Society is based on rules and laws. If individuals were free to do whatever they want to do, it could not function. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement?
Sample Response
A society consists of its people and does have its own rules and by-laws which define the ideal conductconducts for individuals livingindividuals who are living in the society. These guiding principles are necessary to avoid any conflict by clearly definingdemarcating society’s acceptable and unacceptable behavioursthe do’s and don’ts of the society. But these rules should not get in the waycome into the way of individual preferences and choices which certainly can create a rift between those who are in power and those who are being governed. To start with, societalsociety regulations are essentiala must have for running an ideal society. In absence of which there will be possible contradictions among people as everyone has its own way of thinking. For instance, in our society, there is a by-law which prohibits any kind of disruptivedisturbing noise from being madeto be produced after 10'o clock at nightin the night. This rule makes sure that even if someone is organisingeven if someone organising a function, he has to stop playing music after the designated time to ensureso as to make sure no one else isgets disturbed. On the other hand, these rules and regulations should not interfere within the individuals’ personal choicespersonal choices of the individual as it is a violation of individual autonomyagainst the individual autonomy of the general public. For exampleJust to exemplify, a state of anarchy in the society is being created after the government of India proposed to make it illegal to sell and consume beef in India. By doing this the government is imposing its policy preferencestheir personal preferences over individual choices. To sum up, it is quite clear from the above arguments that having a defined set of rules and regulations is a prerequisite for society to functionfor the society to function and avoid any ambiguity but at the same time it is essential to make sure these laws do not comethese laws does not comes in the way of individual autonomy.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response offers a clear, balanced position: rules are essential for social order but should respect individual autonomy, and the two examples give the argument a practical basis. Its main limitation is presentation and language control, since the entire essay forms one paragraph and recurring grammar and collocation errors reduce precision. The highest-priority improvement is to separate the argument into clear paragraphs and proofread complex sentences for complete clauses, agreement, and natural phrasing.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response addresses the extent question with a clear qualified position and develops both the need for rules and their proper limits.
Explain more precisely how the second example demonstrates excessive legal interference rather than describing it as anarchy.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument follows a discernible progression and uses appropriate linking phrases, but presenting everything in one paragraph weakens organisation.
Divide the response into an introduction, one paragraph for each main idea, and a conclusion with clear internal topic sentences.
Lexical Resource
There is sufficient range for the topic, including some effective formal vocabulary, but inaccurate collocations occur throughout.
Use natural combinations such as standards of conduct, get in the way, and cause conflict, and avoid overstating meanings.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses a mix of structures, but recurring fragments, agreement errors, and malformed verb phrases reduce accuracy.
Check that every sentence has a complete clause and correct forms such as everyone has their and laws do not come.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Society is based on rules and laws. If individuals were free to do whatever they want to do, it could not function. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.