Some people believe that children should be taught to be competitive in school. Others, however, say that cooperation and team working skills are more important. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Dedicate one full body paragraph to thoroughly explore the arguments for teaching competitiveness, and a separate, equally developed paragraph for the arguments supporting cooperation. Your personal opinion should only be presented in the conclusion, ensuring a balanced discussion throughout the main body. Avoid the common pitfall of being overly biased towards one side too early in the essay.

For competitiveness, you could reference how a meritocratic system prepares students for a competitive global job market, citing examples like the rigorous academic environments in East Asian countries or the drive for innovation seen in Silicon Valley. For cooperation, consider discussing the success of project-based learning models in Scandinavian education systems, which foster teamwork and emotional intelligence, or the importance of collaborative problem-solving in modern workplaces.

The most common mistake on this question is failing to provide specific, well-developed examples or arguments for both sides, often resorting to vague generalisations. To avoid this, ensure each body paragraph contains at least two distinct, elaborated points supported by clear reasoning or a named example, demonstrating a nuanced understanding of both competition and collaboration in an educational context.

Employ clear transition phrases to signal the shift between opposing viewpoints. For instance, after discussing competition, you could transition with phrases like "Conversely, proponents of collaborative learning contend that..." or "While the benefits of a competitive environment are clear, an alternative perspective highlights the importance of...". This ensures a smooth flow and logical progression between the contrasting arguments.

Examiners look for a nuanced discussion that acknowledges the complexities of both competitive and cooperative learning, rather than a simplistic 'either/or' approach. A band 8-9 answer will demonstrate sophisticated vocabulary related to pedagogy and social dynamics, present well-reasoned arguments for both sides, and offer a clear, well-supported opinion in the conclusion that synthesizes the preceding discussion, perhaps suggesting a balanced approach.