In Some Countries Celebrities Earn More Salary than Senior Politicians- IELTS Writing Task 2

Nowadays celebrities earn more money than politicians. What are the reasons for this? Is it a positive or negative development?

Outline

Essay Type

Direct Question Essay

Introduction

Paragraph 1 : ( State your opinion) In major countries famous people earn much more money than some of the politicians.

Body Paragraphs

Paragraph 1: There are two main reasons why celebrities generate more income than politicians.

Paragraph 2: The big difference in the earnings of politicians and celebs is negative mainly because of less pay.

Conclusion

Summarize your answers

Sample Essay

In major countries, celebrities are well known and have fans all over the world. As a result, they earn much more money than some politicians who are either from local areas or work at a national level. Moreover, people are intrigued more by the gossip and entertainment provided by celebrities than the debates of the politicians.  But, in my opinion, I believe that it is a negative development overall.

There are two central reasons why celebrities generate more income than politicians. One of them is that there are more ways available for celebrities to earn money with the advent of the Internet, such as online streaming services. They are no more dependent on movies or music videos to make them popular. Platforms like Netflix, Youtube and television have opened up a lot of avenues for them to maintain their traction and make money in the process. Secondly, they showcase their talent with sheer hard work and maintain their stardom. These starlets work day in and out throughout the year and keep themselves fit through regular exercise and proper diet. Due to this, they become role models of the youth who follow them on social media and increase their net worth.

In spite of these facts, the considerable difference in the earnings of politicians and celebs is unfortunate. Celebrities may represent our country from the entertainment field, but politicians are the leaders of our nation.  However, due to less pay, many politicians shirk from work which affects the administration of the country. More pay would produce more attentive public servants and encourage the youth to engage in politics for the betterment of the nation and themselves. Secondly, high salaries would work as anti-corruption measures. For example, in Singapore, the prime minister earns $1.7 million a year, which is four times more than the salary of the US president. These high salaries in Singapore, apart from decreasing corruption, are also seen to attract the best talent, who would otherwise go into finance or computing. High salaries have seen these politicians more eager to represent their constituents’ interests and reduce corruption among these country’s heads.

In conclusion, the fact that celebrities are paid more than political leaders now is caused by a wider variety of income sources available to them and supported by the social norm that a politician should not be a profit-driven professional. However, I believe this is a negative trend that may lead to more political corruption and less talented governments.

Vocabulary

• Corruption 

Definition : dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.
Eg. The journalist wants to expose corruption in high places.

• Trend 

Definition : a general direction in which something is developing or changing.
Eg . There has been an upward trend in sales and profit margin.

• Variety

Definition : the quality or state of being different or diverse;
Eg. There is a wide variety of food available in the market.

• Finance 

Definition : monetary support for an enterprise.
Eg.  Banks are important sources of finance for the public.

• Computing 

Definition : the use or operation of computers.
Eg.  There has been a huge increase in development in the field of mathematics and computing.

• Constituents 

Definition : a member of an area which elects a representative to a legislative body.
Eg. The MP is playing on his constituents’ sense of regional identity to win votes.

• Sheer 

Definition : nothing other than; unmitigated
Eg.  His sheer hard work helped him to win the competition.

• Stardom 

Definition : the state or status of being a very famous or talented entertainer or sports player.
Eg. Her rise to stardom has been meteoric.

• Gossip 

Definition : casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.
Eg. He became the subject of much local gossip.

• Intrigued 

Definition : arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate.
Eg. They were intrigued by your question.