You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people say that due to the growing number of unfit and overweight people sport should be made compulsory in all educational establishments. Others claim that only voluntary decision to do sport helps people to be fit, but compulsory physical education embarrasses and turns away students who don’t like sport. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.

MODEL ANSWER>>>

A controversy exists whether or not to make physical education compulsory at all schools owing to the increasing number of overweight and unfit people. Both arguments have significance of their own, and hence a detailed discussion is needed before framing a logical conclusion.

On the one hand, the former group believe a healthy body co-exists with a sound mind. To be precise, in many countries students are either obese or overweight, and this prevents them in performing better in their studies. For example, an obese student’s concentration level in the class is comparatively inferior to a student who is physically fit. Another point to consider is that when physical education such as sports is encouraged at schools, it gives the students an opportunity to establish a healthy lifestyle, which can motivate others. Therefore, they believe sports should be made mandatory in the curriculum of all educational institutions.

On the other hand, the opposers focus on the freedom of an individual to choose what he needs. To be clearer, there are students who have their individual interests, for example, painting or handicraft, and have very little interest in sports. In such cases, it is totally unwise to drag them to sports or related activities. If it happens, they would be more likely to be under-performers, and eventually this leads them to be in utter despair. They claim there are other productive activities rather than sports, which can make students physically fit, like cycling or walking to school. Hence, they believe that sports should be made only as a voluntary option left before the students.

After analysing both these points in detail, though sports appears to be a very essential part of the curriculum of a student, one should not make it compulsory at the institutions as we have more options to tackle the problems of overweight and unfit conditions.