You should spend about 40 mins. Write about the following topic: Some educationalists think that international exchange visits will benefit teenagers at school. To what extent do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

It is believed by many educational experts that young students gain a lot of benefits from going on visits to different countries. While exchange programmes may have a few
disadvantages
, I believe the advantages far outweigh the
disadvantages
. On the one hand, there are some
disadvantages
for teenagers to visit other foreign nations.
For example
, young visitors are likely to experience loneliness and homesickness during the trip provided that it is their very
first
time going abroad without their family members.
Also
, they may have to overcome cultural shock which is common to rookie travellers.
In addition
, it may take young students some time to get out of their comfort zone, adapt to the new environment and start socialising with their host families. Despite the
disadvantages
mentioned, I do believe visiting other foreign nations brings far more benefits to youngsters for three reasons.
Firstly
, those programmes enable teenagers to broaden their horizons as they have a chance to expand their networks with other young people from various backgrounds.
Secondly
, they are provided with opportunities to learn how
differently
Replace the word
different
show examples
people in a different country live, behave, eat, and think, which in turn helps them to be more open-minded and less biased.
Thirdly
, as they have to interact with their peers who come from different cultural backgrounds, they learn how to communicate better with mutual respect, which is a crucial skill for them to prosper in the future. In conclusion, even though young teenagers may come across some challenges during their international visits, there are more benefits they will gain from the trips as they can create new connections and develop as a person after overcoming the problems and going beyond the cultural norms.
Submitted by sirenaphyo on

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