 #2 (permalink) Mon Nov 08, 2010 15:02 pm Intergrated Task:Watching TV is bad for children |
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[quote="Murcho_Murev"]Hi there,this is my first writing attempt in the last month or so. I used the time to learn for the speaking section. But my toefl exam is in Saturday, so I just started to overview all the sections of the test.
Here is my integrated essay. Thank you in advance for your review.
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READING PASSAGE
Does television affect school performance? Many researchers have found that there are strong links between television viewing habits and children's performance in school. Studies have shown that children who spend a lot of lime in front of the TV get lower grades than their peers who watch little or no TV. It has also been shown that children who have television sets in their bedrooms earn lower test scores than children with no television sets in their bedrooms. There are those who see TV as a potential educational tool. However, there arc actually very few programs on TV chat teach children important academic or thinking skills. Most programs aimed at children, such as cartoons, for example, contain little valuable content. Children, who spend more time watching TV, spend less time doing homework or interacting with other people. They learn to be passive rather than active. Research supports the view that parents interested in supporting their children's success in school should keep the television turned off.
LECTURE
TV has been blamed for a lot of things, most particularly for poor school performance. However, we can't blame the mere fact of TV-watching for low achievement in school. For one thing, not all TV watchers are low achievers. Japanese children, who as a whole have higher test scores than American children, watch more hours of TV than their American counterparts. For another thing, in the past two decades, the amount of time American children spend watching TV has declined, but overall test scores have not risen. The fact is, research shows that children who watch an hour or so of TV daily, but not more, actually do better in school than children who don't watch TV at all.
Why is this? TV can expose children to new ideas and information that they might otherwise not have access to. Children who watch TV occasionally are probably discriminating in the programs they choose to view. Research suggests that an important point is the amount of time spent in front of the TV. Children who spend three hours a day or more in front of the TV do poorly in school, scoring lower on both math and reading tests than children who watch some, but less, TV. Guidelines for parents include: limiting children's TV-watching time to no more than two hours a day; guiding children in their choice of programs to watch; discouraging eating while watching TV; and encouraging children to participate in other sorts of activities such as reading, playing outside, or visiting zoos and museums.
Source: Writing for the TOEFL iBT, Barron, 3rd edition |
The reading states that watching TV has negative effects on school performance. The lecturer on the other hand, tells that watching television is not the main cause for the low grades of children.
The reading explains that studies have shown that the more time children spend in front of the TV, the lower their grades are. The lecturer disagrees and gives example with Japanese children. Despite the fact that they watch more TV than the American children, they get better scores in school. Further, during the last few years the overall time of watching TV among juveniles has reduced, but the grades of students didn’t rise.
Next, the reading claims that there are few, but not enough, educational programs, so the TV cannot be said to be an educational tool. The lecturer, on the other hand, points out that children who watch TV for no longer than an hour a day, have better scores, because they can learn new information from the TV.
Finally, the reading contends that parents should not allow their children to watch TV at all. In contrast, the lecturer suggests that parents should limit the time of watching TV to two hours per day, and to guide their children as to which programs to watch. Also, the children should avoid eating in front of TV.
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Not bad MM.
Kitos. 8.5/10
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 Kitosdad
Language Coach
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