IELTS WRITTING TASK 2 "Art classes should not be a compulsory subject"

Art classes, like painting and drawing, are bit as important as other subjects, so some people think that it should not be a compulsory subject at high school.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

This issue of educating students remains controversial. Some people think that art classes are not necessary to be the main curriculum in high school. While I agree with this view, I believe that other factors are equally important.

On the one hand, there are some reasons that mainstream educational should not put art subject in the main curriculum. Firstly, there might be several students who may feel burdensome if they have no artistic talent. For instance, they get a low grade in art class, which might hold their total average grade down. It could be hard for them to apply for scholarships. Secondly, art classes consume too much of students' time. As I see art classes seem to be useless on the practical side because nowadays the entrance exams do not include art in the mandatory tests (math, literature, English,...). If students who have artistic talent, they will apply for the university of art and also have other exams to test their skill.

Nevertheless, I believe that school should provide a well-round education because there are some students needed to develop their artistic skill in classes. Over more, art classes not only boost creative thinking and also serving as a channel of stress relief for students. After having a stressful academic study, art classes will help students to stress, expand their interest and stimulating their hobbies in the study.

In conclusion, while art classes are a bit as important, I believe that art classes outweigh all other motivators.

Hello quynh huong,

I think you've done a good job, as you clearly see the purpose of your essay! However, in its current form it is probably too short.

I would advise you to describe your ideas more thoroughly because IELTS 2 writing task requires appropriate vocabulary.

Moreover, the task says: to what extent do you agree or disagree? Don't hesitate to explain that you partly agree with the statement. Make sure you stick to the same position. First, you write: I agree with this view... (art classes should not be a compulsory subject); in conclusion you state: I believe that art classes outweigh all other motivators. Please accurately check how you state your opinion.

Best luck for IELTS!

Please do not forget that you need to meet the 250 minimum word requirement in the task 2 essay. You only wrote 248 words and yes, you will still receive percentage points deductions for the missing 2 words. Though seemingly insignificant, every point matters. So losing even just a fraction could mean the difference between a passing or failing score for you in the end. Always strive to meet the minimum word count. Writing 5 lines per paragraph should help you automatically meet that consideration.

You also did not stick to the discussion instruction. The instruction was for you to discuss: To what extent do you agree or disagree? You changed the discussion instruction by saying: While I agree with this view, I believe that other factors are equally important. That is not the question being asked. You are to offer a response based solely on the discussion topic provided. Your total essay went against the discussion parameters as delivered by the original prompt. Hence, this essay cannot get a passing score.

This is a single opinion extent essay. You misunderstood the discussion requirements and in the process, ended up discussing a topic that you created, not the topic that was given to you. As such, the examiner cannot give you a passing score. You must understand the discussion instructions and learn to format your response based on that requirement. An extent essay is presented as:

Par. 1: Restatement + extent response to the question
Par. 2: Strong reason 1 that shows support for your response
Par. 3: Strong reason 2 that further proves the strength of your opinion
Par. 4: Prompt restatement + discussion recap + repeat of your opinion

You cannot have a partial dis/agreement in this essay. You do not have a middle ground option in the discussion. You are scored on the clarity of your opinion and your discussion defense. The scoring requires you to pick one side and defend it. You cannot have a middle ground opinion because that means you do not have an opinion at all.

As you can see from the paragraph format above, your work did not come close to the required discussion presentation / format. So you need to work further on understanding the different discussion types for the Task 2 essay and how to best frame your response for the highest possible overall score.

@quynh huong
Hi,
To this type of essay, in the introduction, you should paraphrase the topic
In the thesis statement: you should answer the question Agree or disagree. You need to clarify your viewpoint.
Ex:
It is the fact that .......... Personally, I agree that ...........

I think you should choose one side in this case instead.
Conclusion: Paraphrase the prompt, your viewpoint, and ideas in topic sentences 1 and 2
Hope it helps.