WRITING TASK 2: MIXED ESSAY QUESTIONS

In IELTS, apart from agree/disagree, discussion, and problem/solution essays, you may encounter Mixed Essay questions. Here is an example of such question:

Many people prefer to watch foreign films rather than locally produced films. Why could this be?

Should governments give more financial support to local film industries?

Notice that there are two questions:

1) Why do many people prefer to watch foreign films?

2) Should governments support local film industries?

Your essay should answer both questions. Here is how your essay plan might look like:

INTRODUCTION

BODY PARAGRAPH 1 - Why could this be?

- Topic sentence - several reasons

- First reason - budgets for action, special effects, spectacular locations

- Example - Hollywood blockbusters like Avatar or James Bond films

- Second reason - the most famous actors, actresses, and directors

- Final reason - poor quality local filmmaking in many countries

BODY PARAGRAPH 2 - Should governments give financial support?

- Topic sentence - governments should support local film industries

- Explain why - talented local film-makers need opportunities

- Explain more - they need money to pay film crews, actors etc.

- Explain consequences - would lead to employment, income, tourism

- Example - invent an example about your country!

CONCLUSION

MODEL ANSWER

Foreign vs Local films

It is true that foreign films are more popular in many countries than domestically produced films. There could be several reasons why this is the case, and I believe that governments should promote local film-making by subsidising the industry.

There are various reasons why many people find foreign films more 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 shoot scenes in spectacular locations. Hollywood blockbusters like 'Avatar' or the James Bond films are examples of such productions, and their global appea is undeniable. Another reason why these big-budget films are so successful is that they often star the most famous actors and actresses, and they are made by the 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 amateur film-makers who just 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 did help with these costs, they would see an increase in employment, income from film sales, and perhaps even a rise in tourist numbers. New Zealand, for example, has seen an increase in tourism because the government partly funded the capturing of 'Lord of Rings' films.

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.