Sample for Band 4 Education Means More than We Know (A) Illiteracy means you cannot read or write. You cannot watch TV or appreciate programs the way educated people do. You are behind modern times. Since education is more and more widely recognized as a must for modern life and work, enrolment rate in some places in the world grows bigger and bigger. But in Africa, the situation is still bad. In Bolivia 97% of boys go to school. 85% of boys in Morocco go to school. In Uganda 76%. 67% in Tanzania. In Pakistan 51%. In Burkina Faso only 41%. Asia has more chances for education, outdone by Europe and America. Education for girls is very rare in some places. Again in Bolivia, only 82% of the girls have schooling. 71% of the females can read and write. In Burkina Faso only 24% of girls go to school. If a society is backward, education is the only way out. That is why the UN and UNESCO often find themselves involved in education-fund projects.

Sample for Band 6

Education Means More than We Know (B) What's the point of sending a child to school? This is a silly question, but worth asking. To read and write? To speak formally? To behave well? To have access to science? To be literate? You may list more of such purposes, for education is capable of doing all these. But education means far more than we know. We will not really know the meaning of education until we feel cornered in the everyday life due to our own illiteracy. We might not find the WC as we go in a street. We might not get to the railway station. We live in a modern age but you belong to a bygone epoch. We can afford but woefully do not need a computer, a recorder, a TV set, or a radio. In Bolivia 97% of boys go to school. In Morocco 85% of boys go to school. In Uganda 76%. In Tanzania 67%. In Pakistan 51%. In Burkina Faso only 41%. Apparently more people go to school in Asia. And Europe outdoes Asia in this respect. As a result of this shocking neglect of education in the backward areas, only 85% of men in Bolivia are literate. In Morocco 61% could read. In Burkina Faso only 28%. That means the majority of the population cannot read or write. If you take a closer look at these countries, you will find that education chances for girls are even slimmer. In Bolivia, for example, only 82% of the girls have schooling. Only 71% of the females can read and write. In Burkina Faso only 24% of girls go to school, accounting for there being only 9% of female literacy. If a society does not liberate or educate all the people including women, it cannot hope to do away with the fetters of poverty and backwardness. All countries should emphasize education, for boys and girls alike. If there is difficulty for some places, the UN ought to do something.