【答案解析】{{B}}MODEL ANSWER 1{{/B}} I agree that it is the responsibility of the government to provide free facilities for children of working mothers and will outline my reasons below. The provision of such care facilities will benefit the economy as a whole, since more women will be able to work, knowing that their young children are being properly cared for. Women are an underused resource. Very often, women who have spent years earning qualifications then face a stark choice between using those qualifications to get a job or having children. Through the provision of care facilities, women will not have to make this choice. They will be able to return to their careers (if they wish) much sooner after having a child. Doing this will have another benefit. It will make it easier for women to achieve higher positions within companies and help to raise the position in society to one of equality with men. Many economists agree that creating equality between men and women leads to greater economic success. Some people, even though they agree with the arguments presented above, suggest that it is not the responsibility of the government to provide childcare facilities. They believe that people should pay for those facilities themselves or that they should be paid for by companies. I don't think that individuals should pay for these facilities directly, because the cost may dissuade many of them form using the facilities and prevent them from going out and finding work. I also believe that it is not the job of companies to provide these facilities because I believe that companies should focus on their particular area of business rather than on other areas. In conclusion, I think that childcare facilities should be provided for working mothers and that the government is best placed to pay for these facilities. 300 words {{B}}MODEL ANSWER 2{{/B}} I disagree with the suggestion that the government pay for childcare facilities for working mothers. Instead, I believe that parents should pay for these facilities themselves rather than relying on the government, or employers, to do so, In this essay, I shall explain why I think this. The first reason that I disagree is financial. Childcare facilities are expensive and it is also expensive to properly train the staff for .them. The government already has to pay for a wide variety of things and if they pay for more, taxes will inevitably rise. This means that even people who have no children will end up paying for childcare facilities. If employers are made to pay for childcare facilities, this will increase the cost of goods and services. The second reason I disagree is that I believe we need to keep the size of the population under control. Increasing populations are a major cause of environmental damage. If people have to pay for childcare facilities themselves, they are likely only to have the number of children that they can afford rather than producing a higher number of offspring and having the state pay for their care. The third reason that I disagree is that having children—and the number of children you have—is a personal choice. If you have the resources to cover raising three children, for example, and you want to have that number, then that is reasonable. However, if you only have the resources to raise one child, then you should not expect other people—employers and taxpayers—to expend their resources on children that you cannot afford to have. To conclude, I think parents should pay the cost of childcare facilities rather than relying on the government or employers to pay for them. 296 words