You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people think that schools should reward students who show the best academic results, while others believe that it is more important to reward students who show improvements. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
It is true that the question of whether to reward students with excellent academic results or those showing great improvements remains a source of controversy in the education field. While a number of people believe that only students achieving the highest grades deserve rewards, I would argue that praising students who achieve improvements is much more reasonable.
On the one hand, there are a variety of reasons why awards should be given to students having excellent academic performances. [1] Firstly, this could create a highly competitive studying environment at school, seeing that students often desire to win prizes. As a consequence, school children could be encouraged to put their effort into studying for the highest scores. [2] Secondly, by adopting this approach, gifted students who are outstanding could be given opportunities to nurture their abilities. My secondary school, for instance, selects students with the best results for extra classes to develop their capabilities in order to take them to national competitions.
On the other hand, I believe that giving encouragement to those who make strides in their studies results in more favourable outcomes. [1]The first benefit is that this could give equal chances for every student to receive awards, rather than only focus on the highest achievers. Instead of feeling disappointed when competing with their top classmates, students who are recognized for their effort during semesters will feel motivated if they are rewarded for making significant progress. [2] Another benefit is that this form of recogniton follows the holistic principle of learning, which is to access the world of knowledge, not just to gain high scores. Consequently, several common phenomena which occur when examinations approach, including pressure, anxiety and cheating, would be reduced.
In conclusion, although rewarding students with the highest scores is advantageous to some extent, it seems to me that it is better to give encouragement to those who have improved their level of academic performance.
318 words
Vocab Highlights
a source of controversy a subject of public discussion, about which people strongly disagree.
highly competitive= a situation in which people or organisations have to compete against each other.
nurture their abilities= to develop their capacity to learn or do things while they are growing.
make strides in= to make great improvements in the way that something is developing.
the highest achievers= the students who have the most success and the highest marks.
the holistic principle of learning= considering education as a whole thing, rather than as separate facts or subjects.