IELTS Writing Task 2 Opinion Essay (Agree or Disagree)

It is sometimes argued that universities should concentrate solely on courses with a clear route into employment. While I accept that higher education has a responsibility to prepare students for work, I largely disagree with this view, because it misunderstands both what universities are for and what employers actually need.

Firstly, the link between a degree subject and a job is far weaker than this argument assumes. Many graduates end up in careers unrelated to what they studied, and the skills they rely on most, such as analysing evidence, writing clearly and solving unfamiliar problems, are developed just as well in history or philosophy as in accounting. Moreover, labour markets change quickly: a degree designed around today's vacancies may be out of date by the time a student graduates, whereas the ability to learn will not be.

Secondly, universities serve society in ways that go beyond the job market. Research in apparently impractical fields often produces unexpected benefits; much of modern computing, for instance, grew out of abstract mathematics that had no obvious application when it was first developed. A country that funded only vocational courses would gradually lose the expertise that drives innovation, as well as the scholars who help it understand its own culture and history. Even the professions that seem most practical, such as medicine and engineering, depend on basic research that was never designed with a particular job in mind.

In conclusion, although universities should certainly help students become employable, restricting them to job-focused subjects would be a mistake. Broad academic subjects develop transferable skills and long-term knowledge that both individuals and economies depend on.