This question recently appeared in IELTS Writing Task 2 on 13th April 2017

 

Question asked in IELTS Writing Task 2:

“Nowadays schoolchildren and students are taught to be competitive towards their classmates and aren’t encouraged to help the weaker students. Do the disadvantages of this outweigh the advantages? Give your own opinion and support it with relevant examples.”

Sample Answer given for the question asked in IELTS Writing Task 2:

The feeling of competition among pupils has surged in this modern world. This can be a positive aspect but, it is not really as they are discouraged to help those students who are not as good in studies. In my view, the drawbacks of this trend outweigh the benefits. Children learn more when they work with one another as this can help them to imbibe other qualities which the less capable students might have.

In today’s world of cut throat competition, children are fueled with the feeling of winning at any cost. This could undermine a school child’s motivation. This leads to unhealthy competition which is not good  for the youngsters.  For instance, a study  conducted by American Academy of Pediatrics showed that around 80% of the children in a school wanted to score better than their peers than make their own previous grades better. Consequently, if these pupils did not score better  than their classmates, it might lead to resentment and prove detrimental to their own self-esteem.

Further, young people prefer to stay in their own shell and are not willing to lend a helping hand to their weaker counterparts. This is largely because they have become selfish and self-centered.  For example, earlier students used to study in groups, and both the average and intelligent students profited out of it. This method of studying created an environment of team spirit. This trait of co-operation was inculcated in the personality of the students and helped them to become better individuals, which in turn led them to become good citizens of the country. But the present trend might have a negative impact on the society at large and on the families of the students in particular.

To summarize, it can be seen that being overtly competitive has more cons than pros. I believe that parents and teachers should make efforts to diminish unhealthy  competition in young minds for their betterment. It is predicted, that in future, such ill-feelings towards one another might make a person more insure and less confident.