IELTS Discussion Essay (1)

1. IELTS Discussion Essay

Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Discuss both views and state your opinion.
Discuss both sides and state your view on this issue.

2. Essay Question:

Some people think that children should be taught to be
competitive in school. Others, however, say that
cooperation and team working skills are more important.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

3. So, we have two opposing views here:

View 1: children should be taught to be competitive in
school
View 2: cooperation and team working skills are more
important

4. One-sided opinion for discussion essay

Introduction: Background = paraphrase
Thesis = Opinion (In my opinion, I think...)
BP1: Competition = Some people think …. and I agree
BP2: Cooperation = Other people think
Conclusion: Refer to other people’s opinion and restate my own opinion (I
believe)

5. Reasons why people support competition

-
children do better in schools
competition motivates
example: children apply themselves=focus when in direct competition
with classmates
-
later in life - competition in the job market

6. Reason why people support cooperation

-
people do not live apart - separately
learn to live alongside - close to others
-
learn communication
deal with confrontations - справляться с конфликтами
learn to negotiate - договариваться

7. Paraphrasing

Competitive - ADJ
-
competition - N Teach competition
to compete - V Teach to compete
competing - ADJ Teach to be competitive
Cooperation
-
to cooperate - teach to cooperate
cooperating - teach to be cooperating
team skills - teach team skills
team working skills
working in a team - It is important for
children to learn how to work in a team

8.

Some people argue that it is best to accept a bad
situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or
shortage of money. Others believe that it is better
to try and improve such situations.

9. Introduction

Although some people believe that the focus should be on cooperation, I agree with those who
think that schools ought to teach children to compete because this helps children learn the most
important skills for their future.

10. BP1

On the one hand, it is often believed that it is better if the emphasis at school is on
cooperating with others. As people we do not live, work or socialise apart from others, so
learning how to work alongside other people ought to be taught from childhood. Without
these skills, children would lack the ability to communicate with each other or know how
to deal with confrontations and conflicts in a constructive way. Another reason why team
skills are useful for children is that they learn how to negotiate with others to complete a
task. This is an essential skill to learn for their future life.

11. BP2

On the other hand, some people think that children who learn to compete against each
other often do better in school and I agree. In other words, the competition between
students motivates them to excel in their studies or tasks which consequently produces
better academic performance and results. For example, students generally focus and
work harder when they are in direct competition with their classmates. Furthermore,
being driven to achieve the best is vital in order to succeed later in life when, as adults,
they must compete against others in the job market.

12. Conclusion

In conclusion, while people may vary in their opinions/people have different opinions, I
think that children stand a better chance (=have more chances) to succeed both in school
and later in life if they are encouraged to compete against each other.

13. Discussion essays for homework:

1. Some people believe that students should be taught international news as a
subject at school. Others feel that this would be a waste of valuable school
time. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
2. Some people think that the best way to learn about business is to study a
course at college or university. Others believe that there are other better ways
to learn about business. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
3. Some people argue that it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an
unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Others believe that it is better to try
and improve such situations. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

14. Some vocabulary and synonyms

I consider that
should=ought to
it should depend on the age of the child
to work alongside=side by side with
the age of the child should be taken into
consideration
confrontations=disagreements=conflicts
motivate=encourage=drive
focus=emphasis
excel=to do well=to perform well
to focus on=to concentrate on
essential=critical=vital
compete to get a job=compete in the job market