June 2022, IELTS Exam, Writing Task 2

IELTS ESSAY TOPIC

Governments in many countries are replacing old buildings such as art galleries and town halls with new ones. Is this a positive or negative development?

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

Sample Answer 1

Higher authorities in numerous nations are replacing old structures such as art galleries and town halls with new constructions. In my opinion, it is a negative development: because this practice damages our national treasures and negatively impacts the state’s exchequer.

To begin with, the trend of removing old structures to make new ones is counterproductive for our cultural heritage. These buildings are a treasure because they depict our history and culture through their architecture. Removing them and construing modern designs instead of them would deprive the current generation and posterity of gaining knowledge about the sites of historical importance. For example, the recent development in Chandigarh city of redesigning the old buildings with contemporary style has jeopardized the marvellous french architecture of renowned architect Le Corbusier.

Moreover, knocking down the old infrastructure is an imprudent approach to the nation’s economy because it adversely impacts tourism. There is no denying this conviction that a considerable number of tourists find immense pleasure in seeing the old structures. Due to this, the economy of many countries thrives primarily on the vintage buildings they have at their disposal. Many travellers visit such places and contribute to the country’s exchequer by purchasing goods and services. Moreover, many local vendors earn a livelihood from tourists by selling artefacts and souvenirs. Jaipur city in India is a prime example where the contribution of historical monuments is massive in the government’s tax collection.

To conclude, removing the old structures to construct buildings with contemporary designs is not a worthwhile proposition, because it harms our cultural heritage and negatively impacts the nation’s economy.

Sample Answer 2

The higher authorities of numerous nations are replacing old monuments such as art galleries and town halls with new ones. In my opinion, it is a positive development, because it is essential for the holistic development of these structures and the safety of visitors.

To commence with, replacing older buildings with new ones is significant for these monuments’ development because, in the older times, engineering techniques such as drawings of building maps were not so advanced. The engineering techniques in recent decades have undergone a paradigm shift. Therefore, this exercise assists these buildings in renovating according to new developments in structural engineering. The art gallery of Chandigarh is a prime example, which was firstly demolished and reconstructed as per new engineering techniques. It is now attracting more tourists and providing better space for virtual arts.

Furthermore, this is a prudent approach in terms of safety measures. It is intuitively true that because of the older age of such monuments, the materials used for construction become fragile and lose their strength. Therefore there is always a risk associated with the strength and stability of these monuments. Moreover, this approach assists in the security of these buildings: because, nowadays, structural engineering is a developed science, and its effective utilisation is a must to avoid unforeseen mishaps. For example, in Mumbai city, many old monuments have been demolished and reconstructed due to the risk of collapsing.

To summarise, it is a worthwhile proposition to replace the old monuments with new ones because this approach leads them towards their overall development: furthermore, it is a judicious approach from the security perspective.