Writing: Concentrating on teaching academic subjects at school

Dear all,

This is my writing task 2 to prepare for the Ielts exam. I hope you can help me to review it. Thank you very much!

Schools should concentrate on teaching students the academic subjects that will be useful for their future careers. Subjects such as music and sports are not useful. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is sometimes argued that schools should remove non-academic subjects such as music and sports from syllabus so that students will focus on academic fields which are helpful for their profession. While it is true that academic subjects are important, I do not believe that extremely concentrating on teaching academic subjects is a good idea.

Firstly, from the health point of view, non-academic activities are helpful not only for their physical health but also mental health. For instance, after studying and sitting in academic classes for the whole morning, it is better for students to do some out door or art activities such as dancing, playing basketball to get rid of stress. As a result, their learning ability and concentration in the afternoon will be improved. Focusing only on academic area is not only harmful to student’s health but also make their capability decrease.

Secondly, not all of students need to be excellent in academic subjects to achieve success in their future career. For example, there is no point getting A grades unnecessarily in science related subjects if a person wants to become an excellent singer or a footballer. By encouraging students to engage in extra-curricular activities, school can bring out their hidden talents in other fields. This will help not only the students but also the society since that creates the diversity of occupation.

In conclusion, I do not accept the argument that focusing on only academic subjects is more helpful than non-academic fields for students in developing their future careers.