Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
Traditionally, children have begun studying foreign languages at secondary school, but introducing them earlier is recommended by some educationalists. This policy has been adopted by some educational authorities or individual schools, with both positive and negative outcomes.
The obvious argument in its favour is that young children pick up languages much more easily than teenagers. Their brains are still programmed to acquire their mother tongue, which facilitates learning another language, and unlike adolescents, they are not inhibited by self-consciousness.
The greater flexibility of the primary timetable allows for more frequent, shorter sessions and for a play-centred approach, thus maintaining learners’ enthusiasm and progress. Their command of the language in later life will benefit from this early exposure while learning other languages subsequently will be easier for them. They may also gain a better understanding of other cultures.
There are, however, some disadvantages. Primary school teachers are generalists, and may not have the necessary language skills themselves. If specialists have to be brought in to deliver these sessions, the flexibility referred to above is diminished. If primary language teaching is not standardised, secondary schools could be faced with a great variety of levels in different languages within their intake, resulting in a classroom experience which undoes the earlier gains. There is no advantage if enthusiastic primary pupils become demotivated as soon as they change schools. However, these issues can be addressed strategically within the policy adopted.
Anything which encourages language learning benefits society culturally and economically and early exposure to language learning contribute to this. Young children’s innate abilities should be harnessed to make these benefits more achievable.
- The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive The table shows how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
- The three pie charts below show the changes in annual spending by a particular UK school in 1981 1991 and 2001 Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant
- The two maps below show an island before and after the construction of some tourist facilities Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant 78
- The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive The table shows how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
- The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive The table shows how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make 73
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 5, column 130, Rule ID: AFFORD_VB[1]
Message: This verb is used with the infinitive: 'to contribute'
Suggestion: to contribute
...and early exposure to language learning contribute to this. Young children’s innate abilit...
^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, however, if, may, second, so, still, thus, while
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 15.0 13.1623246493 114% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 7.0 7.85571142285 89% => OK
Conjunction : 9.0 10.4138276553 86% => OK
Relative clauses : 4.0 7.30460921844 55% => More relative clauses wanted.
Pronoun: 18.0 24.0651302605 75% => OK
Preposition: 27.0 41.998997996 64% => OK
Nominalization: 2.0 8.3376753507 24% => More nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1610.0 1615.20841683 100% => OK
No of words: 267.0 315.596192385 85% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 6.02996254682 5.12529762239 118% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.04229324003 4.20363070211 96% => OK
Word Length SD: 3.21395891469 2.80592935109 115% => OK
Unique words: 174.0 176.041082164 99% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.651685393258 0.561755894193 116% => OK
syllable_count: 503.1 506.74238477 99% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.9 1.60771543086 118% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 6.0 5.43587174349 110% => OK
Article: 3.0 2.52805611222 119% => OK
Subordination: 2.0 2.10420841683 95% => OK
Conjunction: 3.0 0.809619238477 371% => Less conjunction wanted as sentence beginning.
Preposition: 1.0 4.76152304609 21% => More preposition wanted as sentence beginning.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 15.0 16.0721442886 93% => OK
Sentence length: 17.0 20.2975951904 84% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 47.5280501973 49.4020404114 96% => OK
Chars per sentence: 107.333333333 106.682146367 101% => OK
Words per sentence: 17.8 20.7667163134 86% => OK
Discourse Markers: 3.93333333333 7.06120827912 56% => More transition words/phrases wanted.
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.38176352705 114% => OK
Language errors: 1.0 5.01903807615 20% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 11.0 8.67935871743 127% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 2.0 3.9879759519 50% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 2.0 3.4128256513 59% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.287468862069 0.244688304435 117% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0829479576299 0.084324248473 98% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0672803476814 0.0667982634062 101% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.14466555065 0.151304729494 96% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0501015772072 0.056905535591 88% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 15.9 13.0946893788 121% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 28.84 50.2224549098 57% => Flesch_reading_ease is low.
smog_index: 11.2 7.44779559118 150% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 13.5 11.3001002004 119% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 17.4 12.4159519038 140% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 10.16 8.58950901804 118% => OK
difficult_words: 96.0 78.4519038076 122% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 13.0 9.78957915832 133% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.8 10.1190380762 87% => OK
text_standard: 13.0 10.7795591182 121% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 78.6516853933 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 7.0 Out of 9
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.