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?
Sample Response
Tourism is a major driver for the economies of several countries, for instance, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, The Bahamas, etc. People come to these countries for a vacation and also to learn about the country’s culture by visiting national monuments, art galleries, museums, etc. Thus the question arises, should the entry to art galleries and museums be free?
Art galleries and museums can serve as a source of income to the government or the organisation owning it. Also, these structures need regular maintenance to keep them up to date and without a fee, it can become difficult to arrange required money to maintain them. In addition to this, if the art gallery or museum becomes a success, the revenue emanating from it can not only be used to expand existing infrastructure but also build new such structures.
However, apart from tourists, the local public should also be taken into account. The local people may not be able to afford the entry fee, especially those of a developing country and thus may miss out on important information about their motherland. A youngster missing out, on such information may be found wanting during discussions on the culture of his homeland when he visits foreign countries for study or work. Moreover, with people tending to adopt foreign culture easily these days, it is critical that the home culture is infused in them to preserve the integrity and originality of a nation. All of these can be encouraged by making entry to museums and art galleries free to local people. Apart from this, for students, it becomes easy to relate to the characters and events in their history books when they see them portrayed in the gallery or museum. Schools can organise free trips as part of learning series to these places.
In conclusion, I strongly feel that the entry to museums and art galleries should be free as they are an important part of a country’s culture. The maintenance of these structures can be sponsored through individual donations or government support.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Introduce examples correctly Original: countries, for instance, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, The Bahamas, etc. Suggested revision: countries, such as Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and the Bahamas Why it matters: “Such as” integrates the examples grammatically and removes the unnecessary “etc.”
- 2. Use a colon for the question Original: Thus the question arises, Suggested revision: Thus, the question arises: Why it matters: A colon correctly introduces the direct question, and the introductory adverb takes a comma.
- 3. Use natural financial wording Original: revenue emanating from it Suggested revision: revenue generated by it Why it matters: “Revenue generated by” is the conventional phrase for income produced by an attraction.
- 4. Fix parallel structure Original: but also build new such structures Suggested revision: but also to build new structures of this kind Why it matters: The “not only … but also” construction requires parallel infinitives, and the noun order is corrected.
- 5. Use a precise group noun Original: the local public Suggested revision: local residents Why it matters: “Local residents” is the natural term for people who live in the area.
- 6. Correct the preposition and number Original: especially those of a developing country Suggested revision: especially those in developing countries Why it matters: People live “in” countries, and the general comparison requires a plural noun.
- 7. Remove the misplaced comma Original: missing out, on such information Suggested revision: missing out on such information Why it matters: No comma may separate the phrasal verb “miss out on” from its object.
- 8. Use neutral wording Original: motherland Suggested revision: country Why it matters: “Their country” is more neutral and precise in formal academic prose.
- 9. Add article and natural noun Original: as part of learning series Suggested revision: as part of a learning programme Why it matters: The singular count phrase needs an article, and “learning programme” is more idiomatic.
- 10. Use funding terminology Original: can be sponsored through Suggested revision: can be funded by Why it matters: Maintenance is “funded by” donations or public support rather than “sponsored through” them.
- 11. Keep the purposes parallel Original: for a vacation and also to learn Suggested revision: for vacations and to learn Why it matters: The plural noun and infinitive form a cleaner parallel statement of the two purposes.
- 12. Complete the finite list Original: art galleries, museums, etc. Suggested revision: art galleries and museums Why it matters: The sentence already names the relevant attraction types, so “etc.” is unnecessary.
Suggested Rewrites
- countries, for instance, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, The Bahamas, etc. countries, such as Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and the Bahamas
- Thus the question arises, Thus, the question arises:
- revenue emanating from it revenue generated by it
- but also build new such structures but also to build new structures of this kind
- the local public local residents
- especially those of a developing country especially those in developing countries
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response’s strongest feature is its well-developed explanation of cultural and educational access, supported by relevant consequences for local people and students. Its main limitation is that the argument first supports charging visitors, then advocates free entry mainly for locals, while the conclusion endorses free entry generally without fully resolving this distinction. The highest-priority improvement is to state a precise position early and consistently evaluate funding options against it.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Response
The essay presents relevant arguments on funding and cultural access, but its position on free entry for everyone versus only local people is not fully consistent.
Define in the introduction whether entry should be universally free or selectively subsidised, then make every paragraph support that exact position.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are organised into a clear sequence of introduction, financial counterargument, access benefits, and conclusion, with effective overall progression.
Use a sharper transition before the access paragraph to show explicitly how that reasoning outweighs the preceding financial objection.
Lexical Resource
A broad and generally effective vocabulary supports nuanced discussion, although a few phrases are awkward or imprecise.
Refine collocations such as ‘learning series,’ ‘home culture is infused in them,’ and ‘build new such structures’ into more natural academic English.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex sentences with generally clear meaning, but agreement, pronoun reference, article, and punctuation errors recur.
Proofread complex sentences for singular–plural consistency and clearer reference, particularly when switching between galleries, museums, organisations, and people.
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IELTS Writing 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?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.