IELTS essay sample: Should sports be taught at school?

IELTS essay topic

It is better to teach sports to young people at school as an alternative to playing computer games at home. Why is it important? Give your opinion and examples from your own experience.

Sample essay

Sports help the physical and mental development of children. Computer games, on the other hand, only make them lazy and fat. Teaching sports at school is the best way to make young people physically active. Therefore, I certainly agree with the argument that sports should be taught at school.

There are several benefits to attracting young people to sports and games. When they play sports, they become fit physically and mentally. Sports also teach youngsters to deal with both success and failure. That explains why children who play sports have well-rounded personalities.

Young people are falling prey to lifestyle diseases like obesity and diabetes. Most of them lead a sedentary lifestyle. They spend hours in front of the computer and the television. Lack of physical activity makes them obese and fragile. Excessive screen time also affects their eyesight.

If sports are taught compulsorily at school, children will be forced to flex their muscles. Some might resent this at first, but everyone will eventually reap the benefits of sports education. Children who play sports at school may also show a greater interest in playing sports when they reach home. Thus sports will eventually wean them off their gaming consoles and mobile phones.

In cities space comes at a premium. Many children especially those living in cities do not have access to playgrounds. By contrast, most schools have their own playgrounds. If schools set aside an hour a day to teach sports and games, there will be a remarkable improvement in the physical and intellectual development of children.

To conclude, there are several arguments in favour of teaching sports at school. In my opinion, the government should enact laws that make sports education compulsory at school.