How to write IELTS Essay. Template. Topic #112

IELTS Essay. Template. 
Topic 112: What are the benefits of requiring young people to serve the army? Does participation in community work qualify as an alternative?
IELTS Essay. Template.  Topic 112

Despite the fact that military conscription is voluntary in much of the world, it remains compulsory in some countries like South Korea. In peacetime, serving the army is more than simply protecting motherland from any potential military attack. An alternative view is that it can be deemed as a test of manhood and a rite of passage from boyhood into manhood. While military training has its merits, some alternatives, such as community service, can be taken into account.
Military service allows young people to reap personal benefits and enhance their personal growth. First of all, trainees can raise their physical fitness and enjoy better health. They meanwhile develop a sense of team spirit and improve abilities to get along well with others. They learn to cope with problems independently and gain self-confidence. It also helps expand their social circle, a valuable, although intangible, asset when they return to civilian life. Servicemen have no difficulties in winning others' respect and their experience is comparable to education, work experience or recommendations. They are very often perceived as efficient, organised and excellent time managers.
Despite those benefits brought by military service, its mandatory nature is the nub of the argument. Many young people cannot cope with the high level of stress in the army. That's why community service is suggested as an alternative in most countries. As distinct from military service, which demands full engagement of conscriptscommunity service requires young volunteers to contribute part of their time, energy and skills only. Moreover, community service tends to render more direct assistance to participants in preparing for the workforce. By volunteering, young adults develop skills, gain work experience and explore career options. They can also acquire practical knowledge through service.
In view of the advantages and disadvantages of military service outlined above, one can conclude that military service is helpful only when it is voluntary. Mandatory military service does not fit all young people, whereas community service benefits every young person who wants to make a smooth transition from school to work.

  1. deem = think of = consider = regard
  2. manhood = adulthood = adult years = maturity
  3. rite = ritual = ceremony
  4. passage = walkway -path
  5. reap = harvest = garner = obtain = acquire
  6. comparable = similar = analogous
  7. nub = crucial point = core
  8. conscript = recruit = rookie
  9. render = provide = deliver = give