IELTS Writing Samples

This essay topic was seen in a recent IELTS test in India

Many people argue that museums and art galleries should present the nation’s art, as opposed to artworks from other countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Sample Band 8 Essay

The cultural value of engaging with museums and art galleries is unquestionable; they exert a great deal of influence on our perception of the world. It is only reasonable to ponder whether or not these outlets of culture should concentrate their efforts on presenting the nation’s own art, and not that of other countries. In my opinion, there should be an attempt to strike a balance and put the objects of national art in the spotlight, while allowing the public to get acquainted with foreign artworks to a certain extent.

If people were to only find sculptures and paintings by national artists in their local museums, that would have a number of positive effects, such as the fame the artists of that country would gain and the pride its citizens would feel for their fellow countrymen. It would promote patriotism and strengthen the image of the country in the eyes of its inhabitants. Local artists would also receive more financial assistance from the government as their works would generate a significant amount of interest, potentially resulting in further development of the local art. However, in order to evolve art needs fresh ideas, and without exposure to a wider range of creativity the world provides, the evolution of local arts may be hindered.

People enjoy art because it appeals to their inner sense of beauty and triggers strong emotions, and whether the masterpiece that causes these feelings belongs to a local or foreign artist is irrelevant. Talent knows no geographical boundaries; therefore, the emphasis should be on how much joy or amazement the work of art brings, rather than on its origin. If that principle were to be followed, we would never have to choose between local and international art. Reducing our museums or galleries’ collections to local art works, in my view, would be harmful and go against the democratic nature of art.

To sum up, it seems to me that a country has nothing to lose by allowing its people to admire art created elsewhere in the world. A conscious choice by the government to support local artists while hosting exhibitions from other countries could prove the most beneficial.

Teacher’s comment: The writer provided a well-developed response to the topic with pertinent, expanded, and supported ideas that fully address all aspects of the task. He/she rationally arranged information and ideas, effectively handled all areas of cohesiveness, and made adequate and effective use of paragraphing. There is a broad range of vocabulary used with flexibility and fluency to convey clear concepts. The uncommon lexical items have been used appropriately, with almost no flaws in word choice and collocation. The writer employs a variety of sentence forms while ensuring that most of the sentences are free of errors. The combination of these factors makes IELTS Band 8 or 8.5 very likely for this essay.

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This essay topic was seen in a recent IELTS test in Canada

Today’s young generation is facing many problems at school and at home. What are the problems? What can parents do to help their teenage children?

Sample Band 8 Essay

Young people today are under a lot of pressure, which seems to come from many directions. The problems they are experiencing happen not only at school, but also at home, and it seems that without adult guidance, our young generation will continue to struggle.

Teenage years have never been simple, and many would agree that the amount of challenges has only increased with the passage of time. Bullying has been a problem for quite a while, and children and adolescents would have experienced it at school in the past, but then it would stop at home. At present, however, things have been made worse by social media penetrating the supposedly safe space of our teenagers. The unfortunate behaviour of their peers can now reach them even in their bedrooms, causing them constant distress.

Another issue troubling many young people is the pressure to succeed by their families. Whether at school or at home, they often feel as if they are not smart enough, which creates overwhelm and despair. Understandably, their parents are pursuing a worthy goal of ensuring their children get a great start in life; however, many teens feel that they are failing their families when they don’t live up to their expectations. This often leads to dishonest and unethical behaviour, such as cheating on tests or plagiarising other students’ work. When uncovered, these incidents have a profound effect on young people’s future careers, not to mention their emotional well-being.

It is hard to underestimate the importance of parental support to navigating life as a young person. From helping teens build a positive body image and self-esteem, to handling classmates’ difficult behaviour, to guidance where study is concerned, parents can make a world of difference. Talking to their sons and daughters about matters that worry them, listening and making non-judgmental suggestions are great ways to help. Getting a professional involved where necessary and engaging with teachers, councilors and coaches is another opportunity for parents to provide assistance. Last but not least, parents can make their children better and happier people by simply giving them unconditional love.

To sum up, being a young person in the modern world isn’t easy. By banding together and paying careful attention to their teens, families can help them overcome any obstacles to becoming successful adults.

Teacher’s comment: The writer’s response fully covered every aspect of the task. Their arguments are strong, comprehensive, and well-supported. The effective use of paraphrasing, referencing, substitution, information sequencing, and paragraphing in this essay contributes to its high level of coherence and cohesion. The writer is able to clearly explain their message because to their extensive vocabulary and careful word selection. This essay has many examples of uncommon lexical items, all appropriately used. The writer has a great control of grammar, they follow the rules of punctuation and use complex sentence structures very well. Overall, this essay is likely to get Band 8 or 8.5 in IELTS

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