Prison is an effective punishment for people who commit crimes.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
5 IELTSbiz learners have answered this Task 2 question and had it marked on the four official criteria; bands ranged from 5.5 to 8, with a median of Band 6. Compare the answers below to see exactly what the higher bands did differently.
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These are learner answers, not model answers — including the ones that scored well. Read them for what the criteria reward and punish, not as text to copy. A memorised essay attached to a slightly different question scores worse than an honest attempt, and examiners recognise recited material quickly.
In this day and age, the forms of punishment for criminals have become an increasingly debated topic in many parts of the world. While some people argue that prison is an effective way to punish offenders, I partly agree with this opinion because imprisonment can bring benefits to criminals, although it may also have negative effects on their mental health.
On the one hand, punishing offenders with imprisonment can benefit their future development. This is because various educational courses are offered in prison to teach criminals how to become responsible members of society. Through these courses, they can gain a deeper understanding of their past behaviour, which may encourage them to become better versions of themselves. For example, offenders can learn about the consequences of their actions through educational programmes. Moreover, vocational training courses can help them develop practical skills, such as cooking or gardening, which may improve their employment opportunities after release. As a result, former prisoners may find it easier to reintegrate into society and become law-abiding citizens. In the long run, this may help reduce the crime rate.
On the other hand, one major reason why imprisonment may not always be an ideal solution is that it can negatively affect criminals’ mental health. Being confined to a prison and deprived of their freedom may cause offenders to feel lonely and frustrated. Furthermore, some former prisoners may struggle with social discrimination after their release, which can make it difficult for them to rebuild their lives. For example, an offender who has served a prison sentence may lose confidence in the future, particularly if they struggle to find a job or rebuild relationships with others. In the long run, these difficulties may contribute to mental health problems. Consequently, even if former prisoners understand the importance of being responsible members of society, they may still find it difficult to reintegrate into their communities.
In conclusion, I partly agree that imprisonment is an effective form of punishment because it can help criminals understand the consequences of their actions and develop useful skills. However, it may also have negative effects on their mental health and make their reintegration into society more difficult. Therefore, governments should combine imprisonment with rehabilitation programmes and provide appropriate support to help former prisoners rebuild their lives.
### Prison as a Form of Punishment
In this day and age, the issue of how criminals should be punished has become increasingly debated in many parts of the world. While some people argue that prison is an effective form of punishment, I partly agree with this opinion because imprisonment can benefit criminals, although it may also have negative effects on their mental health.
On the one hand, imprisonment can benefit criminals' future development. This is because various educational courses are offered in prison to teach offenders how to become responsible members of society. Through these courses, they can gain a deeper understanding of their past behaviour, which may encourage them to become better versions of themselves. Moreover, vocational training can help them develop practical skills, such as cooking or gardening, which may improve their employment opportunities after release. As a result, former prisoners may find it easier to reintegrate into society and become law-abiding citizens. In the long run, this may help reduce the crime rate.
On the other hand, imprisonment may have negative effects on criminals' mental health. Being confined to prison and deprived of their freedom may cause offenders to feel lonely and frustrated. Furthermore, some former prisoners may face social discrimination after their release, making it difficult for them to rebuild their lives. For example, an offender who has served a prison sentence may lose confidence in the future, particularly if they struggle to find a job. In the long run, these difficulties may contribute to mental health problems. Consequently, even if former prisoners understand the importance of being responsible members of society, they may still find it difficult to reintegrate into their communities.
In conclusion, I partly agree that imprisonment is an effective form of punishment because it can help criminals understand the consequences of their actions and develop useful skills. However, it may also negatively affect their mental health and make their reintegration into society more difficult. Therefore, governments should combine imprisonment with rehabilitation programmes and provide appropriate support to help former prisoners rebuild their lives.
In this day and age, the form of punishment for criminals has become an increasingly debated topic in many parts of the world. while some people argue that prison is an effective way to punish the offenders, I partly agree with this opinion because it can not only bring benefits to criminals, but also make a negative impact on criminals’ health.
On the one hand, punishing offenders with imprisonment is essential for their development in the future. This is because there are plenty of relevant courses in prison which will be introduced to criminals in order to teach them how to be responsible people in contemporary society. They can gain a deeper understanding of their behaviors in the past, which encourage them to become better versions of themselves. For example, an offender can learn the consequences of his crime by attending lessons. Moreover, some professional courses will also be introduced also to motivate them to develop an ability such as cooking or planting, which can help them find jobs. As a result, the criminals who have finished their sentences can influence other people. In addition, the crime rate may show a decrease.
On the other hand, one major reason why prison is not an ideal solution for criminals is that it can make them suffer from mental health problem. It means that the offenders are imprisoned in a specific place so they are deprived from freedom, which could make them feel lonely and distressed. Furthermore, criminals could regard themselves as special people among others, which enable them to be negative about their lives. For instance, an offender who serves his sentence and follow the instructors of prison guards in the prison could lose his enthusiasm about the future. In the long run, he can suffer from mental illness, which can weaken his health. Consequently, even though criminals understand the importance of being responsible people, they may suffer from mental problems and cannot live in society.
In conclusion, it is clear that prison can not only help criminals understand their errors but also cause them to suffer from mental health issues. It is recommended that government should introduce relevant regulations to protect society and implement new policies to punish these offenders such as electronic monitoring, while schools are also responsible for students’ behaviors by improving their critical thinking skills.
In this day and age, the form of punishment for criminals has become an increasingly debated topic in many parts of the world. When some prople argue that prison is an effective way to punish the offenders, I partly agree with this opinion because it can bring benefits to criminals but also make a negative impact on criminals’ health.
On the one hand, punishing the offenders with imprisonment is essential for their developments in the future. This is because there are plenty of relatives courses in prison which will be introduce to criminals in order to teach them how to be responsible people in contemporary society. They can have a deeper understanding for their behaviors in the past, which encourage them to become better versions of themselves. For example, an offender can learn the consequences of his crime by having some lessons. Moreover, some professional courses will be introduced also to motivate them to develop an ability such as cooking or planting which can help them find jobs. As a result, The criminals that have finished their processes of punishment can influence other people. In addition, the population of crimes may show a decrease.
On the other hand, one major reason why prison is not an ideal solution for criminals is that it can make them suffer mental problem. It means that the offenders are imprisoned in a specific place so they are derived from freedom which could make them feel lonely and unpleasant. Furthermore, the criminals could regarded themselves as special people among others which enable them to be negative for their lives. For instance, an offender who serve his sentence and follow the instructors of police in the prison could lose his enthoutisasm about the future. In the long run, he can suffer from mental disease which can weaken his health. Consequently, even though the crimials understand the importance of being a responsiable person, they may suffer mental problem and could not live in the society.
In conclusion, it is clear that prison can not only help criminals understand their errors but also make them suffer from mental health. It is recommended that gouvernments should introduce relative regulations to protect society and implement new policies to punish these offenders such as digital controlling, while schools are also responsiable for students’ behaviors by improving their critical thinking skills.
In this day and age, the form of punishment for criminals has become an increasingly debated topic in many parts of the world. When some prople argue that prison is an effective way to punish the offenders, I partly agree with this opinion because it can make a negative impact on criminals’ health.
On the one hand, punishing the offenders with imprisonment is essential for their developments in the future. This is because there are plenty of relatives courses in prison which will be introduce to criminals in order to teach them how to be responsible people in contemporary society. They can have a deeper understanding for their behaviors in the past, which encourage them to become better versions of themselves. For example, an offender can learn the consequences of his crime by having some lessons. Moreover, some professional courses will be introduced also to motivate them to develop an ability such as cooking or planting which can help them find jobs. As a result, The criminals that have finished their processes of punishment can influence other people. In addition, the population of crimes may show a decrease.
On the other hand, one major reason why prison is not an ideal solution for criminals is that it can make them suffer mental problem. It means that the offenders are imprisoned in a specific place so they are derived from freedom which could make them feel lonely and unpleasant. Furthermore, the criminals could regarded themselves as special people among others which enable them to be negative for their lives. For instance, an offender who serve his sentence and follow the instructors of police in the prison could lose his enthoutisasm about the future. In the long run, he can suffer from mental disease which can weaken his health. Consequently, even though the crimials understand the importance of being a responsiable person, they may suffer mental problem and could not live in the society.
In conclusion, it is clear that prison can not only help criminals understand their errors but also make them suffer from mental health. It is recommended that gouvernments should introduce relative regulations to protect society and implement new policies to punish these offenders such as digital controlling, while schools are also responsiable for students’ behaviors by improving their critical thinking skills.
What band do answers to this IELTS question usually get?
Across 5 graded answers on IELTSbiz, bands ranged from 5.5 to 8, with a median of Band 6. Each was marked on Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
What separates the Band 8 answer from the Band 5.5 answer?
The largest difference is Lexical Resource: 8 in the Band 8 answer against 5 in the Band 5.5 answer. Open each answer to read the examiner's reason for every criterion.