Essay 322 – Some parents put a lot of pressure on children

GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 322

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Nowadays, some parents put a lot of pressure on their children. Why do parents do this? Is this a positive or negative development for the children?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

It is now increasingly common that many parents lay enormous pressure on their children. The reason is parents’ concern about their children’s success in life. However, this essay would argue that it is a negative development because it causes an adverse impact on a child’s mental wellbeing.

Concern for children’s bright future has caused many parents to exert constant pressure on their children. Our children are being brought to this earth which is driven by perfectionism and cut-throat competition where success denotes performance, material possessions and high status. Consequently, parents put considerable stress on their children so that they can pursue academic excellence which is, in their belief, the key to success in life. For example, educational institutions are always on the lookout for the brightest students to maintain high rankings and a substantial volume of applicants sits the entrance exams to gain admission to the university, which ultimately translate into a form of parental pressure. Thus, parents place pressure on their children to secure their future.

Putting too much pressure might adversely affect a child’s mental wellbeing. This is because when children are unable to cope with the pressure placed by parents, they mentally beat themselves up. This, in turn, may lead to various negative repercussions such as deterioration in their mental health owing to depression or anxiety. According to WHO, for instance, one in every five children between the age group of 13 and 15 in Sri Lanka suffer from depression due to parental pressure. However, this would take a severe toll on the children’s future, which might prevent them from accomplishing their goals. It is therefore evident that this trend is a negative development.

To conclude, parents exert immense pressure on their children to build a brighter future for their children, and this is a negative development since it has negative impacts on children’s mental health, which ultimately can threaten their future.