Writing Task 2 Model Answers
WRITING
11. Childhood
Children these days spend too much time studying and don’t spend enough time having fun.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Essay Plan:
Opinion: Agree.
Main Idea 1: Lack of leisure activities is bad for mental and physical health.
Sub-idea A: Leisure activities involve physical activity - good for physical health.
Sub-idea B: Leisure time allows children to relax and unwind - good for mental health.
Main Idea 2: Play and leisure activities help children socialise and develop important life skills.
Sub-idea A: Opportunity to make friends and build relationships.
Sub-idea B: Opportunity to practise soft skills such as communication and teamwork.
Model Answer:
In recent years some people have started to complain that children are spending too much time focused on academic schoolwork and not enough time doing leisure activities. From my point of view, children these days often don’t have enough recreational time, which is both bad for their physical and mental health, and deprives them of opportunities to socialise and practise important soft skills.
Firstly, lack of leisure activities is a factor in the worsening physical and mental health of young people. Many children now live extremely sedentary lives, spending all day at school in a chair, and then all evening sitting down with tutors or doing homework. This is clearly not good for their physical health as they don’t spend enough time doing physical activities such as playing outdoors, or doing sports. Furthermore, children need to spend time having fun in order to have good mental health. Recreation time is a chance for children to relax and be carefree, which is increasingly important in today’s high pressure academic world.
Secondly, play and leisure activities help children to socialise and build friendships as well as develop important life skills. While a strong focus on school subjects allows children to become very proficient in academic subjects, if all their time is spent in this way, they may miss out on building the deep lifelong friendships that are often only made during childhood. Moreover, playtime offers many opportunities to nurture and practise soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. Depriving children of this time could result in them lacking the competencies they need to work effectively with other people and foster good relationships when they are adults.
In conclusion, it’s very important that children be given time to play and have fun. Although the priority should be on academic success during childhood, having enough time for leisure and recreation is still crucial, and will allow children to develop into mature, well adjusted and successful adults.
*To see definitions and examples of the vocabulary in bold, along with practice exercises, go to Topic Vocabulary & Exercises.