Plan this problem and solution essay about language with the ideas and outline below, write it on a 40-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Many minority languages are disappearing, and some experts say that one language dies every few weeks.
What are the causes of this problem and what measures could be taken to solve it?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
Pick two or three points from one or both columns. You do not need all of them, and your own examples score better than memorised ones.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 250 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Experts warn that a large number of minority languages are vanishing, with one disappearing every few weeks. This essay will discuss the reasons for this loss and propose measures to protect these languages.
The most important cause is the dominance of global languages such as English, Chinese and Spanish. Parents in small communities often decide that their children will have better access to education and jobs if they speak a major language, so they stop teaching the traditional one at home. Young people themselves sometimes see little practical use for it, particularly when school lessons, television and the internet are all in another language. Migration to cities makes the situation worse. When families leave villages and settle among speakers of other languages, the older generation who spoke the minority language is no longer around to pass it on, and within one or two generations it is forgotten.
Several steps could help. Firstly, schools in areas where minority languages are spoken should teach them, either as a subject or as a language of instruction alongside the national one, so that children value them and use them confidently. New Zealand's Maori-language schools have helped to bring back a language that was in serious decline. Secondly, linguists and communities can record and digitise languages, creating dictionaries, recordings and apps that preserve vocabulary and pronunciation even if speakers die. Finally, supporting radio, television and online content in these languages makes them visible and modern, and shows young people that they can be used for entertainment and everyday life, not only for tradition.
In conclusion, minority languages are disappearing because of the pressure of dominant languages, economic ambition and migration. Education, documentation and media support can slow this process and protect an important part of human heritage.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| endangered language | language that may disappear |
| native speakers | people who learned the language from birth |
| language revival | bringing a language back |
| cultural diversity | variety of cultures |
| pass on | teach the next generation |
| dominant language | most powerful language |
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