PTE Write Essay Task:
You will have 20 minutes to plan, write and revise an essay about the topic below. Your response will be judged on how well you develop a position, organize your ideas, present supporting details, and control the elements of standard written English. You should write 200-300 words.
Should schools be held legally responsible for bullying that occurs on their premises? Why or why not?
Bullying is a serious problem that can hurt students’ mental health and overall well-being. Schools have a duty to provide a safe and supportive place to learn, but it’s not clear if they should be held legally accountable for bullying that happens on their property.
Here are some reasons to hold schools legally responsible for bullying and some reasons not to:
For:
- Duty of care: Schools have a duty of care to make sure their students are safe and healthy. If they don’t do this, they should be held responsible.
- Preventing and stopping bullying: Schools have the resources and power to prevent and stop bullying. If they don’t, they should be held responsible.
- Deterrence: Holding schools legally responsible for bullying can serve as a deterrent and encourage schools to take steps to prevent and deal with bullying.
Against:
- It can be hard to prove that a school is responsible for bullying because there may be more than one person involved and the cause of the bullying may be hard to figure out.
- Holding schools legally responsible for bullying can be a big burden for schools and take their attention away from their main job, which is to teach.
- Personal responsibility: Bullying is the fault of the people who do it, and holding schools legally responsible for it can take the attention away from the people who are really to blame.
In the end, making schools legally responsible for bullying might seem like a good way to hold them accountable and discourage it, but it raises questions about liability and the amount of work that is put on schools. In the end, stopping bullying requires a multifaceted approach that includes personal responsibility, strategies for prevention and intervention, and support from the community.
