Band 7+: Art is considered an essential part of all cultures throughout the world. However, these days fewer and fewer people appreciate art and turn their focus to science, technology and business. Why do you think this is? What could be done to encourage more people to take interest in the arts?

It is generally considered that art plays an integral role in society because through artworks artists convey the very essence of their culture. In my opinion, this should definitely be part of the school curriculum as this subject is likely to help children develop creativity and broaden their horizons, but it should not be done at the expense of the rest of the syllabus.

One evident reason why art plays a crucial role in children’s education is that it serves as a powerful platform for nurturing their creative skills. Be it learning about art criticism or mastering the skill of creating one, children also gain insight into how they can see the world from different angles, which in turn fosters their broad- and open-mindedness. This is another skill they may soon grow to appreciate, having developed it through art, because however daunting the task at their future work may seem, it will be this particular soft skill that will help them troubleshoot the issue.

Art alone, however, must not be perceived as one solution for all problems of adulthood which is yet to come; therefore, the number of art classes should not dominate over the rest of subjects. Should the council, responsible for the curriculum, try to place all other subjects in the background for the sake of art, they are bound to worsen their students’ chances of acquiring the hard skills they will need for their future occupations. Solely with art, no person can learn to be a good doctor or a scientist. Another drawback is that students will less likely be able to exist in the world outside their imagination, fostered purely by art. For instance, were physical education eliminated from the syllabus for the sake of art, children would have noticeable issues with their health as their bodies would not be properly developed.

In conclusion, while art can surely be considered a powerful tool for fostering students’ creative minds, which they could make use of later in life, other subjects should not be neglected at the expense of it. In case this happened, however, children’s prospects would be the ones to noticeably decline.