Many people prefer to watch foreign films than locally produced films. Why could this be? Should governments give more financial support to local film industries?
Sample Response
It is true that foreign films are more popular in many countries than domestic productionsdomestically produced films. Several factors may explain this preferenceThere could be several reasons why this is the case, and I believe that governments should support local filmmakingpromote local film-making by subsidising the industry.
There are various reasons why many people find foreign films more enjoyable than films produced domesticallymore enjoyable than the films produced in their own countries. Firstly, the established film industries in certain countries have huge budgets for action, special effects and to shoot scenes in spectacular locations. Hollywood blockbusters like 'Avatar' or the James Bond films are examples of such productions, and they appeal to audiences worldwidetheir global appeal is undeniable. Another reason why these big-budget films are so successful is that they often star leading actorsthe most famous actors and actresses, and they are made by highly accomplished producers and directorsthe most accomplished producers and directors. The poor quality, low-budget filmmaking in many countries suffers in comparison.
In my view, governments should support local film industries financially. In every country, there may be talented aspiring filmmakerstalented amateur film-makers who need an opportunityjust need to be given the opportunity to prove themselves. To compete with big-budget productions from overseas, these people need money to pay for film crews, actors and a host of other costs related to producing high-quality films. If governments helpedIf governments did help with these costs, this support could increasethey would see an increase in employment in the film industry, income from film sales, and perhaps even a rise in tourist numbers. New Zealand, for example, has seen an increase in tourism related to the 'Lord of the Rings' films, which were partly funded by government subsidies.
In conclusion, I believe that increased financial support could help to raise the quality of locally made films and allow them to compete with the foreign productions that currently dominate the market.
Why this response received Band 8.5
The essay’s strongest feature is its direct, complete treatment of both questions, with specific examples linking production quality to foreign-film popularity and subsidies to employment, revenue and tourism. The main limitation is minor: the case for financial support assumes that funding will produce these gains without explaining how it should be targeted. To refine the argument, specify conditions such as competitive grants or accountability for funded productions.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both questions are fully answered through well-developed reasons, a clear position, and specific, highly relevant examples.
Refine the funding proposal by explaining briefly how governments could select promising projects and ensure subsidies improve quality.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is skilfully organised into focused paragraphs, and cohesive links guide the reader naturally through causes, policy, outcomes, and conclusion.
Make the conclusion marginally more comprehensive by briefly recalling the production advantages that explain foreign films’ popularity.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and natural, with effective control of film-industry and economic language and only very minor lapses.
Use fully parallel phrasing in the list about budgets, for example “action sequences, special effects, and spectacular locations.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately and flexibly, with only rare minor issues in parallel construction or punctuation.
Refine parallel structure in the sentence about production budgets and hyphenate compound modifiers such as “poor-quality filmmaking.”
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Writing Task 2
Many people prefer to watch foreign films than locally produced films. Why could this be? Should governments give more financial support to local film industries?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.