GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 267
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people say that children should play games and sports which require teamwork such as football and basketball whereas others think that they should be doing individual sports such as swimming and running.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
Sports are an integral part of every nation and touch almost everyone’s life, and that is why the importance of sports for children is undeniable. Many argue that children ought to play team sports such as football and basketball. Yet others believe they should take up individual sports like swimming and running. This essay will expound on both viewpoints, before venturing an opinion.
With team spirit and camaraderie leading the team, there are a plethora of benefits to playing team sports, particularly in childhood years. Firstly, it promotes collaboration. Put simply, in team sports, the individual talents of athletes matter less as success hinges upon the entire team. A case in point is Lionel Messi, the three-time FIFA World Player of the World, whose club outcomes outshine his national team results. The same player attains more with better-supporting teammates at Barcelona. Likewise, team sports also inculcate a sense of community. These sports teach a child to appreciate the value of each teammate’s strength and how their abilities can contribute to a common goal. This can make them highly supportive, patient, and optimistic individuals on and off the field, thereby instilling a sense of belonging.
Individual sports, on the other hand, can infuse a higher level of self-reliance, passion, and discipline in children. By nature, success or failure hinges upon entirely a child, and each competition is an opportunity to beat his or her personal best. Unlike team sports, one has to depend on himself or herself in individual sports or share the burden of defeat. This, in turn, encourages them to be more self-aware and motivates them to practice harder to succeed, thereby developing willpower. That is to say that practising an individual sport that constantly urges children to improve themselves and give their best in every circumstance allows them to gradually boost self-confidence to be destined for greatness in every sphere of life.
All in all, this essay finds team sports more beneficial to children, however, the virtues of self-reliance, self-awareness, and willpower stimulated by individual sports are certainly not to be ignored. So it is suggested that children should take part in both types of sports to reap the maximum benefits.