Academic Writing - Model Answer (Task 2)

All museums and art galleries should be free because they are an important part of a countries culture. How far do you agree with this statement?

Countries keep their history, heritage, culture and art in museums and art galleries for people to view. In some cases entrance to these buildings is free of charge and on other occasions visitors are expected to pay a fee.

Some museums are free such as the Taj Mahal in India and this allows millions of visitors to enjoy a rich cultural experience. These resources belong to a country’s past and should be appreciated by all. Displaying them for free is one way of doing this. Similarly, art galleries that house valuable paintings should allow people to sample what was important to artists and society hundreds of years ago. These paintings are a window into the lifestyle of our ancestors.

However, we should not forget that a museum and an art gallery have expenses that they need to cover. Employees have to be paid, buildings renovated, and ancient works of art require expensive maintenance and restoration. If an entrance fee is not charged then visitors would not have the opportunity to enjoy these works of art in the first place. Also, visitors will appreciate a nation’s national treasures more if they have to pay to view them and this brings valuable income into a country.

I support the idea of paying an entrance fee to gain access to these buildings but this should not be too expensive so that everyone has an opportunity to experience a country’s culture. A small fee will enable a museum to cover its expenses and provide important exhibits to visitors.

Question taken from Get ready for IELTS Writing p. 23