Recent Exam Question in IELTS Writing Task 2 (Subjects in School)

IELTS Writing Task 2 presents an essay question where you must showcase your writing skills by providing adequate reasons and elaborating on opinions with relevant examples from your experience and knowledge. The good news is that specialist knowledge on a particular topic is not required to write an effective essay. Let’s try out the following IELTS Writing Task 2 question that recently appeared in the exam:

Question:

Some people believe that subjects such as art, music, drama, and creative writing have a bright future. Therefore, schools should spend more time teaching these subjects. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Sample Answer:

A section of society advocates for an increase in the amount of time schools allocate to creative art and related subjects, arguing that it would lead to significant success in the future. However, it is essential to recognize that careers in this domain are unpredictable and often entail considerable struggle.

To begin with, certain parents argue in favor of schools devoting more time to subjects like art, drama, or creative writing. Their reasoning is primarily influenced by observing prominent celebrities such as actors and musicians who earn substantial wealth and achieve great success. Nevertheless, they tend to overlook the immense challenges and hurdles that individuals face while pursuing a career in the arts. For instance, in a city like Mumbai, thousands of aspiring actors may dream of making it big, but only a few manage to attain their goals, often after years of persistent effort.

On the other hand, continuing with the current emphasis on subjects like science and mathematics can lead to the production of a larger number of engineers, scientists, and teachers, effectively catering to the demands of various industries. For instance, when a company has a hundred vacancies annually for software engineers, there is a greater need for engineering graduates. Additionally, careers in science and mathematics tend to offer more stable monthly salaries, unlike the unpredictable nature of income associated with art, where earnings may rely solely on the sale of produced artwork or sketches.

In conclusion, while some individuals advocate for a stronger focus on art-related subjects in schools, I disagree with this stance. I believe that other subjects, such as mathematics and science, are more crucial for children as they align with industry demands.

(291 words)

Useful Tips:

To enhance your writing in this section, consider incorporating the following words and phrases:

Connectives:

To begin with/To start with/To commence with

However/Nevertheless/ On the contrary/On the other hand

Apart from this/Other than this

In spite of this/Besides this/Despite this

On the whole/To sum up/Overall/To conclude with

The reason behind this is/One of the reasons/Major reason behind this is

For example/For instance/To cite an example

Vocabulary:

You may notice the following vocabulary used in the above essay, and likewise, you can use words that can help you score higher in this section:

Unpredictable

Enormous/huge

Prevails

Emphasis