This is a model answer. You might have listed some different ideas.

If monolingualism is the norm, then bilingualism appears like a deviation and potentially dangerous. For many years, experts advised, for example, against raising children bilingually for fear of confusing them or preventing them from developing both languages to a good standard. This fear has not been borne out by research though, and today bilingualism is considered beneficial because it exercises and sharpens the brain. Thomas Bak claims that it is very important to have mental exercise, and learning a new language is one of the best ways of doing this. He advocates that we should think of the brain as being mainly multilingual and that bilingualism or multilingualism should be considered the norm instead of monolingualism.

Language learning is beneficial because it interconnects many areas of the brain. Language switching, the ability to activate one language while suppressing another language, helps to develop executive function. Language learning also promotes theory of mind and metalinguistic awareness.

Age is no barrier to language learning. Learning another language can delay the onset of dementia by between 4 and 5 years. This makes bilingualism more effective than medication.

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