This topic frequently appears in IELTS Writing Task 2, particularly in opinion and discussion essays. Based on recent examination trends, questions about income inequality between sports personalities and other professionals have appeared multiple times since 2019, making it a highly relevant topic for IELTS candidates.
Professional athletes vs other careers salary comparison
Sample Question Analysis
Some people think that professional athletes are paid too much money compared to other important professionals such as doctors, nurses, and teachers. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
This question requires candidates to:
- Take a clear position on the salary disparity
- Compare different professions’ economic value
- Support arguments with relevant examples
- Consider multiple perspectives
- Provide a well-reasoned conclusion
Band 9 Sample Essay
The substantial income gap between professional athletes and essential service providers like healthcare workers and educators has sparked considerable debate. While I partially agree that the disparity seems extreme, I believe market forces and unique circumstances justify these differences to some extent.
Professional athletes’ high earnings can be attributed to several legitimate factors. Firstly, their careers are exceptionally short, typically spanning only 5-15 years, during which they must earn enough to support themselves long-term. Additionally, elite athletes generate massive revenues through ticket sales, merchandise, and broadcasting rights, making their high salaries a reflection of their commercial value. For instance, football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence at a club significantly increases its revenue through multiple streams.
However, the argument for more equitable pay distribution holds merit. Healthcare professionals and teachers contribute fundamentally to society’s wellbeing and development, often working longer hours under stressful conditions for relatively modest compensation. Their work has far-reaching impacts on community health and future generations’ success, yet their remuneration rarely reflects this vital role. For example, a senior doctor with decades of experience might earn in a year what a top athlete earns in a week.
That said, implementing artificial salary caps or redistributing earnings would be impractical and potentially counterproductive. The free market system, despite its imperfections, efficiently allocates resources based on supply, demand, and value generation. Instead, efforts should focus on improving compensation for essential professionals through policy measures and increased public funding, rather than criticizing athletes’ earnings.
In conclusion, while the salary gap between athletes and other professionals may seem disproportionate, it reflects complex market dynamics and unique career circumstances. The solution lies not in reducing athletes’ earnings but in elevating the compensation of other crucial professions through systematic policy changes.
Professional athlete during intense training session
Band 7 Sample Essay
Many people believe that professional athletes receive excessive salaries compared to other important professionals. I agree with this viewpoint because there seems to be an unfair distribution of wealth in our society.
The main reason why I think athletes are overpaid is that their contribution to society is mainly entertainment. While sports are important for culture and leisure, they don’t provide essential services like healthcare or education. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to save lives, while sporting events were suspended. This clearly shows whose work is more crucial for society.
Furthermore, the huge salaries of athletes create an imbalance in society. Young people might be discouraged from pursuing careers in teaching or medicine when they see sports stars earning millions for playing games. This could lead to a shortage of qualified professionals in important fields. In many countries, schools struggle to recruit teachers because of low salaries, while sports clubs spend enormous amounts on player transfers.
However, it’s important to acknowledge that professional athletes face unique challenges. Their careers are usually short, and they risk serious injuries. They also need to maintain peak physical condition and face intense competition. Despite these factors, I believe their current salary levels are still too high compared to other professionals.
In conclusion, while athletes deserve fair compensation for their work, the current salary gap between them and essential professionals like doctors and teachers is too wide and needs to be addressed.
Band 6 Sample Essay
In modern society, professional athletes earn very high salaries which many people think is too much money compared to doctors and teachers. I strongly agree that this situation is unfair.
Firstly, athletes get too much money for playing sports. They just play games but get millions of dollars. Doctors and teachers do more important work but get less money. This is not fair because education and health are more important than sports.
Secondly, professional sports players don’t need special education like doctors. Doctors study for many years at university and work very hard to help sick people. Teachers also study a lot and help children learn important things. But athletes only need to be good at sports to earn big money.
Also, the high salaries of athletes make young people want to become sports stars instead of choosing important jobs like teaching. This is bad for society because we need more doctors and teachers. Some countries don’t have enough teachers because the salary is too low.
In conclusion, I think athletes get too much money and this should change. Other important professionals should get higher salaries because their work is more important for society.
Key Vocabulary
- disparity (n) /dɪˈspærəti/ – a difference, especially an unfair one
- remuneration (n) /rɪˌmjuːnəˈreɪʃn/ – payment for work or services
- counterproductive (adj) /ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv/ – having an effect opposite to the one intended
- allocation (n) /ˌæləˈkeɪʃn/ – the act of distributing something for a particular purpose
- fundamental (adj) /ˌfʌndəˈmentl/ – forming the base or core of something
- disproportionate (adj) /ˌdɪsprəˈpɔːʃənət/ – too large or too small in comparison with something else
- equilibrium (n) /ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbriəm/ – a state of balance
- compensation (n) /ˌkɒmpenˈseɪʃn/ – money paid to someone for work
For practice, try writing your own essay on this topic and share it in the comments. Consider these related topics for additional practice:
- Should there be a maximum limit on professional athletes’ salaries?
- Is it fair that entertainment professionals earn more than scientists?
- Should public sector workers be paid more than they currently receive?
