RUBRIC:

All education and healthcare should be funded by the government

and free for everyone.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

The government should finance all education and healthcare

services to its citizenry as it is the only means to create a
progressive nation. I strongly agree that a great amount of the
people’s tax should go to education and health services for a strong
nation needs educated and physically fit citizens.

Firstly, free access to quality basic education is a human right. It is

the only chance that children of school age can be educated to have
a brighter future for their families. It is said that a population who is
unable to calculate, read, write or even learn would be doomed in
such competitive global economy. Globalization has increased
competition and shifted the emphasis to knowledge, information
science and technology. To realize this goal, the state must ensure
enough functional educational institutions which are accessible to
everyone. However, if others want to avail of a private education it
should also be allowed and encouraged.

Secondly, free health services are as important as education. They

should be made available and accessible to all. The provision of free
health cards to deserving persons is an initial step as well as the
allocation of funds for free medicines. Likewise, healthcare facilities
of public hospitals must be upgraded to fully serve its purpose. All
of these should be provided to ensure a physically fit individual who
will serve as the workforce of a strong and progressive country.

To conclude, I believe that both healthcare and education are basic

human rights, therefore, they must be prioritized in terms of fund
allocation. The government should consider capitalizing on the
enhancement of its human resources because I believe that a
healthy and educated society is the backbone of a progressive
country.
RUBRIC:
Blood sports have become a hot topic for debate in recent years. As
society develops it is increasingly seen as an uncivilized activity and
caused to helpless animals that are killed. All blood sports should be
banned.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The practice of blood sports has become a contentious issue over

the past years as the gaming activity involving animals has been
viewed by developing society as uncivilized in nature. Since the
sports involve the lives of animals and may affect the psychological
aspects of the viewers, I strongly agree that all blood games should
be proscribed.

As an animal advocate, I believe that animals should be given equal

opportunity to love like human beings do. They too should be given
equal treatment because like us, they too are God’s creation. Using
them as an object for gaming sports violates the Animal Fighting
Spectator Prohibition Act that protects communities from cruelty
and violence of animal fighting and its associated crimes.

According to behavioral experts, exposure to violent sports can

affect a child’s behavior which he or she may adopt as they grow up.
They tend to develop aggressive behavior towards animals or peers
and continuous practice may even result to domestic violence in the
future. In fact, an Anti- Bullying Law has been passed to prevent
school children from engaging in violent actions with their peers.

In conclusion, because all blood sports are clearly violent in nature

and has deleterious effect in humans and animals, these activities
should be prohibited.

RUBRIC:
Recent figures show an increase in violent crimes among youngsters
under the age of 18. Some psychologists claim that the basic reason
for this is that children these days are not getting the social and
emotional learning they need from parents and teachers.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Juvenile crime in modern times is increasing at an alarming rate.

Other psychologists assert that the fundamental reason for this is
that children nowadays lack the social and emotional aspects of
learning from their parents and teachers. I strongly agree with this
premise because both parents and educators play an important role
in the moral development of children.

In reality, parents have to work to support the needs of their

children. Family interactions are then limited because of long
working hours and other occupational commitments. Proper
parenting roles that include consistent discipline, supervision and
affection to help create well socialized children are being sacrificed.
Delinquency under the age of 18 was related to friendly interaction
and open line of communication between parents and youngsters, a
situation that promotes school attachment and stronger family ties.
In a recent study conducted at the US, psychologists found out that
children who have suffered parental neglect have an increased risk
of delinquency. Children who had been neglected by their parents
and experienced physical abuse are more likely to commit violent
crimes later in life.

Teachers and school staffs are also responsible in providing a child

friendly environment that would teach how to analyze and cope with
life’s challenges. Furthermore, they should be more compassionate
and accommodating in dealing with students’ issues and concerns.

Research indicates that unless children within schools feel

welcomed, valued, respected and feel like they belong, their level of
educational participation and engagement will always be limited.
Children who lack a state of belongingness are vulnerable to
external influences such as media, drugs, alcohol and peer pressure
that contribute to the rise in crime rates.

In conclusion, the rise of juvenile crime is mainly attributed to

parental neglect and uncompassionate educators. They should
provide a nurturing environment and establish a sense of
belongingness to prevent the development of delinquent behaviors
in children.
RUBRIC:
Over the last decades, the media has promoted the image of young
thin women as being ideal. What problems has this caused? What
solutions can you suggest to this issue?

The media has indeed elevated our perception on the ideal image of
a young woman to be slender in appearance. As a result of this
trend, younger individuals experience negative body image that
could potentially result to serious health problems if left unsolved.
This can be tackled through various promotional self-awareness
campaigns using advertisements and social media engines.

Different kinds of media certainly send the viewers a very direct

message associated with the ideal body weight, appearance and
beauty one must achieve. Celebrities, fashion models and product
endorsers are often seen as role models by the younger generation.
They associate an epitome of beauty to be popular and wealthy. This
leads to the perception of “thin as pleasingly good.” The desire to
attain this can cause potential health problems later on. Eating
disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia can lead to
psychological problems if left untreated. According to the National
Eating Disorders Association, the risk in developing depression and
social isolation is higher in individuals with weight loss obsession.

A possible solution to this problem would be women empowerment

through various self awareness campaigns through internet. The use
of social media combats the narrow image of beauty by catering the
majority of women and redefining what “beautiful” actually means. A
good example was recently seen in the internet, an inspirational
video featuring plus size models who speak about confidence and
contentment regardless of their body sizes, shapes, races and ages.
They share their experiences in life and success in taking over the
runways of a famous fashion show.

In conclusion, the ideal body image of a woman was changed over

time because of media influence and this created physical and
psychological health problems to the young viewers. However, the
social media should be used as a tool to inspire and motivate the
younger generation to improve self awareness and boost confidence
within them.
RUBRIC:
In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for
a year between finishing high school and starting university studies.
Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

In many countries, youngsters are often encouraged to take a gap

year to work or travel across the world, before starting their formal
university education. In my opinion, the advantages of this trend
outweigh its drawbacks.

To begin with, taking a year off to explore the world gives the youth
the opportunity to discover their career interest. Trips to other
places are not only fun, but also gives them a chance to socialize,
engaging in volunteering and understanding global issues and
global culture. This also helps them to discover their real passion
which is vital in fulfilling a career.