GED Essay Example: Online Learning
As online education becomes more common, questions about its effectiveness often appear in GED writing prompts. This GED essay online learning example guides you through analyzing different viewpoints, supporting your argument with evidence, and writing a clear, high-scoring response for the RLA test.
Read the prompt and task instruction below. Your task is to write a well-organized extended response of at least 300 words in 45 minutes, as shown in the Model Response that follows.
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Task Instruction
Analyze the arguments presented in the two speeches. In your response, develop an argument in which you explain how one position is better supported than the other. Incorporate relevant and specific evidence from both sources to support your argument. Remember, the better-argued position is not necessarily the position with which you agree. This task should take approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Online Learning Opens Doors for All Students
By Dr. Amanda Foster, Director of Distance Education
The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to embrace online learning, revealing its tremendous potential to transform education for the better. Rather than viewing virtual instruction as a temporary emergency measure, schools should recognize online learning as a permanent tool that increases access, flexibility, and educational opportunities for all students.
Online learning eliminates geographic barriers that have traditionally limited student choices. Rural students can now access advanced courses and specialized programs previously available only in urban areas. A student in Montana can take AP Physics from a teacher in California, while a teenager in Alaska can participate in dual enrollment college courses. This democratization of education ensures that zip code no longer determines educational quality.
Flexibility represents another major advantage of virtual instruction. Students can learn at their own pace, reviewing difficult concepts multiple times or accelerating through material they grasp quickly. Night shift workers can attend classes during the day, while teen parents can complete coursework around childcare responsibilities. A 2023 study by the Digital Learning Institute found that students in blended online programs showed 25% better retention rates compared to traditional classroom-only instruction.
Technology integration through online learning also prepares students for modern careers. Every industry now requires digital literacy, and students who master online collaboration tools, video conferencing, and cloud-based platforms gain valuable workforce skills. Virtual learning environments mirror the remote work reality that many graduates will encounter.
Opponents of online learning claim it reduces social interaction, but this perspective overlooks the collaborative features of modern educational platforms. Students participate in virtual group projects, peer discussions, and interactive simulations that foster meaningful connections. Quality online programs create community through shared learning experiences.
Education must evolve to meet 21st-century needs. Online learning provides the innovation and accessibility that traditional classrooms cannot match.
In-Person Teaching as a Foundation for Student Success
By Margaret Sullivan, Elementary School Principal
While online learning served as a crucial bridge during the pandemic, the rush to embrace virtual instruction ignores fundamental truths about how children learn and develop. Face-to-face education provides irreplaceable benefits that technology cannot replicate, making in-person instruction essential for student success.
Human connection drives effective learning, especially for younger students. Teachers build relationships through nonverbal communication, immediate feedback, and physical presence that screens cannot provide. During remote learning, I witnessed firsthand how students struggled without these personal connections. Kindergarteners could not stay focused on screens, while middle schoolers felt isolated and disconnected from their peers and teachers.
Academic achievement suffered during widespread online learning implementation. National test scores dropped significantly in 2021 and 2022, with mathematics scores experiencing the largest decline in decades. Students from low-income families were hit hardest, lacking reliable internet access and quiet study spaces. These achievement gaps widened existing educational inequalities rather than closing them.
Social and emotional development requires in-person interaction that virtual platforms cannot provide. Students learn cooperation, conflict resolution, and empathy through playground interactions, group work, and shared experiences. Online learning eliminates these crucial opportunities for growth, potentially creating a generation less equipped for real-world collaboration.
Adding to this, many students lack the self-direction and motivation necessary for successful online learning. Students need computer skills, critical thinking abilities, and academic knowledge to compete in today’s economy. Time spent on PE could be better used for STEM courses, career training, or college preparatory classes.
As valuable as online learning is as a temporary solution or supplemental tool, it cannot replace the depth of connection, structure, and development that in-person instruction provides. The evidence, from falling test scores to social and emotional setbacks, shows that students thrive most when they learn face-to-face. To ensure lasting academic growth and well-rounded development, schools must prioritize classroom learning as the foundation of education, using technology only as a support rather than a substitute.
Model Response on GED Essay Online Learning Topic
The debate about online learning shows different ideas on how education should adapt to today’s challenges. Both Dr. Foster and Margaret Sullivan offer important viewpoints, but Sullivan’s argument is more convincing because she demonstrates that in-person instruction meets key learning needs that online platforms cannot fully provide.
Foster raises valid points about increased access and flexibility in online learning. Her examples of rural students accessing advanced courses and working adults fitting education around their schedules show real benefits of virtual instruction. Her research showing 25% better retention rates in blended programs also suggests that online learning can work effectively when implemented well.
However, Sullivan provides more compelling evidence about the actual impact on student achievement and development. Her mention of significant drops in national test scores during remote learning periods directly challenges Foster’s claims about improved outcomes. The fact that mathematics scores experienced their largest decline in decades suggests that online learning, at least as widely implemented, fails to match in-person instruction effectiveness.
Sullivan also highlights important equity issues that Foster fails to consider. Although Foster claims that online learning makes education more accessible, Sullivan demonstrates how it has actually widened achievement gaps for low-income students who lack reliable internet and suitable study spaces. This suggests that online learning may, in fact, increase rather than reduce educational inequality.
Most importantly, Sullivan demonstrates that learning involves more than just accessing content. Her points about social and emotional development, relationship building, and community support highlight essential aspects of education that virtual platforms struggle to provide. Young students especially need the personal connections and structured environments that in-person instruction offers.
Foster’s arguments about career preparation and flexibility have merit, but Sullivan’s evidence shows that these benefits come at too high a cost to fundamental learning processes. The dramatic test score declines and widened achievement gaps demonstrate that online learning, despite its potential advantages, cannot replace the comprehensive benefits of face-to-face education.
Although technology certainly plays a role in modern education, Sullivan’s viewpoint makes it clear that in-person instruction remains essential for effective learning and student development.
(343 words)
