Should young athletes specialise in one sport early?

A band 6 model answer to a real TOEFL iBT writing question in the official format, with notes on why it scores. Write your own version below it and get an instant rater-style score.

The question

Your professor is teaching a class on sports science. Write a post responding to the professor's question. In your response, express and support your opinion and add to the discussion in your own words. A strong response has at least 100 words. Professor Villanueva: Many young athletes now train in a single sport all year from the age of nine or ten. Is early specialisation good for children? Amara: It is how anyone reaches the top now. The children who wait are competing against others who have already had five years of coaching. Felix: The research points the other way. Children who play several sports get hurt less and stay in sport longer, and most of the early specialists have quit by twenty.

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Band 6 model answer

Felix has the evidence and Amara has the anxiety that parents actually feel, which is why this argument never settles. Children who play several sports arrive later at the top level but arrive healthier, because repeating one movement pattern through the years when a body is still growing is how young athletes collect the injuries that follow them into adulthood. Amara's fear is that a child who waits will be left behind, and in a handful of sports with very early peaks that is true. In most, the head start is an illusion sold to parents by people who profit from year round coaching. What I would add is that specialising early narrows a child to a single identity at an age when they cannot consent to that, and since almost none of them will turn professional, what they keep is either a lasting habit of playing or nothing at all.

Why this answer earns band 6

Names what each student is right about before choosing, which is what engaging with a discussion means.
Admits the exception rather than overclaiming, and the argument is stronger for it.
Closes on what the child keeps afterwards, shifting the question from performance to a life.

Do not memorise model answers; raters recognise recycled essays instantly. Study the moves, then make them with your own ideas, and check where you stand with a scored practice.

Questions about this answer

What band is this model answer?

It is written to band 6, and the notes under it quote the answer's own words to show why.

How long should my answer be?

This model answer is 151 words, and the task asks for at least 100.

What is the most common mistake with a model answer?

Memorising it. Raters recognise recycled answers instantly, so study the moves, then make them with your own ideas.