Some people believe that if a child commits a crime he or she should be punished, while others think it is the child’s parents who should be punished. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Sample Response
Opinions are divided on the topic of who should bear the most responsibility for crimes committed by minors. There are those who believe that the parents of children who commit crimes should be punished, while others disagree. I believe that while both arguments offer valid points, the decision ultimately depends on the individual circumstances surrounding each crime.
From some people’s perspectiveAccording to some people’s perspectives, all children, regardless of their age,all children regardless of their age should be held accountable for their actions, and any punishmentand that any punishment meted out to the child will serve as a deterrent to others. There is also the beneficial prospect of rehabilitation and instilling a sense of responsibility in the young offenders. Rehabilitation programs aimed at juvenile offenders can effectively changereform their behaviour, thus making them responsible members of society.
Conversely, another perspective contends that parents should be held responsible, especially if negligence or poor upbringing has played a significant role in the child’s actions. The cornerstone of this argument is that parents play a foundational rolevital foundational role in shaping a child’s moral compass. When parents neglect their duties or act as inappropriate role modelsact as an inappropriate role model, they indirectly contribute to a child’s deviant behaviour. For instance, there have been a number of recent cases where children had unrestricted access to firearms at home and committed crimes accidentallycommitted accidental crimes, which pointpoints directly to parental negligence.
In my opinion, a blanket approach cannot be applied to this complex issueapplied in this complex matter. While children must learn about the consequences of their actions, it is also vital to assess parental responsibilityroles in individual cases. A collaborative system which evaluates both the child’s understanding and parental neglect would be most appropriate and beneficial for everyone involved.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The essay gives a thoughtful, nuanced answer, develops both sides with relevant reasoning, and maintains a clear position that responsibility should depend on individual circumstances. Its strongest feature is the controlled progression from competing views to a balanced judgement, while a few awkward collocations and grammatical lapses slightly reduce precision. Refine less natural phrases and sharpen the explanation of how responsibility would be divided in practice.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views are fully addressed, and the qualified opinion is clear, relevant, and well supported.
Make the proposed case-by-case system more concrete by briefly stating when each party should bear responsibility.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is logically sequenced, with distinct paragraph purposes and cohesive links that remain unobtrusive.
Tighten the transition into the first body paragraph so its grammatical structure connects more cleanly to the main claim.
Lexical Resource
A broad and flexible vocabulary conveys complex ideas, though several collocations are slightly unnatural or imprecise.
Use more idiomatic alternatives for phrases such as 'according to some people's perspectives' and 'accidental crimes'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentence forms are used confidently, but occasional faulty parallelism and number agreement remain noticeable.
Check coordination and subject-reference agreement when constructing longer sentences with multiple clauses.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people believe that if a child commits a crime he or she should be punished, while others think it is the child’s parents who should be punished. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.