IELTS Writing task 2

Question

Some people think that a sense of competition in children should be encouraged. Others believe that children who are taught to co-operate rather than compete become more useful adults.

 

People have different views whether children should be taught to be competitive or co-operative. While a spirit of competition can sometimes be useful in life, I believe the ability to co-operate is more important.

On the one hand, competition can be a great source of motivation for children. When teachers use games, or prizes to introduce an element of competitiveness into lessons, it can encourage children to work harder to outdo the other pupils in the class. This kind of healthy rivalry helps to build children's self-confidence, while pushing them to work independently and progress more quickly. When these students leave school, their confidence and determination may help in competitive situations such as job interviews. It can therefore be argued that competition should be encouraged in order to prepare children for adult life.

On the other hand, it is perhaps more important to prepare children for the many aspects of adult life that require co-operation. When in workplace, adults are expected to work in teams, follow instructions given by their superiors, ỏ to supervise and support the members of staff. Team collaboration skills are more useful than a competitive determination to win. This is the attitude that school should foster in young people. Instead of motivating the idea that people are either lossers or winners, teachers could show students that they can gain more from working together.

In conclusion, I can understand why people might want to competitiveness among children, but it seems to me that a co-operative attitude is much more desirable in adult life.

(270 words)