Spending on the Arts | Writing for Academic IELTS PDF Download

It is a good idea for government money to be spent on the arts i.e. the visual arts (as you see in art galleries), literary arts (books) and the performing arts (music, theatre, dance and film), or whether it should be spent elsewhere, usually on other public services such as education, health, policing etc.

Take a look at the question:
Q. Government investment in the arts, such as music and theatre, is a waste of money. Governments must invest this money in public services instead. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Hint

• In this question, you are given the opinion that spending money on the arts is a waste of money, and it would be better spent on public services.
• You then have to say if you agree or disagree. So you would need to decide what you think and give reasons to support your decision.
• The sample IELTS writing model answer presented here is a balanced argument that partly agrees with this opinion.
• This is made clear in the thesis statement:
  • Although I agree that it is important to spend money on public services, I do not think spending on the arts is a waste of money.
• So the writer does not think it is a 'waste of money'; however, he/she does think the majority of money should go on public services.
• The essay, therefore, needs to explain this, and so is organized as follows:
  • Body 1: Support for spending most money on public services
  • Body 2: Support for spending some on the arts

Sample Answer

• These days, the government spends a large part of its budget not only on public services, but also the arts. Although I agree that it is important to spend money on public services, I do not think spending on the arts is a waste of money.
• There are several reasons for spending a significant amount of the government budget on public services. First and foremost, public services are the things such as hospitals, roads and schools, and these things determine the quality of life that most of us will have. For example, if the government does not spend enough money on hospitals, the health of our society may decline. Similarly, if not enough money is spent on schools, our children may not be properly educated. Also, it will be the poor in our society that will be affected more if we do not spend enough on these things because they are the ones more dependent on such services.
• However, this does not mean that the arts should be completely neglected. To begin, it is difficult for many arts institutions to generate much profit, so without some help from the government, many theatres and other such places may have to close. Moreover, the arts also have an important impact on our quality of life. Many people get great pleasure in going to see music and theatre performances so it is important that the government assists such institutions so that they can continue to provide entertainment to the public.