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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Museums and art galleries should concentrate on local works rather than showing the cultures or artworks from other countries.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer 1: [Disagreement]

Some people say that museums and art galleries should focus on works produced by local artists and preserve local history and culture instead of showcasing international artworks and artefacts. I disagree with this viewpoint because I believe that the diversity of cultures and art forms is what makes these entities valuable and useful.

First and foremost, limiting museums and galleries to only display local works would be a disservice to visitors. Art is a universal language, and people from all over the world come to museums and galleries to learn about different cultures and art forms. By limiting exhibits to local works, museums and galleries would be depriving visitors of the opportunity to experience art from other cultures and learn about them.

Moreover, showcasing art and cultures from other countries also promotes cultural understanding and appreciation. By learning about other cultures, people can become more open-minded and accepting of diversity, which is especially important in today's globalized world. Art can be used as a tool to promote empathy and understanding, and museums and galleries have a responsibility to showcase a diverse range of artworks and cultures to fulfil this role.

Lastly, museums and galleries often collaborate with institutions from other countries to bring in exhibitions that showcase their art and culture. This exchange is crucial in fostering international relationships and promoting diplomacy. If museums and galleries were to only focus on local works, this exchange of culture would be limited, and it would be harder to establish these connections.

In conclusion, museums and galleries should not concentrate solely on local work, but rather embrace the diversity of cultures and art forms to promote understanding, empathy, and cultural exchange. By showcasing a variety of artworks and cultures, these institutions can fulfil their role as promoters of cultural appreciation and education.

Sample Answer 2: [Partial Agreement]
MuseumMuseums and art exhibits have long been at the forefront of preserving and representing cultural values and histories, being utilized by almost all countries throughout the centuries. However, whether they should mainly represent local cultures rather than international collections is open to dispute. I personally believe that traditional museums should focus on outlining the cultural aspects and artworks of the country while having separate museums with items from other countries does not hurt the national feeling.

Educating people about the history and traditions of a country is the primary reason we have museums in the first place. They conserve important cultural specimens, artefacts, artworks and other items to boast about our past and help researchers dig deeper into history. Such museums, which primarily signify our tradition, should comprise things we, as a nation, can be proud of, rather than having internationally acclaimed artworks or sculptures. For instance, many national museums in Europe solely focus on preserving artefacts and artworks from the country and they are quite popular among international tourists.

Having said that, the concept of a museum, in the modern era, has changed to a great extent. We now have aviation museums, war memorials, motor museums, computer museums, archaeological museums and the list goes on. To make these types of museums popular and useful, we have to have international collections. For instance, the Motor Museum in Australia has a collection from more than 20 countries, and they serve their purpose just fine.

To conclude, national and traditional museums should focus on nurturing national history and heritage, but we also need museums with international collections to make them more functional and famous. One does not necessarily diminish the necessity and usefulness of the other.

Model Answer 3: [Disagreement]
Museums and art galleries help visitors better understand the role of history, showcase important artworks, and preserve significant items. But many people opine that the collection should include only the artefacts and artworks of the host country. I disagree with this opinion since art is a medium to express thoughts and ideas beyond boundaries, and the history of nations is interconnected.

Art is an important medium of free expression, and history extends beyond the border. So the collection of a museum should not be confined to geographical boundaries. For example, "Mona Lisa" is a legendary artwork by Leonardo Da Vinci who was an Italian artist in the 15th century. Despite being Italian, Da Vinci is an iconic genius for the whole world. Mona Lisa is now preserved at the Louvre Museum in France, and having this artwork and many other famous international paintings and sculptures, France can only boast of its fine collection that showcases masterpieces, great artworks and world history to the global audience.

Moreover, history is not confined within boundaries, and if this was the case, we would have taught our students only our national history. The fate of nations was interconnected throughout history and it still is. So when we want to teach our children about our history, we must teach them about international events. Since one of the primary objectives of museums is to teach people about history, they must have artworks and collections from the international arena. 

Finally, when we display artefacts and works from foreign countries, we are connecting nations all over the world. Each culture has something new to teach and the cultural richness of a nation depends on how they accept a new culture. From this perspective, having museums that comprise collections only from the host country is a bad idea.

To conclude, museums and art galleries that have international artefacts and artworks besides having national collections are far rich and practical in exchanging cultural aspects and showcasing history.

Sample Answer 4: [Agreement]
Museums and art galleries essentially showcase significant histories and artworks to the general audience both to educate them and preserve important artefacts. Though some people advocate for an international collection in such important places, I firmly believe that local works and national history should always get the highest priority.

To begin with, a single museum can not represent all the important histories of the world due to space and budget issues, and the organisers of public art galleries need an exorbitant amount of money to display famous foreign artworks or sculptures. Thus, a museum should focus on becoming a place where people would learn about their own history and culture rather than being a place where they would wonder what the collections are all about. Visitors of a museum or an art gallery, which even include schoolgoers, should be able to relate the items they see so that they get inspired to foster nationalism and learn about their country, heritage and culture.

Moreover, museums and art exhibits are frequently visited by foreigners who want to get a glimpse of the local culture and history rather than seeing items that they have already seen in other museums perhaps in some other countries. So museums and similar other places become more acceptable when they conserve local culture and present national history. For instance, most of the tourists in my country find the national museum more interesting than other museums we have because our national museum offers a true insight into our past and heritage.

To conclude, museums and art galleries have significant roles in teaching people about their past and nurturing the talents of enthusiastic artists. It is more important that they have local collections and not foreign relics and arts which have little or no meaning to people who visit them.

Sample Answer 5: [Disagreement]
Some people insist that museums and art exhibitions ought to focus on showing local works to visitors instead of artefacts and artworks from overseas. I, however, disagree with this notion and believe that exhibitions of a wider range of artworks, including foreign ones, are quite beneficial to local people and culture.

The primary reason I disagree that museums and art centres should concentrate mainly on displaying local artworks is that it restricts the opportunities for spectators and artists to watch, enjoy and learn about diversified global artworks. Diversification helps citizens learn and appreciate various artworks which eventually enrich the culture of a nation. Since local museums and art galleries are perhaps the most accessible venues for residents and aspiring artists to learn about arts and history, their collections should be as rich as possible.

Another rationale behind my view is that art galleries would offer more benefits when they display artworks created in other regions. This is because exhibitions of galleries could thus let children comprehend brilliant aspects of different nations and their cultures. Art galleries are one of the most common destinations for school trips, and the impressions that students get from these galleries may broaden their horizons. Thus, displaying diversified arts is imperative to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

To conclude, a variety of artworks and artefacts in museums and art galleries would have more positive influences on cultural advancements and developing global perspectives of children and people alike. It is expected that museums and art centres would focus on these important issues when deciding the type of collection they are going to have.

Model Answer 6: [Agreement]

These days, there has been a debate about whether museums and art galleries should prioritise showcasing local works over artworks and cultures from other countries. Some people argue that museums and galleries should focus on local works over displaying items from foreign countries to better promote the local culture and community while also avoiding creating confusion and cultural rip-off. In this essay, I will argue in favour of prioritising local works in museums and galleries over international items.

Firstly, museums and galleries have a responsibility to promote local culture and artists. Displaying works by local artists can support the local economy and encourage emerging talent. It can also help to preserve local traditions and heritage. For example, showcasing traditional crafts and art forms from a particular region can attract tourists and create a sense of pride and identity for local people.

Secondly, exhibiting international artworks and cultures can sometimes lead to cultural appropriation and misrepresentation. This can occur when cultural artefacts are taken out of their original context and displayed in a way that is insensitive or inaccurate. Additionally, displaying international artworks can sometimes lead to a sense of cultural superiority, where foreign works are seen as more valuable or interesting than local ones.

In conclusion, it is important to promote local culture and artists, and museums and art galleries should primarily aim to focus on the art and history of the nation. By doing so, museums and galleries can fulfil their role as cultural institutions that educate and inspire their audiences while promoting local culture and art.

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