Some people believe that schools should teach children how to be good citizens, rather than focusing only on academic subjects. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
真题解析
本题讨论学校教育究竟应该更重视公民素养，还是学术知识。题目中的关键表达是rather than focusing only on，意味着并非要求学校完全取消学科教学，而是在讨论教育重点是否应该扩大。高分作文可以采取部分同意立场：学校确实应该培养学生的责任感、规则意识、合作能力和公共意识，因为这些品质关系到社会的长期发展；但数学、科学、语言等学术知识同样不可替代。因此，最合理的教育模式不是二选一，而是将academic learning【学术学习】与civic education【公民教育】结合起来，促进学生的全面发展。
关键词解析
good citizens合格公民
指具备责任感、守法、尊重他人并积极参与社会的人，不等同于听话的人
responsible and engaged members of society【负责任、积极参与的社会成员】
socially conscious individuals【具有社会意识的个体】
academic subjects学科知识
语文、数学、科学等传统课程
a purely exam oriented curriculum【纯应试导向的课程】
core academic disciplines【核心学科】
formal academic knowledge【系统的学术知识】
subject-specific knowledge【具体学科知识】
focus only on academic subjects只专注于学术学习
concentrate exclusively on academic learning【只专注于学术学习】
place excessive emphasis on academic achievement【过度强调学业成绩】
prioritise academic performance at the expense of broader development【以牺牲全面发展为代价优先考虑学业表现】
思路拓展
观点一：学校应该培养合格公民
学校不仅是传授学术知识的场所，也是培养儿童社会责任感和价值观的重要环境。
Schools are not merely institutions for transmitting academic knowledge; they are also important environments for developing children’s values and sense of social responsibility.
学生应该学会遵守规则、尊重他人、与不同背景的人合作，并意识到个人行为会影响整个社会。
Students should learn to respect rules, cooperate with people from different backgrounds and recognise that individual behaviour can affect the wider society.
例如，学校可以组织志愿服务、社区服务和环保活动。
For example, schools can organise volunteer programmes, community-service projects and environmental campaigns.
这些活动可以让学生把课堂上学到的价值观应用到现实生活中。
Such activities allow students to apply the values they learn in the classroom to real-life situations.
观点二：学术科目同样重要
然而，培养好公民并不意味着学校应该减少学术教育。
However, cultivating responsible citizens does not mean that schools should reduce academic education.
数学、科学、语言和历史等学科构成了学生未来升学和职业发展的知识基础。
Subjects such as mathematics, science, languages and history provide the academic foundation for students’ future education and careers.
例如，科学教育可以让学生理解气候变化的成因，从而做出更加负责任的环保选择。
For example, science education can help students understand the causes of climate change and consequently make more responsible environmental choices.
因此，学术知识本身也能够促进公民意识的发展。
Academic knowledge itself can therefore contribute to the development of civic awareness.
观点三：最好的方式是二者结合
真正高质量的教育应该将学术教育与公民教育结合起来，而不是让二者相互竞争。
A high-quality education system should integrate academic learning with civic education rather than treating the two as competing priorities.
例如，在历史课中讨论民主、战争和社会正义，可以同时培养历史知识、批判性思维和公民意识。
For example, discussions of democracy, war and social justice in history lessons can simultaneously develop historical knowledge, critical thinking and civic awareness.
这种教育模式可以培养既有知识又有社会责任感的年轻人。
This approach can produce young people who are both academically capable and socially responsible.
高分范文一
Some people argue that schools should teach children how to become good citizens rather than concentrating solely on academic subjects. I partly agree with this view because schools have an important role to play in developing students’ civic awareness and social responsibility. Nevertheless, academic education remains indispensable, and the two objectives should ideally be pursued together.
Schools should certainly contribute to the development of responsible citizens【负责任的公民】. Since children spend a substantial proportion of their formative years【成长发展的关键时期】in educational institutions, schools are uniquely positioned to shape their attitudes towards rules, other people and society as a whole. Through civic education, students can develop mutual respect【相互尊重】, public-mindedness【公共意识】 and a sense of social responsibility【社会责任感】. For instance, schools could require students to participate in community-service projects, such as helping elderly residents or organising campaigns to reduce plastic waste. Such experiences can demonstrate that seemingly minor individual actions can have consequences for the wider community【更广泛的社区】. As a result, students are more likely to recognise their responsibilities towards others and become active members of society【积极参与社会的成员】, ultimately contributing to greater social cohesion【更强的社会凝聚力】.
However, this does not justify placing academic subjects in a secondary position. Academic learning provides the intellectual foundation【知识基础】for further education, employment and informed decision-making. Mathematics develops logical reasoning, science promotes evidence-based thinking, while history and literature enable students to understand different cultures, perspectives and social issues. For example, a student who studies climate science may acquire not only scientific knowledge but also a deeper understanding of environmental challenges. This knowledge can encourage more responsible decisions concerning energy consumption, transportation and waste disposal. Therefore, academic education can itself promote civic responsibility【公民责任】 rather than being an obstacle to it. If schools were to devote excessive time to civic activities at the expense of academic learning, students could be inadequately prepared for higher education and the demands of an increasingly competitive labour market.
The most effective approach, therefore, is to integrate civic education into academic learning rather than treating them as mutually exclusive objectives. Schools can incorporate social and ethical issues into existing subjects without sacrificing academic rigour【学术严谨性】. For example, history teachers can use lessons on democracy and social justice to develop students’ historical knowledge alongside their understanding of civic responsibility. Similarly, science teachers can introduce discussions about climate change and sustainable development, allowing students to connect theoretical knowledge with real-world responsibilities. Such an integrated model would promote holistic development【全面发展】and equip young people with both intellectual abilities and the values required to participate constructively in society.
In conclusion, I agree that schools have a responsibility to cultivate good citizens, but I disagree with the idea that this should come at the expense of academic education. Rather than choosing between the two, schools should combine strong academic foundations with civic awareness, ethical values and practical social responsibility.
高分范文二
Schools have traditionally been judged by examination results, yet a growing number of educators argue that they should also prepare children for life as members of a community. I largely agree with this view, because academic achievement alone does not guarantee responsible behaviour, although I believe civic education should complement rather than replace core subjects.
The strongest argument for teaching citizenship is that knowledge and character develop separately. A student may top every examination yet remain indifferent to the needs of others, which shows that factual learning cannot automatically cultivate empathy【同理心】or a sense of responsibility【责任感】. This gap has become more visible in the digital age, when young people are exposed daily to rumours and manipulated content. Finland offers a persuasive example: media literacy is woven into subjects ranging from language to history, teaching pupils to question sources and detect misleading claims. Finland has repeatedly ranked first in Europe's media literacy index, suggesting that civic skills can be taught systematically and with measurable effect. Similarly, Singapore introduced Character and Citizenship Education in 2014 to develop values such as respect and social responsibility, reflecting a recognition that economic success depends on a cohesive society as much as on skilled workers. Because schools reach almost every child, they ensure that these competencies are available to a broader demographic【更广泛的人群】rather than only to children whose families happen to emphasise them, contributing to a more cohesive and equitable society【更有凝聚力、更公平的社会】.
Admittedly, critics raise legitimate concerns. School timetables are already crowded, and any new subject risks reducing the time devoted to mathematics, science and languages, which remain essential for employment and for individual opportunity. There is also the danger that citizenship lessons become superficial exercises in moral instruction【流于形式的道德说教】, which pupils may dismiss or resent. However, these objections target poor implementation rather than the principle itself. Civic education need not occupy a separate slot on the timetable: students can learn teamwork through group projects, responsibility through community service, and respect for differing views through structured classroom debates in history or literature. In England, where citizenship became compulsory in secondary schools in 2002, the subject has been criticised for uneven delivery, which suggests that the key lies in teacher training and integration with other subjects rather than in abandoning the idea.
Taken together, the two aims reinforce each other. Well informed citizens require solid knowledge of science, history and economics, while academic learning gains purpose when students understand how to apply it for the benefit of others.
In conclusion, schools should not confine themselves to examination subjects, since preparing children to participate responsibly in society is part of their fundamental purpose. Provided that civic education is integrated thoughtfully into existing lessons, it can enrich academic learning instead of competing with it.
高级词汇搭配
formative years【成长发展的关键时期】
cultivate responsible citizens【培养负责任的公民】
civic awareness【公民意识】
social cohesion【社会凝聚力】
academic foundation【学术基础】
evidence-based thinking【基于证据的思维】
academic rigour【学术严谨性】
holistic development【全面发展】
at the expense of【以牺牲……为代价】
active members of society【积极参与社会的成员】
collective well-being【社会整体福祉】
bridge the gap between theory and practice【弥合理论与实践之间的差距】
be judged by examination results【以考试成绩来评判】
cultivate empathy and a sense of responsibility【培养同理心和责任感】
manipulated content【被操纵的内容】
be woven into subjects【融入各学科】
detect misleading claims【识别误导性说法】
a cohesive society【有凝聚力的社会】
a broader demographic【更广泛的人群】
a crowded timetable【拥挤的课表】
superficial exercises in moral instruction【流于形式的道德说教】
target poor implementation rather than the principle itself【针对的是执行不当，而非原则本身】
uneven delivery【落实不均衡】
reinforce each other【相互促进】
participate responsibly in society【负责任地参与社会】
integrated thoughtfully into existing lessons【审慎地融入现有课程】
civic education【公民教育】
civic awareness【公民意识】
civic responsibility【公民责任】
social responsibility【社会责任感】
ethical values【道德价值观】
public-mindedness【公共意识】
community engagement【社区参与】
social cohesion【社会凝聚力】
mutual respect【相互尊重】
rule of law【法治】
responsible behaviour【负责任的行为】
critical thinking【批判性思维】
independent judgement【独立判断能力】
academic foundation【学术基础】
well-rounded education【全面的教育】
holistic development【全面发展】
character development【品格培养】
real-world skills【现实生活技能】
social participation【社会参与】
collective well-being【社会整体福祉】
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