CD IELTS Prep
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Task 2 · Discussion (both views) · Culture

Should museums return what they hold?

A cultural-property discussion essay where the band 9 answer separates the strongest argument for keeping objects from the weakest one.

The question

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

Many major museums hold objects that were removed from other countries in the past. Some people believe these objects should be returned to their countries of origin, while others argue they are better preserved and more widely seen where they are. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

A 250-word discursive essay — the half of the paper that carries two thirds of the marks. This prompt is original, written in the standard format for teaching purposes — it is not taken from any past paper.

What separates the three answers

The 6.5 balances ownership against preservation, the 7.5 questions whether the preservation claim still holds, and the 9 rejects the weak version of that claim while taking the strong version seriously.

The three answers

Band 6.5

268 words (the task asks for at least 250)

The answer works. It addresses the task, the reader follows it, and the meaning survives — but ideas stay general, linking is mechanical, wording repeats, and small errors are visible throughout.

The answer

Many famous museums in the Europe and the America have the objects which were taken from the other countries in the past. Some people think that these objects must be returned to their original countries, but other people think that it is better to keep them where they are now. This essay will discuss the both opinions.

On the one hand, many people believe that the objects should go back. The main reason is that they were taken without the permission, often during the colonial period, so the original countries are the real owners. Moreover, these objects are the part of the identity of those countries, and the young generation should see them in their own country and not travel to the abroad4. Also it is not fair that a country must pay the ticket to see its own history. Some of these objects are used in the religious ceremonies also, so for the local people they are not only the art.

On the other hand, the museums say that they protect the objects. They have the special equipment for the temperature and the humidity2, and the expert staff who can repair the damage. In addition, the big museums in the capital cities receive the millions of visitors every year, so more people can learn about the different cultures. If the objects are returned, maybe only the few people will see them.3

In conclusion, the both sides have the good arguments. In my opinion, the museums should return the most important objects, but they can keep the other objects and also make the copies, so everybody is happy1.

What an examiner notices

  1. 1. Task response

    “so everybody is happy”

    The essay ends by asserting that its compromise satisfies both sides, without testing it against either argument it has just presented.

  2. 2. Task response

    “They have the special equipment for the temperature and the humidity”

    The preservation claim is reported as the museums make it. Whether the countries of origin now have equivalent facilities is the obvious question, and it is never asked.

  3. 3. Coherence and cohesion

    “If the objects are returned, maybe only the few people will see them.”

    A prediction placed at the end of the second view with nothing to support it and no response from the first view, which the paragraph never revisits.

  4. 4. Lexical resource

    “the young generation should see them in their own country and not travel to the abroad”

    'Travel to the abroad' is a literal translation. Meaning is clear, but the phrase is not English.

One honest caveat

Band labels here describe what each piece of writing demonstrates against the four published assessment areas, paraphrased in plain language. They are teaching illustrations produced for this site, not official material, and no sample has been marked by a test provider. Real scripts are marked whole; two answers with the same label can still look quite different from each other, and nothing on this page can promise anyone a particular result.

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