Some People Think That A Sense Of Competition Should Be Encouraged In Children | Band 7 IELTS Essay Sample

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. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Here is a band 7 IELTS essay on this topic submitted by one of our students. Need help with writing? Get your writing samples corrected by me.

Band 7 IELTS essay sample

There is a popular saying that the child is the father of nation. The mould provided to them when they are young is what they are likely to become. While some people opine that cooperative children make better adults than competitive children, I cannot fully agree with this view. Competitiveness cannot be omitted entirely and I consider it necessary to some extent.

Unfortunately, it has been brought out by various studies that there is a lack of empathy in this fast paced millennium. Therefore, to overcome such a dreadful development, it has become mandatory now to instill the higher values such as a helping mentality, kindness and cooperation in our children. This would eventually help them to become better, compassionate adults and possibly enable/encourage them to serve the society for a greater cause. Moreover, cooperation is essential for the smooth functioning of our society. Furthermore, during a job interview, a candidate’s team spirit is assessed by making him go through certain group activities.

On the other hand, competitiveness acts as a propelling force which drives children to attain their goals as long as it is healthy. Enabling us to become a better version of ourselves at every step is one of the several pros of being competitive. Moreover, in this world of cutthroat competition, it is a necessary evil. For instance, in India, there are at least five hundred students competing for every single medical seat in a medical college. Without being competitive, it would be almost impossible to crack the exam. However, an excess of this quality may alter the personality and attitude of children in the long term. It may lead to unhealthy jealousy and features of type A personality making them more stressed out in due course. The need to win all the time may encourage them to adopt unethical practices like pulling others down by undue means.

To conclude, I reiterate that to shape our world into a better place, children must be conditioned to become more compassionate and cooperative. However, a healthy competitiveness should also be encouraged so that it keeps them motivated to do better. The holistic approach would be to instill both the qualities proportionately to shape a child into a wholesome individual.

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