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Funding Elite Sports vs Encouraging Youth Sports

Some countries spend a lot of money preparing competitors in major sports competitions such as the Olympic Games and football World Cup, etc. It is better to spend money encouraging children to take up sports at a young age.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

1 sample answer, estimated Band 7.5. Your turn?

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From essays on this question

Essay ideas: Funding Elite Sports vs Encouraging Youth Sports

WhyThis is anOpinion essay — it asks whether you agree or disagree with a statement.

SoWe split the ideas intoReasons to agree(supports the statement)andReasons to disagree(argues against it).

Reasons to agree

2 ideas

Reasons to disagree

2 ideas

Same question · Different responses

Sample responses and feedback

Response 01

Must fixSuggested

Essay · 343 words · 4 paragraphs · 14 comments

Score details

Response 01
Estimated band7.5/ 9

Overall assessment

The essay presents a clear preference for funding children’s sport, acknowledges the benefits of elite competition and uses logical paragraphing. Vocabulary is varied and complex structures are generally well controlled. The main limitation is the comparison between the two spending priorities: the health benefits need a clearer link to public funding, and the pathway from childhood participation to elite success needs further explanation. A subject–verb agreement error and punctuation-spacing slips also need attention.

TR

Task Response

The response maintains a clear preference for children’s sport and acknowledges the case for elite funding. Relevant ideas are developed, but the relative value of the two spending priorities needs more explicit comparison.

7.0
CC

Coherence and Cohesion

Paragraphing is logical and cohesive devices are used well, though occasional referencing and linking feel slightly mechanical.

7.0
LR

Lexical Resource

Vocabulary is varied and generally effective, with expressions such as “stoke their competitive drive”. Some combinations, including “honing competitors” and “the most chance”, could be more natural or precise.

8.0
GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

A wide range of structures, including complex and conditional forms, is handled with consistent accuracy and only minor slips.

7.0

What to work on next

Explain how public funding could widen children’s access to regular sport, then compare the reach of those health benefits with the national recognition gained from elite success.

From essays on this question

Useful vocabulary: Funding Elite Sports vs Encouraging Youth Sports

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Part 2

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