Model answer

The government's investment in arts, music and theatre is a waste of money. Governments should invest
these funds in public services instead.

To what extent do you agree with this statement?

This is a full band-9 answer for to what extent you agree or disagree IELTS Writing question above:

It is often argued that the government should finance public services instead of spending its budget on arts,
music and theatre. Although I agree that government’s investments in public services play a very important
role, I think that proper funding of arts sector is also crucial for the society.

On the one hand, the government should definitely allocate a large part of its budget on public services. This
economic sector determines the overall quality of life, ensuring that some basic services, like schools,
hospitals and roads, are available to all citizens irrespective of their income or social status. Public services
satisfy the primary needs of the society and thus need a proper funding, while artists and musicians are not
curing diseases or building houses, so their role is secondary. For example, any country can live without
music concerts, but absence of medicine will create significant problems. That’s why the government should
adequately finance public services in the first place.

On the other hand, arts, music and theatre are not a waste of money, since they are an integral part of the
society’s cultural and intellectual development and amusement. Firstly, art and music draw people’s attention
to diverse phenomena and represent the inward significance of things. Quite often a single drawing, piece or
song can exhort myriads of people to reconsider their attitude towards some situation. This way, art serves as
a major source of nation’s personal and intellectual development. Moreover, visiting museums, watching
movies and listening to music are common ways of relaxation and entertainment. Thus, art sector is also
important for the society and should not be neglected.

To conclude, though I agree that the government should allocate a large part of its budget on such urgent
needs of the society like public services, I think that arts, music and theatre should also be financed since
they play an important role in people’s development and entertainment.
 Introduction
Aim to write three sentences around 60 words in total.
 Sentence 1 – Paraphrase the task question or write a general statement relating to the topic using
synonyms of the key words used in the question. E.g. These days, many local governments spend large
portions of their budget not only on public services, but also on the visual arts.
 Sentence 2 – State your opinion or point of view on the question being asked. E.g – Although I agree that it
is important to invest in local amenities, I do not think spending on the visual arts is a waste of money.
 Sentence 3 – Give an essay overview including a summarizing phrase like: E.g. This essay will discuss this
issue using examples to support arguments and demonstrate points.
Supporting Paragraphs
The two supporting paragraphs should include your ideas and supporting examples to answer the task
question. Aim to write only two supporting paragraphs with roughly 85 words in each. Each paragraph
should contain the following four sentences and stick to one idea per paragraph:
Paragraph 1:
 Sentence 1 – State your 1st position. Eg. On the one hand, spending a significant amount of the government
budget on public services is beneficial for society.
 Sentence 2 – Explain why you hold that position. Eg. Providing for basic amenities, such as hospitals,
roads, and schools, helps to determine the quality of life that most citizens will have.
 Sentence 3 – Give an academic example that backs up your idea. Eg. For example, a recent survey by
Education Today shows that countries that spend more on schools have a population that is higher in
literacy, by 65%, compared to those that dedicate no money to education.
 Sentence 4 – Summarise the paragraph showing how your example links your idea/argument back to the
main idea. Eg. Therefore it is apparent that spending on public services is a worthwhile investment for a
government.
Paragraph 2:
 Sentence 1 – State your 2nd position. Eg. However, this does not mean that the visual arts should be
completely neglected.
 Sentence 2 – Explain why you hold that position. Eg. The visual arts also have an important impact on our
quality of life.
 Sentence 3 – Give an academic example that backs up your idea. Eg. For example, a recent study
conducted by the World Health Organization concluded that individuals that regularly visit art galleries are
cited as being 20% happier in life than people who do not.
 Sentence 4 – Summarise the paragraph showing how your example links your idea/argument back to the
main idea. Eg. Seeing the health benefits that many people get from the visual arts, it is important that the
government assists such institutions so that they can continue to provide pleasure to the public.
Conclusion
For the conclusion, aim to write just one or two sentences that paraphrase what you’ve discussed in the
essay. Try to keep to under 45 words.
 Sentence 1 – Summarise the essay. Be sure to start this sentence with an appropriate linking phrase (i.e. In
conclusion, To sum up, Consequently) followed by an overall summary of what you’ve just written. E.g. To
sum up, although there are clear benefits of ensuring a large amount of investment goes into public services,
I do not believe spending money on the arts is a waste of money as this too provides important benefits.
 Sentence 2 – Give a Final Thought. Eg. In the future, governments should consider budgeting for both.