Is freedom of speech necessary in a free society?
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Sample Response
Human beings have an unquestionable need to express themselves and their needs through various forms, the most common of which is speech. Therefore, my opinion is that freedom of speechthat the freedom of speech is of vital importance in order for a society to be called “free”.
Freedom of speech brings about numerous benefits which can be put into two aspects. The first concerns the nation as a wholeThe first one is for a nation. Freedom of speech, provided that it is protected by law, enables the press or a citizen to expose wrongdoingshow the wrongdoings of particular authoritiesone or some specific authorities. This enables careful investigationsgives a chance for careful inquiries to ensure the transparency of those authoritiestransparency of the authority. Thus, corruption can be curbedhampered. Another consequenceAnother consequent outcome is that the nation becomes appealing to both domestic and foreign investors, which boosts its economic growth a great deal. Given the freedom of speech, the press, or broadly speaking, the media, can also help voters make choices in electionsassist people in elections. Citizens can have a clearer view of the nominees through information from the media besides their campaigns to pick up the best person to lead the country. The second aspect concerns individuals in societyThe other aspect is for each individual living in a society. Any citizen should be free to say what she believes is right and helpful for her life and her community. It means that people can express their opinionsspeak up their opinion when something is wrong, illegal, or negatively affects their liveswhen there is something wrong, illegal, or negatively affect their lives. For instance, a group of citizens can express disapproval ofshow disapproval with an unfair policy on tax payment publicly through a demonstration or inon the media. This can put pressure on the government to consider their request and work out a solution. If people’s voicesvoice is respected, they will feel that their need of self expression is satisfied. Thus, the community becomes worth-living with people with a high sense of well-being.
In a nutshell, freedom of speech, once respected and guaranteed by law, is essential for a healthy society as it helps improve the quality of governmentadjust the quality of the government and protect people from injustice. That is why it should be protectedencouraged more widely.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response answers the question directly and develops a substantial case through national and individual benefits, with clear examples and a consistent position. Its main limitation is uneven precision in expression, as several collocations and grammatical forms sound awkward despite clear meaning; the highest-priority improvement is to revise these phrases for idiomatic accuracy while dividing the long body discussion into more clearly signposted stages.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is direct and consistent, while the national and individual benefits are developed with relevant reasoning and examples.
Qualify the less certain economic-investment claim or explain its causal link more fully to make every supporting point equally convincing.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses clearly from societal to individual benefits, but the single long body paragraph contains several distinct stages.
Separate the national and individual dimensions into focused paragraphs and use referencing to connect their implications.
Lexical Resource
The response demonstrates a broad vocabulary, although recurring awkward collocations reduce precision and naturalness.
Replace expressions such as 'put into two aspects,' 'speak up their opinion,' and 'worth-living' with idiomatic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are used frequently and meaning remains clear, despite several errors in agreement, articles, and verb forms.
Proofread clause-level agreement and verb patterns, particularly constructions such as 'something ... negatively affects their lives'.