In some countries young people have little leisure time and are under a lot of pressure to work hard in their studies. What do you think are the causes of this? What solutions can you suggest? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

Some young people find themselves with very little leisure

time

. I believe there are two major causes of

this

situation. The

first

is parental

pressure

and the

second

is competition for

university

places. Every parent wants to see his or her child do well in school and go on to have a successful career.

This

means that they exert

pressure

on their children to spend hours each day studying at home. Some even arrange extra tuition for their children. In my own country, it is not uncommon for young people to spend another three hours at small private schools after their usual day at stale school is over. As a consequence, their leisure

time

is extremely limited and the

pressure

on them is considerable. The

second

cause is related to the higher education system. Each year, there are many times more applicants to

university

than there are

university

places. The result of

this

is that only those students with very high grades, manage to obtain a place.

This

contributes to the

pressure

on teenagers since they must work long hours to have any chance of success. One solution to the problem is for parents to be made aware of the effects of the

pressure

they put on their children. Schools should inform parents that too much

pressure

can lead to anxiety, stress and depression. They should be shown ways in which they can help their children lead more balanced lives with a reasonable amount of leisure

time

. Another effective solution would be for the government to invest in the creation of more

university

places.

This

could be done by expanding existing universities or by building new ones.

This

would have the effect of easing competition for places, giving teenagers, some of their precious free

time

back.