Luyện theo cấu trúc Cambridge IELTS 19 · Writing Task 1 + 2: Household Water Use & The Four-Day School Week

The table compares how much water an average person in one country used each day for various household purposes in 2005 and 2025.

Overall, daily consumption per person fell considerably over the period, from 155 to 120 litres. Almost every category saw a reduction, with the notable exception of showers and baths, which remained the largest single use of water and actually increased.

In 2005, bathing and showering accounted for 48 litres, only slightly more than the 42 litres used for flushing toilets. Twenty years later, however, the figure for toilets had dropped sharply to 26 litres, whereas bathing rose to 51 litres, almost double the amount for flushing.

Among the remaining uses, the steepest proportional fall was in gardening and other outdoor activities, which more than halved from 15 to 7 litres. Water used by washing machines also declined markedly, from 22 to 13 litres, while washing dishes saw a more modest drop, from 12 to 9 litres. By contrast, the amount used for drinking and cooking stayed constant at 6 litres, and miscellaneous uses dipped slightly from 10 to 8 litres.

In recent years, a number of schools have moved to a four-day timetable, lengthening each school day in order to give pupils and teachers a three-day weekend. Although this arrangement offers certain practical benefits, I believe its drawbacks, particularly for younger and disadvantaged children, are more significant.

Supporters of the four-day week point to several advantages. For schools, closing one day a week can reduce spending on heating, transport and cleaning, which is attractive when budgets are tight. Some head teachers also report that it becomes easier to recruit staff, since many teachers value an additional day for planning, rest or family commitments. Furthermore, older students may use the free day productively, for example by taking a part-time job or developing a sport or creative hobby.

However, these gains come at a considerable cost. Longer school days are tiring, especially for young children, whose concentration tends to fall sharply in the late afternoon, so the extra hours may add little real learning. More seriously, the free day creates a problem for working parents, who must either pay for childcare or leave their children unsupervised. Low-income families are hit hardest, and their children are also the most likely to lose access to the free meals and safe environment that school provides. As a result, a policy intended to save money could widen the gap between richer and poorer pupils.

In conclusion, while a four-day week may help schools control costs and retain teachers, it risks harming pupils' learning and placing an unfair burden on families. In my view, schools would be better advised to look for savings elsewhere and keep the traditional five-day timetable.