Task 2
High school students are usually not good at managing money. What are the reasons? What are the solutions?
Essay Plan:
• Introduction: agree with the statement. Two main reasons, but solutions are possible.
• Paragraph 2: reason (1) adolescents rebel and ignore parental advice (2) the media encourages consumption by this age group
• Paragraph 3: parents should teach children from an early age to manage money; governments must control advertising aimed at this age group.
• Conclusion: these two major factors can be controlled by parents and the government.
Essay:
It is true that high school students are not renowned for their skills in managing their own finances. Two factors stand out as being responsible for this failing, but there are steps which can be taken to remedy the problem.
High school students are often incapable of managing money for two main reasons. The first is family background. During their formative years, children of high school age are often rebellious, asserting their independence as they prepare to enter adult life. They may say that parents are being overprotective when giving advice about money matters. Secondly, adolescents are very impressionable. They are easily swayed by advertisements, and the media skilfully employs market research to persuade teenage consumers to buy particular goods impulsively. So, regardless of the cost, high school students sometimes borrow on credit to spend on ‘must have’ items, such as designer label clothes or the latest i-Pod.
There are measures which parents and the authoritiesshould take to deal with this issue. From an early age, parents ought to bring up their children to make the most of their pocket money. Parents must encourage patterns of behaviourin which youngsters learn to use money wisely and not to squander their savingsin order to keep up with their peers in school. Government, as well as parental involvement, also has a role to play. Controls must be placed on how the media operates, particularly in the booming field of online advertising.Celebrity endorsement should be banned, as young people of high school age are vulnerable to the association of certain products with glamour and success.
In conclusion, persuading high school students to manage their money wisely is not an easy task for the reasons explained, but parents and government can implement some common-sense solutions.
293 words.