IELTS Commentry: IELTS essay, topic: Museums and art galleries should present only the national art (agree/disagree)

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.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of Band 8