Name: Date: reading (10 marks) 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WRITING TASK 3 MODEL ANSWER

Should museums be free or should visitors pay for admission? Discuss.

Some people think it is important that museums are free, to provide education for children. However, 

others argue that museums are entertainment so visitors should be charged to view the collections. 

This essay will present the arguments in favour of and against charging for museums. I will argue that 

museums should be free because of their educational value for children.

Those in favour of entry fees to museums have some valid arguments. Governments have to decide 

how to prioritize their resources, and it is important to fund schools, policing and health care. These 

should be more important than art, dinosaurs and historic artefacts. Museums can be expensive to 

build and maintain, and the day-to-day running costs can be a major drain on public funds. While some 

museums cater for a broad section of the population, many contain collections of interest to relatively 

few people. It is a good idea to open such collections to the whole world by putting them online, and 

this would also save a lot of money.

However, many people argue that governments should fund museums. They help bring history alive 

and can motivate children to learn more and study harder. Many state-owned museums have seen a 

huge increase in the numbers of visitors since they stopped charging admission fees. Much money is 

still collected through voluntary contributions and revenue is also derived from gift shops and museum 

cafés. In fact the whole city benefits whenever people come to visit its museums.

ADDITIONAL WRITING TASK 3

Should the internet be available to everyone or should there sometimes be restrictions?