Several languages are in danger of extinction because they are spoken by very small numbers of people. Some people say that governments should spend public money on saving these languages, while others believe that would be a waste of money. Discuss both these views and give your opinion.
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Sample Response
It is often argued that minority languages facing extinction deserve state funding, while others maintain that such expenditure cannot be justified. Although I accept that public budgets are limited, I believe that preserving endangered languages is a worthwhile investment.
On the one hand, supporters of government funding emphasise that minority languages possess irreplaceable cultural and historical value. A language is not merely a meansmean of communication, but a repository of a community's history, oral traditions and ecological knowledge; once it disappears, this heritage is lost irreversibly. State subsidies could also finance bilingual education, community language programmes and digital archives, all of which help small groups transmit their mother tongue topass their mother tongue on to the next generation. From this perspective, spending on language preservation is comparable to funding museums or historical buildings since bothhistorical buildings, since both protect a nation's cultural identity.
On the other hand, critics argue that public resources would be better allocatedthe money would be better spent elsewhere. In their view, governments face competing priorities such as healthcare, education and infrastructure, and using taxpayers' money to sustain a language spoken by only a few hundred people benefits very few citizens. They also point out that language shift is a natural consequence of globalisation: as people migrate to cities and adopt dominant languages for work, minority languages inevitably declinesmaller tongues inevitably decline, and no one can reverse this trend.
Overall, while both perspectives are understandable,In my opinion, both arguments have merit, but the cultural loss is too significant to ignore. Funding does not have to be enormous: evenonly a relatively modest grant for recording and teaching endangered languages could preserve them for future research and for communities themselves. This is a matter of cultural diversity rather than nostalgia.
In conclusion, although opponents reasonably highlight the financial burden, I believe that governments should allocate at least some public money to protecting endangered languages, because their extinction is irreversible.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The essay provides a well-balanced discussion of both perspectives while maintaining a clear and consistent opinion throughout. Sentences are structured with sophisticated grammar and precise vocabulary, ensuring seamless logical progression between paragraphs. To refine the writing further, the main body paragraphs could incorporate a concrete real-world example to bolster the arguments.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The essay thoroughly addresses both sides of the prompt and maintains a clear, well-supported position from introduction to conclusion.
Include specific real-world examples, such as a named indigenous language initiative, to make the supporting points even more concrete.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information is organised logically with clear paragraphing, smooth topic transitions, and effective use of cohesive devices throughout.
Vary transitional phrases slightly to avoid reliance on standard formulas like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'.
Lexical Resource
A wide range of vocabulary is used accurately and naturally with strong awareness of collocation and precise phrasing.
Continue demonstrating sophisticated word choices while ensuring less common phrases fit naturally into context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The essay exhibits a wide range of complex structures executed with consistently high accuracy and strong grammatical control.
Maintain this high level of precision while experimenting with advanced punctuation choices such as semicolons or em-dashes where appropriate.