TOEFL, iBT, Independent Writing, Should PE be required or optional at school? - rewrite -

Writing Topic

There are people who think that physical exercise should be a required activity at school. Others argue that school should be concerned only with academic studies, and that physical exercise is something best left out of school life. Which of these views do you share? Justify your answer with specific reasons.

☆Let’s Think

By the expression “required activity,” the first statement means that everyone has to take PE classes. The second statement means that PE does not meet the purposes of school education and should not be included in school curriculums or should be treated as something optional or extra.

How do we decide which subject is required at school? Do we decide it based on the purpose of education, or based on the benefits the subject offers? What are the purposes and benefits of PE?

☆Hints for points

♦The purpose of education

1.    To promote physical, mental, and social development of individuals.    

2.    To develop every individual to their full potential.

3.    To equip individuals with earning ability

♦The purposes or benefits of physical education

1.    Healthy mind and body: Not only can it promote physical fitness and develop motor skills but also it can help students better concentrate on their study if they exercise moderately.

2.    Healthy lifestyle: Students who are not interested in sports can learn to stay in shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle into adulthood.

3.    Familiarity with some popular sports: Having some hands on experience with some popular sports will help students have some feel about them.

4.    Intimacy with classmates and social skills: Playing sports or doing exercise together will help students gain intimacy with other students and develop social skills.

☆Making Thesis and Giving examples:

Sample thesis and examples

I think PE should be mandatory because it fulfills the purpose of education: to promote physical, mental, and social development of individuals.

For example, by playing basketball, you can become physically fit, learn to think quickly, and work as part of a team.

Also, you can make friends with your classmates.

Your thesis and examples:

I think PE should be mandatory / optional because ...        

For example, …

Also, …

☆Let’s Deal with Counterarguments

A counterargument, that is to say a criticism or a question that you expect, is a bonus-point icon in an essay writing game. If you venture to take it up and deal with it successfully, your essay will jump up to the upper level and you will be awarded with a good score. On the other hand, if you fail to be aware of an inevitable counterargument, your essay will become vulnerable to the attack on it. Think of the debate for which you had not prepared carefully. Your raters may regard the neglected counterargument as a flaw in logic. Dealing well with counterarguments is showing that you can think and write logically and objectively in English, and it will help you gain higher scores.

Examples of Counterarguments and Counter-counterarguments

Sample counterarguments in case you think PE should be a required subject:

1.    PE classes actually have no effect on health and fitness. Twice or three times of PE a week is not enough for fitness. ⇔ Working out sometimes is better than never.

2.    Making PE required is unfair for physically disadvantaged students in university entrance examinations because GPA includes PE grades. ⇔ Paper test results and attendance rates are considered in the evaluation, so including PE grades in GPA is not unfair.

3.    PE should be optional because some students get embarrassed in front of their classmates. ⇔ This is the same with other students who are not good at other subjects. For example, music, art, or math classes are a torture for some students. The important thing is to protect everyone’s dignity in any classes. Also, while music and art can be optional, like math, PE directly benefits one’s daily life, so it should be a required subject.

Sample counterarguments in case you think PE is something best left out of school life:

1.    School is not only for learning subjects but also for mind and physical development. PE is necessary for the latter. ⇔  Awareness on health issues has become high nowadays, and there are enough opportunities to exercise outside of the school. Also, it is questionable if sports are necessary for the health. Doing household work, for example, can allow one to do without exercise.

2.    Schools of all levels, from elementary school to university, include PE in curriculums. ⇔ Just because something is practiced now does not mean that we should stick with it.

☆Taking up a Counterargument and Confirming Your Point (Giving a Counter-counterargument):

Sample counterargument and a counter-counterargument:

Some might say that no one becomes really fit by attending PE classes only twice or three times a week.

However, sometimes is better than never, especially for people like me who are couch potatoes and never try to do any exercise afterschool. Also, not all individuals can go to gyms or join clubs after school. School physical education, which provides appropriate facilities and kits, can give opportunities to try new sports to those who have no opportunities to try them.

A counterargument you expect and your confirmation of your point:

Some might say that …

However, …