TOEFL iBT - Sample Essay

Topic: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Classmates are a more important influence than parents on a child's success in school. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

 

There is a debate concerning the education of children. Some people believe that parents and teachers have the strongest influence on the success of children in school. There are others that believe that children’s classmates have more influence on their success in school. While parents and teachers are indeed important, in my opinion, I agree that classmates have a stronger influence on a child’s success because the students have a lot in common and because they spend most of their time together.

To begin with, classmates tend to have a lot in common, so they are able to give each other useful advice. Classmates share the same teachers, homework and similar difficulties, so they easily understand the situation of their classmates. When students are having trouble with a bully in school, they will do better to seek advice from their classmates rather than their parents or teachers because they will do better to seek advice from their classmates rather than their parents or teachers because they will receive more sympathy and compassion. This is because all of the classmates are sharing the same social problems with one another. Thus, if students are having a problem in one of their classes, they will not get good results by asking advice from their parents. However, if they go to a classmate, they may be able to find a solution to their problem. Likewise, if another student comes to them, they are more able to help with their problem. This is a situation in which age is not an important factor.

In addition, seeing as they are together most of the day, classmates are available to help each other. Parents are busy with work and other responsibilities, but classmates spend all day together. It is easier for students to approach each other because they already have a basic understanding of one another’s problems. If a student approaches a parent with a problem, the parent may not see the seriousness of the child’s concern. This is because they are busy living very different lives, with very different worries. However, classmates are always available to each other and understand the problems that their classmates are going through. This availability makes classmates better advisors and more important contributors to a child’s success at school.

In conclusion, there are many different people that have an influence on the lives of children, but for success in school classmates have the more important influence. This is because all of the children in a class have almost everything in common, from teachers to homework. Classmates are also more available to each other because they spend much time together. For these reasons, I believe a child’s classmates have a more important influence on his success in school.