This is an IELTS writing task 2 sample answer essay on the topic of classical music from the real IELTS exam.
Please consider supporting my efforts to creative high quality IELTS materials for students around the world by signing up for my Patreon (and so you won’t miss out on any of my exclusive IELTS Ebooks)!
Dave
IELTS Essay: Classical Music
In some countries, there are fewer young people who listen to or play classical music these days.
Why is this?
Should young people be encouraged to play or perform classical music?
It is becoming less and less common for students to both listen to and play classical musical. In my opinion, this is the result of changing tastes and it should be countered by concerned parents when possible.
The reason fewer young people today opt to listen to or take up playing classical music is that there are other, more modern options. In the past, classical music helped students gain entrance into elite universities and was a potential career path. This is still true but to a lesser extent as the diversification of musical styles and the growth of the music industry now allows students to develop skills with music more suited to their particular preferences. A young person today is more likely to want to learn the drums to play in a rock group or practice rapping. This applies for listening habits as well and is reflected in the dominance of pop music.
Regardless, it is still advisable for parents to instill a love of classical music and encourage playing an instrument. First of all, appreciating classical music requires greater mental engagement and patience than other popular genres. In an era of shorter attention spans and immediate gratification, a love of complex melodies can serve as a counter-balance. Secondly, the benefits of playing an instrument are self-evident. Decades of substantial research support the claims that it aids cognitive development generally and one’s creativity more specifically. This is apart from the discipline one must develop through years of intensive practice.
In conclusion, though it is natural younger people today opt for more popular genres, there is great value in sustaining an interest in classical music. It is therefore up to parents to gently encourage such a pursuit.
Analysis
1. It is becoming less and less common for students to both listen to and play classical musical. 2. In my opinion, this is the result of changing tastes and it should be countered by concerned parents when possible.
- Paraphrase the overall essay topic.
- Write a clear opinion. Read more about introductions here.
1. The reason fewer young people today opt to listen to or take up playing classical music is that there are other, more modern options. 2. In the past, classical music helped students gain entrance into elite universities and was a potential career path. 3. This is still true but to a lesser extent as the diversification of musical styles and the growth of the music industry now allows students to develop skills with music more suited to their particular preferences. 4. A young person today is more likely to want to learn the drums to play in a rock group or practice rapping. 5. This applies for listening habits as well and is reflected in the dominance of pop music.
- Write a topic sentence with a clear main idea at the end.
- Explain your main idea.
- Develop it with specific detail as fully as possible.
- Continue to develop it with an example or a hypothetical example.
- Extend it to both parts of the question.
1. Regardless, it is still advisable for parents to instill a love of classical music and encourage playing an instrument. 2. First of all, appreciating classical music requires greater mental engagement and patience than other popular genres. 3. In an era of shorter attention spans and immediate gratification, a love of complex melodies can serve as a counter-balance. 4. Secondly, the benefits of playing an instrument are self-evident. 5. Decades of substantial research support the claims that it aids cognitive development generally and one’s creativity more specifically. 6. This is apart from the discipline one must develop through years of intensive practice.
- Write a new topic sentence with a new main idea at the end.
- Explain your new main idea.
- Include specific details and examples.
- Switch to a second main idea if you have one.
- And develop the second idea fully.
- Conclude the paragraph or finish developing your last idea.
1. In conclusion, though it is natural younger people today opt for more popular genres, there is great value in sustaining an interest in classical music. 2. It is therefore up to parents to gently encourage such a pursuit.
- Summarise your main ideas.
- Include a final thought. Read more about conclusions here.
Vocabulary
What do the words in bold below mean?
It is becoming less and less common for students to both listen to and play classical musical. In my opinion, this is the result of changing tastes and it should be countered by concerned parents when possible.
The reason fewer young people today opt to listen to or take up playing classical music is that there are other, more modern options. In the past, classical music helped students gain entrance into elite universities and was a potential career path. This is still true but to a lesser extent as the diversification of musical styles and the growth of the music industry now allows students to develop skills with music more suited to their particular preferences. A young person today is more likely to want to learn the drums to play in a rock group or practice rapping. This applies for listening habits as well and is reflected in the dominance of pop music.
Regardless, it is still advisable for parents to instill a love of classical music and encourage playing an instrument. First of all, appreciating classical music requires greater mental engagement and patience than other popular genres. In an era of shorter attention spans and immediate gratification, a love of complex melodies can serve as a counter-balance. Secondly, the benefits of playing an instrument are self-evident. Decades of substantial research support the claims that it aids cognitive development generally and one’s creativity more specifically. This is apart from the discipline one must develop through years of intensive practice.
In conclusion, though it is natural younger people today opt for more popular genres, there is great value in sustaining an interest in classical music. It is therefore up to parents to gently encourage such a pursuit.
Answers
less and less common not popular
classical music Beethoven, Mozart, etc.
changing tastes new inclinations
countered by fought by
concerned parents mothers and fathers who care
when possible if they can
opt choose
more modern options newer genres
in the past a long time ago
gain entrance into elite universities get into top schools
potential career path could be a job
to a lesser extent not as important now
diversification more options
growth of the music industry more money put into music
more suited to prefer
particular preferences what they like
applies for also true for
habits what you do over and over
reflected mirrored
dominance stronger than
regardless nonetheless
advisable a good idea
instill encourage
encourage suggest
first of all firstly
appreciating caring a lot about
requires greater mental engagement must pay attention to
patience being able to wait
genres types of music
era of shorter attention spans people today can’t pay attention for as long
immediate gratification satisfaction right away
complex melodies complicated songs
serve as a counter-balance help fight against
secondly next
self-evident obvious
decades many years
substantial research support the claims a lot of science backs up
aids cognitive development generally helps people learn/think better
creativity imagination
specifically in particular
apart different from
discipline restraint
intensive practice working hard
great value lots of importance in
sustaining keeping alive
therefore thus
gently encourage suggest without too much force
pursuit area of study
Pronunciation
lɛs ænd lɛs ˈkɒmən
ˈklæsɪkəl ˈmjuːzɪkəl
ˈʧeɪnʤɪŋ teɪsts
ˈkaʊntəd baɪ
kənˈsɜːnd ˈpeərənts
wɛn ˈpɒsəbl
ɒpt
mɔː ˈmɒdən ˈɒpʃənz
ɪn ðə pɑːst
geɪn ˈɛntrəns ˈɪntuː eɪˈliːt ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsɪtiz
pəʊˈtɛnʃəl kəˈrɪə pɑːθ
tuː ə ˈlɛsər ɪksˈtɛnt
daɪˌvɜːsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən
grəʊθ ɒv ðə ˈmjuːzɪk ˈɪndəstri
mɔː ˈsjuːtɪd tuː
pəˈtɪkjʊlə ˈprɛfərənsɪz
əˈplaɪz fɔː
ˈhæbɪts
rɪˈflɛktɪd
ˈdɒmɪnəns
rɪˈgɑːdlɪs
ədˈvaɪzəbl
ɪnˈstɪl
ɪnˈkʌrɪʤ
fɜːst ɒv ɔːl
əˈpriːʃɪeɪtɪŋ
rɪˈkwaɪəz ˈgreɪtə ˈmɛntl ɪnˈgeɪʤmənt
ˈpeɪʃəns
ˈ(d)ʒɑːŋrəz
ˈɪərə ɒv ˈʃɔːtər əˈtɛnʃ(ə)n spænz
ɪˈmiːdiət ˌgrætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən
ˈkɒmplɛks ˈmɛlədiz
sɜːv æz ə ˈkaʊntə-ˈbæləns
ˈsɛkəndli
sɛlf-ˈɛvɪdənt
ˈdɛkeɪdz
səbˈstænʃəl rɪˈsɜːʧ səˈpɔːt ðə kleɪmz
eɪdz ˈkɒgnɪtɪv dɪˈvɛləpmənt ˈʤɛnərəli
ˌkriːeɪˈtɪvɪti
spəˈsɪfɪk(ə)li
əˈpɑːt
ˈdɪsɪplɪn
ɪnˈtɛnsɪv ˈpræktɪs
greɪt ˈvæljuː
səsˈteɪnɪŋ
ˈðeəfɔː
ˈʤɛntli ɪnˈkʌrɪʤ
pəˈsjuːt
Vocabulary Practice
Remember and fill in the blanks:
It is becoming l______________________n for students to both listen to and play c________________l. In my opinion, this is the result of c_________________s and it should be c________________y c_____________________s w___________________e.
The reason fewer young people today o___t to listen to or take up playing classical music is that there are other, m______________________s. I_____________t, classical music helped students g_____________________o e____________________s and was a p______________________h. This is still true but t________________________t as the d__________________n of musical styles and the g__________________________________y now allows students to develop skills with music m______________o their p__________________s. A young person today is more likely to want to learn the drums to play in a rock group or practice rapping. This a______________r listening h________s as well and is r________________d in the d______________e of pop music.
R_______________s, it is still a________________e for parents to i___________l a love of classical music and e_________________e playing an instrument. F______________l, a________________________g classical music r______________________________________t and p_________e than other popular g_________s. In an e_______________________________________s and i_____________________n, a love of c___________________s can s____________________________e. S_____________y, the benefits of playing an instrument are s______________t. D_________s of s__________________________________________s that it a__________________________________y and one’s c_____________y more s_______________y. This is a______t from the d_____________e one must develop through years of i_______________________e.
In conclusion, though it is natural younger people today opt for more popular genres, there is g______________e in s_________________g an interest in classical music. It is t______________e up to parents to g______________________e such a p___________t.
Listening Practice
Learn more about this topic in the video below and practice with these activities:
Reading Practice
Read more about this topic and use these ideas to practice:
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2020/01/conservatories-sexual-harassment-abuse/604351/
Speaking Practice
Practice with the following speaking questions from the real IELTS speaking exam:
Music
- Do you like music?
- Which types of music do you like?
- Would you like to learn a musical instrument?
- Do you prefer listening to music by yourself or with someone else?
Writing Practice
Practice with the related topic below and then check with my sample answer:
Some people think that the most important function of music is to help people relax.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Try to expplain thesis statement properly with
Hi,
Thanks for the lesson.
I have written my answer like the following.
I would really appreciate it if you could, kindly, take a look and gave me some feedback.
Thanks in advance,
Ghazal
Seemingly, for some reasons, the younger generation is not interested in classical music, however, since recent studies have shown that it is very beneficial to people’s health and well-being it is strongly recommended that people dedicate time to listening to or performing classical music.
Why classical music is less appealing to the younger generation? First of all, compared to the dynamic and rhythmic nature of contemporary music, say, pop or jazz, classical music for the Millennial and Generation Zs is considered to be very boring due to the lack of tempo or rhythm. Moreover, because classical symphonies are quite lengthy, they do not fit the intolerant taste of the younger people. Additionally, there exists this stigma that classical music suits old people and, also there is this tendency that we often hear it in our grandparents’ house. Then, a quick Google search of “Classical music is for old people” and finding hundreds of articles explaining this phenomenon reinforces this stigma. Finally, it is the subject matter of the pop or jazz music that captivates the younger generations’ attention compared to a wordless, bland symphony by Bach.
On the other hand, well-researched studies have shown that in this frantic and chaotic world listening to classical music is quite advantageous in so many ways. First, it can increase concentration skills and boost memory retention. In addition, it can act as a natural pain reliever and can aid sleeplessness. Finally, it improves an individual’s productivity and helps people performing their tasks more efficiently.
All in all, for the younger generation, classical music is not as interesting as contemporary music, since, it is boring, lengthy, and wordless. However, research has revealed that it can be quite useful for a person’s healthy being.
Your essay is a good one, but what you failed to do is put 1 idea in a paragraph. Your ideas are too many for one paragraph, hence you failed to appropriately explain points. Kindly look at that.
Have two ideas per paragraph is absolutely acceptable Abigail as long as they are both well-developed.
I prefer one fully developed but like to show students different approaches as well.