Essay structure
Higher education should be restricted to the very best academic students, rather than being available to
a large proportion of young people.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Introductory paragraph
• Introduction of the topic
• Thesis statement / point of view
Body paragraph 1
• Topic sentence (argument 1)
• Supporting sentences
Body paragraph 2
• Topic sentence (argument 2)
• Supporting sentences
Body paragraph 3
• Topic sentence (argument 3)
• Supporting sentences
Concluding paragraph
• Restatement of thesis/ point of view
• Summary of body paragraphs
(arguments 1-3)
In the past, tertiary education was limited to a small
proportion of people who reached outstanding level of
achievements. Today however, an increased number of young
people have the possibility of going to university, and I think
this is a much better situation for several reasons.
Firstly, education should be accessible to more
individuals as nowadays a much higher level of skills and
technical knowledge is required. For example, many
professions demand advanced computer skills and an ability to
adapt to a rapidly changing workplace. As schools do not have
the resources to equip students with these skills, universities
have to fulfill this role.
Furthermore, the majority of citizens should receive a
degree as it is vital for the continuous development of a
civilized society. In order to progress and compete in the
modern world, each country needs people who can develop
modern technologies further and apply them in new fields.
Thus, the demand for knowledge technologists, who acquire
their expertise through formal schooling, is increasingly
growing.
Finally, access to higher education is one of the basic
human rights. Since all people are born equal, there should be
the same opportunities for everyone to realize their full
potential. Going to university is part of this, so it is not fair to
deprive people of it.
In conclusion, I totally disagree with the statement
because I believe that the increasing availability of tertiary
education, considered to be one of the important human
rights, is essential both for the individual and for society as a
whole. Individuals need as high level of education as possible
to achieve their full potential and meet new requirements.
Similarly, society in the 21st century cannot function unless it
has large numbers of highly educated people to cope with the
changes to the living and working environment, that are likely
to occur in the coming decades.