In what scenarios would using require or include be more appropriate than exec() for including PHP script output as a string?

When you want to include PHP script output as a string, it is more appropriate to use require or include instead of exec() for security and performance reasons. Using exec() to execute PHP scripts can be risky as it allows the execution of arbitrary commands on the server, posing a security threat. Additionally, require or include are specifically designed for including PHP scripts and are more efficient in terms of performance.

ob_start();
require 'path/to/script.php';
$scriptOutput = ob_get_clean();