IELTS TASK 2 - COMPETITION AND COOPERATION IN CHILDREN - WHICH IS BETTER - FEEDBACK NEEDED

People have different views about whether children should be taught to be competitive or co-operative. Although the former case appears plausible, cooperation would be beneficial for individuals and society as a whole in the long term.

On the one hand, there are two reasons why competition would be crucial for children. Firstly, by introducing the element of competitiveness into teaching, children are more motivated to progress and go beyond their limits. In school, for example, teachers can use prizes or games to boost the motivation to win and outdo each other in pupils, which makes them to study harder and more determinedly. In addition, getting children to be exposed to mild rivalry early could build resistance to stressful situations and resilience in them. For instance, when adults having a job interview where they compete with each other, the ones equipped with experience in competitions when they were children would cope with the stress in the interview and perform better than those who haven’t had any exposure to competitive situations.

On the other hand, however, being co-operative would bestow many benefits upon individuals and society. Firstly, in the workplace, adults are expected to work in teams, follow instructions given by their superiors or support the junior members of staff, which requires collaboration from every member of organization. For example, in a surgery, doctors need to work with nurses in an efficient manner to successfully do the operation, which wouldn’t succeed if they didn’t know how to work as a team. Moreover, a society where people working together towards common goals is more stable than the one with people always trying to win one another. Because a winning and losing perspective could create jealousy and resentment in those who lose or haven’t got what they want when competing with others, which contributes to unhealthy relationships among people in society.

In conclusion, encouraging children to be winners seems resonable in some cases. However, I believe fostering a collaborative mentality in children would bring society more benefits in the long run.