You should spend about 40 minutes on the task.
Write about the following topic:
When famous people such as actors, athletes and rock stars give their opinions, many people listen. Do you think we should pay attention to these opinions?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from you own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample answer
Famous people, such as athletes, actors, and other entertainers, are often interviewed by the media. They not only answer questions about their careers and personal lives, but also often give their opinions on issues of the day. The public tend to give more consideration to the views of the famous than to the opinions of more ordinary people. Should we give greater weight to their opinions? In my opinion, we should not, for the following reasons.
First, famous people are not necessarily well informed about the issues under discussion. While everyone has a right to express his opinion, a willingness to speak does not imply knowledge. Furthermore, a famous person may be an authority in his field, but that does not mean he is also an expert in other fields. For example, an actor who plays a doctor on TV is probably not a true authority on medical matters.
Second, a famous person may not be impartial. He may have financial or other motives for the opinions he espouse. This is particularly true when some type of product is involved. A good example of this would be an entertainer who advertises the goodness of a certain product while he has, in fact, never ever tried it.
Third, a reliance on the opinions of famous people may prevent us from thinking by ourselves. We should all develop the ability to evaluate facts and reach our own conclusions. Though there is no harm to listen to the opinions of others, we must realize that our situations are often very different. What may be true or beneficial for one person, may not be so for others. This is especially true in the case of famous people who, due to their wealth and fame, live in circumstances that are very different from those of ordinary people.
To sum up, it is better for us to learn to evaluate situations and reach our own conclusions than to rely on the opinions of others, no matter how well-known they are. Listening to the views of other people is a good way to gather information so as to make our own decisions. However, we should not accept the opinions of others blindly. Instead, we must consider their knowledge and motivation.
