TASK FOUR – Key words? What to think about? Write an article for a school/college magazine with the following title: “Should sport be compulsory in schools?” It’s a teen audience – so my tone will need to be quite informal – what connectives would be suitable? e.g. What’s more … And another thing … First of all, don’t forget … Make a decision – what side am I going to argue? Will need argument structure – introduction to set out topic and my opinion,4-5 key points with evidence, explanation, examples and detail and a conclusion to reiterate my view Needs article layout – heading, sub-headings, images/captions,

Plan … (when planning informal argument, include appropriate connectives, linking phrases) Introduce – You are writing about whether sport should be part of the curriculum and your opinion is that it is an important subject that should not be squeezed out by demands on students to do more academic subjects For starters … (benefits to health/fitness argument) Not only are the health benefits obvious, but for some … (only exercise students get) What’s more …(being part of team) And another thing … (gives brain a rest; boosts results in academic subjects) Last but not least … (gives chance to develop interest in something to take further; good habits) All in all … (enjoy it – fun and beneficial)

Catchy headline and strapline … Ditch the discus? Do me a favour … Sally Parks asks whether PE should still have a place on the school curriculum in 2009 …

Introduction … Now I’m the first to admit that not everyone is into sport and memories of being picked last for the netball team or slogging through mud on a freezing morning in winter (with the teacher yelling that it’s not torture but actually cross-country) are not very fond ones. However, when asked if sport should be compulsory in school, the only possible answer any sane person can give is a definite ‘yes’.

For starters, we all know that many of us don’t have the healthiest lifestyles: too many trips to MacDonald’s; too much time in front of the Playstation; too much vegging out on the sofa with bags of crisps. At our age, it won’t make much difference perhaps, but do we really want to store up health problems for twenty or thirty years’ time? We know from our science lessons what the risks of an unhealthy lifestyle are: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and the list goes on. So regular exercise is one of the best ways to give your heart a good workout and make those muscles move, keeping all the nasty diseases away.

Not only are the health benefits obvious, but for some students, it’s the only exercise they get. Kids these days often get dropped off to and picked up from school in the car, so the most exercise they get is strapping on a seatbelt. Our hobbies these days are all about sitting – whether it’s in front of a TV or computer screen. The lives our grandparents lived as children, being out all day making dens in the woods or walking three miles to school, seems remote from us.

What’s more, PE is one of the best lessons around for teaching you how to work in a team, a skill that our careers teacher tells us we need if we want to get a good job later. You learn how to encourage your team mates, when to take charge, when to let others take over and, most importantly, how to be a good sport and not throw your toys out the pram when things don’t go so well.

And another thing, exercise makes you feel good And another thing, exercise makes you feel good. Remember those things we’re told about in Biology about endorphins. Well, these little chemicals are released in the brain when you exercise and actually make you feel happy. Good, huh? Also, it’s proven that exercise helps to improve concentration, so by taking part in sports, you’ll not only give your brain a much-needed rest, but you may also be giving yourself a chance of better grades. Now I like the sound of that!

Last but not least, doing sports in school gives you a chance to develop an interest in something that you can carry on outside school. By having a go at different sports, chances are you’ll discover some that are truly awesome. Whether it’s yoga, trampolining, table-tennis or taekwondo, once you find a sport you love, it won’t feel like a chore – so you’ll be getting fit by having fun. Also, developing good sport habits at school means you’re more likely to carry on with them once you leave, so you’ll be keeping fit even when you’re ancient.

Conclude … All in all, then, it’s pretty clear that sport is one of the most important subjects we do, so it definitely needs to stay put – in fact, what about doubling the number of PE lessons? What’s to argue? PE is fun and it does you good – end of.