Argumentative Essay 

The government and individuals are spending too much money

on national celebrations like new year or festivals. Do you
agree or disagree?

Band 9.0 Sample:

People have different views about whether public expenditure on national occasions such as
new year or festivals is too much nowadays. While I agree that governments and individuals
are spending a significant amount of money on those celebrations, I would argue that this
activity is necessary and therefore can be considered acceptable.
It is true that a large amount of money is currently spent on some important celebrations
of a country. Firstly, governments are spending a proportion of their budget on holding
events to celebrate these occasions. For example, much money is being paid for fireworks
on New Year’s eve in many countries around the world. Secondly, individuals also spend
money to have celebrations and parties with their families, which is a common habit in
many areas. For instance, my parents and I often have a special dinner on the final day of
every year.
However, I believe there are great benefits of public spending on national celebrations, and
therefore it is completely justifiable. The first advantage is that this is a great way to
preserve the culture of a nation. To illustrate, Lunar New Year is an important part of the
Vietnamese culture, and holding celebrations for this occasion is necessary to remind
younger generations of this tradition. Additionally, since these occasions are usually the only
times for family members to have time and enjoy together, it is understandable that people
would want to spend money on something that makes them happy. Finally, as there are
only a few national celebrations in a year, the amount of money spent on those days is
unlikely to be too much.
In conclusion, I disagree with the idea that people and governments are spending too much
money on national occasions.