Team Sports vs Individual Sports

Some people think that it is more beneficial to take part in sports which are played in teams, like football. While other people think that taking part in individual sports is better, like tennis or swimming. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Annotated response

3 correction notes

Showing 3 correction notes.

There are those who opine that participating in sporting activities played in teams is more crucial to people. Others, however, disagree, insisting that sports requiring individual efforts play a more vital role. In this essay, both ideas will be analysed before the presentation of my perspective, which is that people’s involvement in both types is more advisable.

It is justified for some to favour the greater importance of team sports to people. The major reason is that their cooperation skills can be better sharpened. To defeat the opponent in a football match, for instance, members of a group have to employ collective power to score a goal, during which time they gradually learn how to work together with others. Additionally, people are likely to build a wider network of contacts. If joining team sports, school and tertiary pupils may while adults can meet participants from diverse work backgrounds.

On the other hand, it is also true that people benefit more from individual sports. To begin with, these activities can cultivate people’s perseverance in a more effective manner. If a tennis player feels exhausted in a match, what drives them to continue is a determined will; this is the moment when their willpower is exercised. Moreover, people are able to enjoy a deeper happiness when achieving triumph. It can be explained easily by the fact that the only winner will not share the rapturous applause from audiences inside and outside the stadium.

In conclusion, I believe that both sides of the argument are reasonable. On balance, it is my firm opinion that not only should people take part in team sports but also individual ones. After all, while team sports encourage the development of people’s ability to collaborate with others and create opportunities for them to make more friends, people can also possess dogged perseverance and feel greater joy in winning competitions.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The strongest aspect is the balanced, well-organised discussion of both views, supported by concrete examples such as football and tennis, and resolved with a clear personal position that both types are valuable. The main limitation is that development within paragraphs is somewhat brief and relies on slightly formulaic or imprecise phrasing rather than deeper analysis.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

7.0

The response addresses both views clearly, presents a consistent personal opinion, and develops each main idea with relevant examples, though some points remain under-explored.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Ideas progress logically across clear paragraphs with a range of cohesive devices, though linking is at times mechanical and extension within paragraphs is limited.

Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is sufficiently flexible and precise, using less common items such as perseverance and rapturous applause, alongside occasional slightly awkward collocations like know more other students.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A variety of complex structures, including conditionals and inversion, are used with good control, and errors are minor and do not impede communication.