IELTS WRITING TASK 2

In today’s world, private companies rather than the government pay for and conduct most scientific research. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

In the modern age, scientific research is done and financially supported by private companies, not the government. Although this phenomenon can bring some benefits, I think that these can be eclipsed by drawbacks.

On the one hand, there are some advantages of scientific research conducted by private firms. First of all, supports from these organizations are stronger than those of the government, which is attributed to the sustainable financial potential of private companies. Since the financial issue is solved completely, scientists can be motivated to do more research and dedicate themselves to them. Additionally, in developing countries, it is better for research to be done by private firms instead of the government, because the authority has to allocate state budget for other social aspects like education, health care, and transportation.

On the other hand, I believe that several drawbacks can be brought. First and foremost, scientific research conducted by private companies seems to be profit-oriented, as these organizations only support potential research to gain money and reputation from that. This may put scientists under pressure with being successful in doing research, rather than motivation, as if they fail, financial support will be cut. Moreover, since the main purpose of private companies’ support for research is making money from its success, these companies would sell scientific products with an exorbitant price that ordinary citizens cannot afford. It would result in the social imbalance between the rich and the poor in accessing novel advanced scientific research, and even other several problems.

In summary, although private companies’ support for scientific research can be advantageous in some aspects, I strongly believe that the adverse drawbacks outweigh the benefits.