WRITING TASK 2

DO THE ADVANTAGES OUTWEIGH THE DISADVANTAGES

Some museums these days charge an admission fee while others do not. Does the practice of
asking an admission fee outweigh any disadvantages?

Discuss, including examples from your own knowledge and experience

Although many museums today remain open to the public for free, there are some that have already
started charging nominal fees for admission. These establishments claim that doing so is important in
order to fund the museum operations. However, I am of the opinion that there are more drawbacks
than benefits associated with implementing this policy.

Arguably, the advantage of having an admission fee for the museum is that it provides a steady stream
of income that can be used to improve the quality and variety of displays to the ultimate benefit of
visitors. Small museums often struggle to stay open if they rely solely on government funding since it
may be inadequate to meet even the most rudimentary costs of staffing, power, security and
maintenance. Hence, with these conditions, this extra revenue may be the difference between these
museums’ survival and inevitable closure.

However, this scheme may also be detrimental to the museums. Many find such fees largely
unacceptable. It is hard enough to get people of any age to go to museums as it is, without the added
disincentive of a fee to add to their reasons to stay away. Museums seem to appeal to very few, and
those that are government-run are poorly maintained and badly managed. Displays are largely static,
uninspired and unchanged for years at a time. Charging a fee, in these circumstances, will only serve to
dissuade people from paying these places a visit.

As a consequence, instead of going to a museum, people just choose to spend their money on other
cheaper and more worthwhile activities, considerably reducing viewership in museums and prompting
governments or operators to completely shut them down in place of other more popular or profitable
entertainment or recreational facilities. In this situation, therefore, instead of the admission fees
helping the museums to thrive, they instead cause these establishments to completely stop operating.

In conclusion, the disadvantages of charging an admission fee far outweigh its advantages. Having such
policy will only discourage more people from visiting museums, ultimately defeating the purpose of
imposing it in the first place.

WORD COUNT: 348

WRITING TASK 2
DO THE ADVANTAGES OUTWEIGH THE DISADVANTAGES

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task

Write about the following topic:

Some people think that it would be better for large companies and industry
to move to regional areas outside large urban centres. Do you think the
advantages of this proposition outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge
or experience.

Write at least 250 words.