium that was discovered by madam koori . this discovery has a huge effect on science and medicine. If madam koori did not give the chance to go to study on university , this material might not be discovered. Therefore it is important to give chance to enrol in universities.

the skills of both genders are our assets in long term. It is not logical to prioritize men to women or follow fixed enrolment pattern when applying to universities because we may create A PROBLEM which is likely lose of the talented students.

Hi Simon,
is it ok to give an example like this:
- A candidate who gains enough scores in a test, but he fails only because universities accepted adequate numbers of males on his course.


Hi Simon,

I have been following your site for a while and i find it very useful. I have some concerns about writing. If you don't mind i would like to share an essay i just finished (Cambridge IELTS 7 - Test 1). I know you don't give feedbacks on details, but could you tell me if this essay is band 7 or not?

Task: "It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for instance sport or music, and others not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician."

Most people believe that certain talents for sports or music are inborn features of some gifted people. There are good reasons to suggest that talents for music or sport are innate. For example, most compositors have shown their abilities in very early ages. Also, talents are essential before starting a structured musical training as music schools perform examinations to test candidates’ inborn abilities. Music training is targeted to improve certain talents and the authorities try to choose the gifted ones whom they can build their training on their talents.

However, sometimes it is claimed that any child can be a good sport person or musician with the proper teaching. Some legendary sport people tell stories about how they practised hard to become who they are at the moment. I remember one of the best basketball players saying his coach mad ehim stay for extra thousand shots every day after the team training. He admits that he was not the most talented one in his team at first, but he managed to step forward with the help of his coach.

In my opinion, some people are born with a capacity for sport or music. I believe that there is a critical period in child’s development and if proper teaching can be given in this time window, children with inborn talents will be much improved. Even the children not having talents might improve to an extent. However, i think that a good sport person or musician is a combination of inborn talent and right timing of teaching.

Thank you


Hi Muzaffer,

Thanks for sharing your essay. You seem to have the right idea, but I'm afraid I don't give feedback or scores - if I did this, everyone would send me their work.

Hi Ngan,

Yes, that's a good example.

Thanks Simon,

I am getting to know the details of your website recently. This blog is very helpful in viewing different ideas, particularly in writing.



No problem Muzaffer. I'm glad you found the site.

hi simon,
could you please check this essay and help me to improve my level?
University life is a period of time when young adults prepare themselves to an area of education.Most people demand equal proportion of seats for both the gender for tertiary education at universities.I strongly refute this concept of enrolling the students.candidates should be admitted based on merit, skill and qualification .In addition ,it would not be realistic to have equal number of male and female candidates in every department of study.i will analyze these areas in the essay.
one argument put forward is that candidates applying for higher education should be evaluated based on the merits and skill.for instance, government has taken plenty of measures to appreciate the students by providing them with merits seats.Evaluation must be made on academic basis rather than fixing up equal number of university seats for them.
Another major reason for disagreeing is that it is impractical to have exactly the same proportion of both the sexes in every course of education.A good illustration of this is, male participants play a dominant role in mechanical engineering while nursing course is very popular among females.hence, some courses are meant mainly for men and others for women.
In conclusion, it is not a perfect idea to allocate the university seats based on gender.Instead focus on demand , skill and knowledge of the individual for the every field.

HI Muzaffer,

I dont have cambridge ielts 7 if u dont mind can u please mail me cambridge ielts 7, i will be very thankful to u. my id is jaffer_syed007@yahoo.com


Hi Anna,

I'm afraid I don't check essays or give scores. If I did this for one person, everyone would send me their essays. Try to find a teacher who can help you face-to-face.

Sorry I can't help in that way.

hi simon,
im new here. im going to have my writing test tomorrow but now im still confused about the type of essay to write based on the question given.

what is the difference between:
to what extent you agree or disagree?
do you agree or disagree?
discuss both sides of view and state your opinion.

do i need to mention about my opinion in the introduction paragraph or i mention it in the conclusion? how to differentiate the type of question whether it is a discussion essay or argument essay?

thank you.

today i just have my IELTS test!!everything gone well except writing!!at my writing introduction,body paragraph are okay but in my conclusion there is a big mistake!!

Here is the topic:
Nowadays there is a increasing of advertising that surrounded our lives.
Do a positive effects outweigh the negative effect?

but finally in my conclusion i confuse to say that negative effect outweigh the positive effect!!!will i lose all the mark??i'm really concerned about it!!!

Hi Ching,

The first 2 types are the same - both ask whether YOU agree or disagree, so you don't need to discuss what other people think.

For the 3rd type, you should write about BOTH views, and make it clear which one you agree with.

If the question asks for your opinion, give it in the introduction and support/explain it in the rest of the essay.

I've done examples about all types of essay, so look through my task 2 lessons to learn more.


Hi Chanthanuthly,

Don't worry - the conclusion isn't very important, so it won't affect your score.

hi simon
i am about to have my ielts test that is on 9 july and i m really worried to get my required score bands can you plz suggest me something?

Hi Pan,

You just need to keep practising and working hard. Try to follow the daily lessons on this site, and use the Cambridge IELTS books for test practice.

Good luck on the 9th!

hi Simon, I got my IELTS results today and I really want to thank you for the help I got from your blog.i got band 8 in writing.Your advise really helped me to improve my essay writing.
Iam really glad that I found your blog online.Thanks again

That's great news Anna. Well done! I'm glad the blog helped.

Hi Simon, if the question is agree or disagree,is it necessary not to give the benefits or advantages of the opposing argument?tnx

Hi Frances,

No, it's asking for your opinion. You don't need to give the opposite view.

Hi, I'm going to take Ielts test on 10 dec
Please give me some writing tips, thanks

Hi Ateeq,


really thank you Simon. i dont know how i will cope with difficulties,because i always have writing problems. but really thank for your help.your explanations are perfect

hi Simon.i have some difficulties with writing my task2 essay because i have many ideas to write,whereas these seem to me a bit hard to begin with ,and i don't know how i brief my ideas to make it perfect essay,but your essays are very good,and every sentence seem to be related each other.how can i organize my ideas ,do you have some extra sources to give.please help me out these problems.many thanks....

Hi Ramin,

Just try to use my essays as models, and keep practising. I'm sure you'll see improvements if you work hard.

hi simon,

I am having my IELTS test in near future but and i am very much concerned about my writing test.I need some useful tips for me to help me getting out of the stress that i am feeling now.

Hi simon,
facing many problems to prepare ielts exams..can you please suggest the way of preparing..i am having exam on july 26..i will wait for your valuable response..i am getting too much problems in reading and writing tasks..

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