IELTS 3 Writing Model Essay (Free sample)
Test 1 Task 2 Question
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.
Popular events like the football World Cup and other international sporting occasions are essential in easing international tensions and releasing patriotic emotions in a safe way.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.
You should write at least 250 words.
Test 1 Task 2 Model Essay by an Expert
The audiences for international sporting events like the Olympics or the World Cup today number in the billions. In every corner of the world, television sets are switched on and people cheer for their national team. But do these events ease or increase the tensions and rivalries that exist between nations, as each team looks for victory? In this essay I will argue that though international sporting events are important for creating an international community, we must be aware of the tensions they can create as well.
Many people saw the 2008 Summer Olympics in China as an important step for China and the international community. China’s decision to host these games meant a new openness between China and the West. The presence of so many international spectators and journalists simply would not have been possible in the recent past. We must not too easily believe, however, that all international tensions vanish during Olympic events. Many will remember the controversy surrounding the Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen at the London 2012 Olympics. An American coach accused Ye Shiwen of having cheated, stating that such a remarkable victory would not have been possible otherwise. The event became a memorable part of the Olympics as it quickly became an international incident. While these games can promote openness between old rivals, they can also create further tensions.
In the past such international events have been important for politicians and diplomats, too. One positive example is the famous use of ‘Ping-Pong diplomacy’ that was important for the meeting of Mao Zedong and Richard Nixon in 1972. The Ping-Pong team members were among the first Americans to visit China during the Cold War. This event lead to better relations between the two countries, but international sporting events do not always produce such positive outcomes. In Europe, the 1936 Olympics in Berlin were used by the Nazi Party to show the power and accomplishments of fascism. Many important political leaders were invited to be spectators, and the games were broadcast for the first time to many countries around the world. Hitler and the Nazi Party were praised for their accomplishments. So while such sporting events can be used to create positive meetings between countries, they can also be used for negative ideological purposes.
Today when international sporting events are bigger and have larger audiences than ever before, it is essential to remember both sides of the story. These events have long been useful in creating good relations between rivals, but have also been twisted to serve the wrong purposes. They may be the cause of tensions themselves, but often they create a new openness between nations.
(440 words)
