Essay:Some students think homework serves no real purpose. What are your views?

"Homework is useless. I would rather not do it!" Some students may complain about homework and perceive it as serving no real purpose. However, is their proclamation really true? Without homework, how are you going to ace your examinations when you do not understand the parts you are unsure of? Without homework, how will you develop your character and become a more self-disciplined individual? Without homework, how will you learn to better manage your time? Therefore, I think that homework does serve a real purpose.

  Firstly, as homework is related to school work, it definitely aids us in our studies. Through homework, we students can review and revise the content that was being taught to us in class, be it Mathematics, Physics, English or Social Studies. When we attempt the questions in our homework, we recall the facts regarding a certain topic, as though our brain is a colossal library and we are picking just one book out of the shelves to read and recall. This helps us to refresh our memory, so that the information will not be flushed out of our minds once lessons are over. It can also help deepen our understanding of the subjects we are learning. For example, when I face difficulty while completing my Chemistry homework, which comprises chemical formulae that I have not encountered before, nor has been taught in class, I will search online on Google to address my doubts.  From there, I can enhance my knowledge regarding Chemistry and the information can be etched more deeply in my brain.  We can learn independently and practise active learning. Furthermore, we can assess our learning through homework and know which parts we are unsure of or are weaker in. After which, we can either seek help from our teachers or friends so as to further improve our studies. This proves to be especially helpful if the examinations are approaching.

  Does homework only have short-term benefits and purposes that are related to academics?

  No, this is because homework also helps to strengthen our character. Let me pose a question: As a student, how long did you or do you spend on homework every day on average? According to an American study, high school students spend an average of two to three hours on homework every day. In Singapore, we spend an estimated three to four hours on homework. This aids us in earning how to concentrate better, as we are completing a certain task on hand for an extended duration of time. To achieve this "flow" in which we are immersed in the process of doing homework, we require a high level of self-discipline to spur ourselves on, even when we feel tired after a long day at school, juggling between our school work and co-curricular activities. We can also become more responsible individuals as we are compelled to finish up the homework as the teacher sets a deadline. As we are expected to complete it, we feel a sense of responsibility to fulfil our roles as students.

  Believe it or not, homework can also hone our skills, namely our memory skills and time management skills. Time management skills are more critical in the long run. We have to cope with tight schedules and short deadlines now, so in order to efficiently complete our homework on time, we must be able to make use of every meagre bit of time that we have. We all have the same twenty-four hours per day, but how much time is wasted unnecessarily? Thus, homework can allow us to prioritise our time well. If you have a glass jar and fill it up with small rocks and sand first, then try to squeeze in the large rocks, you will realise that some large rocks cannot fit in. Conversely, if you have reversed the order and fitted the large rocks in first, then poured in the small rocks and sand, all of them can fill the glass jar completely to the brim! The glass jar represents our limited time of twenty-four hours, while the large rocks represent our main responsibilities and most important tasks, such as homework and work. Small rocks represent the not so important tasks and sand represents the small amounts of time that are spent either commuting or for entertainment. You can see from this example, that if we were to prioritise time with the most difficult and dreaded tasks, such as homework, being completed first, we will have time for the other things in our life. Therefore, doing homework is beneficial for our future. Its purpose is to let us learn this extremely valuable skill of time management, preparing us for life in the workforce in the future, so that we manage projects and tasks within a tight schedule, without leaving everything to be done at the last minute.[ Note: I removed the part where I elaborated on the how homework aids memory skills, because it is not necessary. The "star" of the paragraph is time management skills.]

  Does homework really serve no real purpose? I doubt so. It aids us in aspects of life that we are not aware of. I believe homework does have its purpose. However, excessive homework can be detrimental to students, instead making them dread the completion of homework and be sleep-deprived. Hence, we should strike a balance between homework and entertainment and receive an appropriate amount of homework per day, so as to reap the benefits of homework and let it serve its real purpose.

Comments: Relevant, sensible response that is developed. Use wider vocabulary to secure a better mark.

Score:22/30