Argumentative Essay

Should homework be abolished?

家課應否被廢除？

Every year this question sparks heated debate in staff rooms and student group chats alike.

每年這條問題都在教員室和學生群組中掀起激辯。

Many students would shout 'yes' without hesitation, dreaming of free evenings and unhurried dinners.

許多學生會毫不猶豫地高呼「應該」，夢想着自由的晚上和從容的晚餐。

Yet I believe homework, in moderation, remains essential to learning, and abolishing it entirely would harm the very students it is accused of harming.

然而，我相信適量的家課仍然是學習所必需；全面廢除，反而會傷害那些被指正受家課所害的學生。

The real issue is not whether homework should exist, but what kind of homework deserves our evenings.

真正的問題不在於家課應否存在，而在於怎樣的家課才值得我們奉上晚間時光。

Critics put forward a serious argument: homework steals time from rest, family and part-time jobs, and tired children learn nothing anyway.

批評者提出一個認真的論據：家課偷走了休息、家庭和兼職的時間，而疲倦的孩子反正甚麼也學不進。

This concern is legitimate; a student who copies answers until midnight is neither resting nor learning.

這憂慮合情合理；抄答案抄到半夜的學生，既沒休息也沒學習。

However, the answer lies in quality, not quantity.

然而，解決之道在於質量，而非數量。

Meaningful tasks — science experiments, reflective journals, interview projects about our own neighbourhoods — deepen understanding far better than worksheets of near-identical sums.

有意義的任務——科學實驗、反思日誌、關於自己社區的訪談計劃——遠比近乎相同的算式工作紙更能深化理解。

The evidence supports this: education research consistently finds that short, purposeful tasks outperform hours of mechanical drilling.

證據支持這一點：教育研究一致發現，短小而目標明確的任務勝過數小時的機械操練。

Moreover, homework trains self-discipline, a skill vital for university and future work, where nobody checks your attendance.

此外，家課培養自律——這是大學和職場中無人替你點名時最關鍵的技能。

Managing deadlines independently is precisely what separates successful university students from struggling ones.

獨立處理期限，正是成功的大學生與掙扎求存的大學生之間的分水嶺。

Admittedly, some schools overload students with repetitive drilling, and this practice deserves criticism.

無可否認，有些學校以重複操練壓垮學生，這種做法理應受到批評。

But the logical response is reform, not abolition: less busywork, more thinking, and honest feedback on every task assigned.

但合理的回應是改革，而非廢除：減少無謂勞動、增加思考，並就每項任務給予真誠的回饋。

In conclusion, the claim that homework must die does not survive examination, while the claim that it must improve does.

總而言之，「家課必須消失」的說法經不起推敲，「家課必須改善」的說法卻站得住腳。

Homework should evolve, not disappear.

家課應該進化，而非消失。

Schools should assign less but better, and students should demand meaningful tasks and complete them honestly.

學校應該少派而精派，學生則應該要求有意義的任務，並誠實完成。

If both sides persuade each other to move from quantity to quality, the evening debate can finally end, with everyone winning.

若雙方能互相說服，由量轉向質，這場晚間的辯論終能落幕——而且人人皆贏。