Some people think that children should be taught to be competitive in school. Others, however, say that cooperation and team working skills are more important. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Although
it is sometimes thought that schools ought to teach
children
to compete, other
people
believe that the focus should be on cooperation. In my opinion, I consider that competition helps
children
learn the most important skills for their future
life
. On the one hand, some
people
think that
children
who learn to compete against each other often do better in school and I agree.
In other words
, the competition between students motivates them to excel in their studies or tasks which
consequently
produces better academic performance and results.
For example
, students generally apply themselves and work harder when they are in direct competition with their classmates.
Furthermore
, being driven to achieve the best is vital in order to succeed later in
life
when, as adults, they must compete against
others
in the job market.
On the other hand
, it is often believed that it is better if the emphasis at school is on cooperating with
others
. As
people
Add a comma
people,
show examples
we do not live, work or socialise apart from
others
, so learning how to work alongside other
people
ought to be taught from childhood. Without these skills,
children
would lack the ability to communicate with each other or know how to deal with confrontations and conflicts in a constructive way. Another reason why team skills are useful for
children
is that they learn how to negotiate with
others
to complete a task.
This
is an essential skill to learn for their future
life
. In conclusion,
while
people
may vary in their opinions, I think that
children
stand a better chance to succeed both in school and later in
life
if they are encouraged to compete against each other.
Submitted by Serhii Baraniuk on

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Structure your answers in logical paragraphs

The easiest way to score well on the IELTS Task 2 writing portion is to structure your writing in a solid essay format.

A strong argument essay structure can be split up into 4 paragraphs, each containing 4 sentences (except the conclusion paragraph, which only contains 3 sentences).

Stick to this essay structure:

  • Paragraph 1 - Introduction
  • Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 4 - Conclusion

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • strive
  • healthy competition
  • real-world competition
  • excessive
  • stress
  • anxiety
  • win-at-all-costs
  • detrimental
  • character development
  • empathy
  • communication skills
  • group efforts
  • individual talents
  • self-reliance
  • independence
  • balanced approach
  • competitive learning environments
  • cooperative learning environments
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