Is freedom of speech necessary in a free society?
Sample Response
In the last decade, there has been considerable debate over the role of free speech in a free society. Some object to absolute freedom of speech. Others advocate free speech, arguing that the freedom of speech is the single most important political right of citizens in a civilized society. Whilst I believe that there are strong arguments on both sides, I would suggest that freedom of speech should be protected in all but extreme circumstances. The freedom of speech is important at all levels in a society. Yet it is most important for the governments. A government which does not know what the people feel and think is in a dangerous position. This is how the communist regimes of Eastern Europe were toppled in the 1980s. The same is happening again in other regions of the world today. The governments that muzzle free speech run a risk of pushing their people to behave destructively or to rebel. Furthermore, without free speech no political action is possible and no resistance to injustice and oppression is possible. Without free speech elections would have no meaning at all. Policies of contestants become known to the public and become responsive to public opinion only by virtue of free speech. Between elections the freely expressed opinions of citizens help restrain oppressive rule. Without this freedom it is futile to expect political freedom or consequently economic freedom. In conclusion, I believe that the importance of free speech as a basic and valuable characteristic of a free society cannot be underestimated. It may be challenging for society to allow differences of opinion out into the open; however, the consequences of restricting free speech are likely to be more damaging in the longer term.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Remove unnecessary article Original: the freedom of speech is the single Suggested revision: freedom of speech is the single Why it matters: The abstract concept 'freedom of speech' is normally used without the definite article here.
- 2. Remove unnecessary article Original: The freedom of speech is important Suggested revision: Freedom of speech is important Why it matters: The general abstract concept does not require the definite article.
- 3. Use natural collocation Original: at all levels in a society Suggested revision: at every level of society Why it matters: This is a more idiomatic way to express influence throughout society.
- 4. Remove unnecessary article Original: for the governments Suggested revision: for governments Why it matters: Governments are discussed generally, so the definite article is unnecessary.
- 5. Clarify the reference Original: the Suggested revision: its Why it matters: The possessive determiner clearly links the people to the government being discussed.
- 6. Generalize without article Original: The governments that Suggested revision: Governments that Why it matters: The sentence makes a general statement, so the definite article should be removed.
- 7. Fix the collocation Original: a Suggested revision: the Why it matters: The fixed expression in this context is 'run the risk of'.
- 8. Add introductory comma Original: Without free speech elections Suggested revision: Without free speech, elections Why it matters: A comma should follow the introductory prepositional phrase.
- 9. Use concise wording Original: Policies of contestants Suggested revision: Candidates' policies Why it matters: 'Candidates' is more natural in an election context, and the possessive form is more concise.
- 10. Fix awkward expression Original: differences of opinion out into the open Suggested revision: differences of opinion to be expressed openly Why it matters: The revised phrase states the idea clearly and idiomatically.
- 11. Sentence rewrite Original: Furthermore, without free speech no political action is possible and no resistance to injustice and oppression is possible. Suggested revision: Furthermore, without free speech, neither political action nor resistance to injustice and oppression is possible. Why it matters: The rewrite removes repetition and uses a parallel structure to connect the two consequences clearly.
Suggested Rewrites
- the freedom of speech is the single freedom of speech is the single
- The freedom of speech is important Freedom of speech is important
- at all levels in a society at every level of society
- for the governments for governments
- the its
- The governments that Governments that
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response presents a clear, well-supported case for protecting free speech, with particularly effective explanation of its role in government accountability, elections, and resistance to oppression. Its main weakness is the absence of paragraph divisions, which makes an otherwise logical argument feel unnecessarily dense. Organise the introduction, supporting reasons, and conclusion into distinct paragraphs, and briefly explain the stated exception for extreme circumstances.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear qualified position is sustained through relevant and well-developed reasons concerning accountability, political participation, and resistance to oppression.
Briefly define the extreme circumstances in which restriction might be justified so the qualification in the position is fully developed.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through connected reasons, but presenting the entire response as one paragraph obscures the stages of the argument.
Separate the introduction, main lines of reasoning, and conclusion into distinct paragraphs with clear central purposes.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and appropriately formal, with effective choices for discussing political rights and oppressive government.
Refine the few less natural choices, particularly references to governments and election candidates, to make the wording consistently idiomatic.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide variety of complex structures is controlled accurately, with only a few minor article and punctuation lapses.
Proofread article use in general statements and add punctuation where it would clarify longer sentences.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Is freedom of speech necessary in a free society?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.