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2021

IELTS essay, topic: Is it acceptable that enormous sums are paid for pieces of art when many people around the world live in poverty?

This is a model response to a Writing Task 2 topic from High Scorer’s Choice IELTS Practice Tests book series (reprinted with permission). This answer is close to IELTS Band 9.

Set 4 Academic book, Practice Test 18

Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

The fact that enormous sums are paid for pieces of art is not acceptable at a time when many people around the world live in poverty. Discuss this statement and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Band 9 Essay

It is true that pieces of art in today’s world can change hands for enormous sums. Works by artists such as Picasso, da Vinci and Rembrandt have been sold for millions of dollars. Recently, a Modigliani was sold to a billionaire for one hundred and seventy million dollars. It certainly seems obscene that such figures are spent when many people around the world live in poverty.

The work of many charities would be transformed by the money generated by just one of these art sales and in turn, the lives of ordinary people in need would be transformed. Medicines, food and shelter amongst other things could easily be provided, saving lots of lives, many of which would be children. When the issue is looked at from this point of view, the art sales world certainly seems obscene.

However, in my opinion, things are unlikely to change. Human greed is endemic and people who have the drive to earn that amount of money and who actually have access to these sums in cash are not often people who will part with their wealth. Lots of prosperous people support many charities, but it is unlikely that they would completely relinquish their access to the luxuries that accompany their lives. The works of art are also often seen as investments in themselves, to be held on to for a period of time and then resold at a profit.

In conclusion, in an ideal world, the vast sums of money that are spent on fine and rare works of art would be better spent on helping those in need. In reality, however, this is unlikely to take place.

Go here for more IELTS Band 9 Essays

Talk about a time you had to learn the words of something (model answers for Speaking Part 2 & 3)

In today’s IELTS Speaking lesson Adam is going to help you do really well, if you get this topic in your Speaking test. Adam spent 10 years examining IELTS candidates for the British Council and he is the best person to tell you how to answer Speaking Part 2 and Part 3 questions related to this topic.

You will learn:

– What you can talk about (it doesn’t have to be a poem or a song!)
– What expressions and grammar would work well for this question
– What a good Speaking Part 2 answer should look like (a full 2-minute demonstration from Adam!)
– What Part 3 questions the examiner might ask you if you’re a weak Band 6 or a solid Band 7+. That’s right, people on different levels get different groups of questions!

So, grab a pen and paper and give Adam your undivided attention for the next 15 minutes. It will be REALLY good for your IELTS score!

Watch the video on YouTube here

 

Go here to get Adam to assess your Speaking, estimate you the score you’re likely to get now and tell you how to score higher.

The Part 2 topic Adam talks about in this lesson is,

Describe a time you had to learn the words of something (e.g. a poem or a song) and then say or sing it from memory. You should say:

– Where you were
– Who was listening to you
– What you had to say or sing,
– And explain how you felt about saying or singing something you had learnt.

As you know, Speaking Part 2 and Part 3 questions are related, so Adam continues to give you the Part 3 questions that the examiner might ask. He also gives you model answers for all the questions.

The Part 3 questions Adam talks about are below. For every question Adam suggests an answer, including some great expressions and impressive vocabulary.

Speaking Part 3 questions

Band 6 or lower questions – if you get these, your examiner thinks you’re a Band 6.

– Why do you think it’s true that most young children enjoy learning songs and poems?
– Do you think it’s easier to remember the words to something as a child and more difficult when we become adults?
– Do you think learning songs and poems is a waste of time?

Band 7 or higher questions – if you get these, your examiner thinks you’re a Band 7+ candidate.

– How practical is it for younger students to learn facts about the world (e.g. dates in history)?
– Are there any techniques that schoolchildren can use to remember new information more easily?
– How important do you think it is to teach young students to find and check information for themselves?
– Let’s talk about the value of knowledge.
– Do you think it’s a good idea to use public money for funding museums?
– Do you think it is true that each generation must depend on the knowledge passed on from previous generations?
– Which would benefit a society more, more people with a broad general knowledge or more people with specialized knowledge?

Enjoy the lesson, give it a thumbs up and leave a comment to tell me what you think!