IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.
IELTS Essay # 1072 - Children to learn the difference between right and wrong
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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.
It is important for children to learn the difference between right and wrong at an early age. Punishment is necessary to help them learn this distinction.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
What sort of punishment should parents and teachers be allowed to use to teach good behaviour to children?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1:
Some believe that parents and teachers should teach young children the distinction between right and wrong at an early age and punishment could be a useful tool for this. I personally believe that retribution and penalty for bad conduct are meant to help children learn lessons and that is why certain punishments - those do not involve physically hurting them - could be useful for their proper growth.
To begin with, early childhood experiences and lessons have lasting impacts on someone’s life and that is why, parents and teachers should try their best to teach morality and good qualities to children while deterring them from growing immoral habits. Children are curious and sometimes immature to understand the consequence of an act. So they need guidance and discipline from parents and mentors. When they repeatedly violate a good rule or do something inappropriate, they should be warned and penalised if necessary. This way, they would understand the consequence of an act and know that they are not appreciated for their bad actions. For instance, if a child tells a lie or hurts another child even after explaining not to do so over and over again, he or she should be punished verbally or deterred from having certain privileges so that they comprehend that their actions have effects. This way they grow up being responsible and reasonable adults.
While physical punishment is no longer used in most developed countries, it is still common in many underdeveloped countries. This form of punishment, in my opinion, should not be used as they are proven to be less useful. More effective penalties could be not talking to the child or not taking him or her to the playground for a day or two. Similarly, parents could refrain from awarding the child with chocolate or toys and reminding the child why he or she does not deserve those. Moreover, parents who have a friendly relationship with their children can express their frustration with a negative act of the child, and that can often work. From my personal experience, I can say that I took matters more seriously when my father stopped talking to me for a certain period of time for something he disliked about me and I vowed many times to myself not to do that again.
To conclude, To conclude, mild punishment is necessary to teach children morality and help them learn to distinguish good from bad. However, this punishment should not be physical but could involve showing frustration and taking away certain privileges temporarily.
Model Answer 2:
Many individuals believe that disciplining children is crucial in teaching them the distinction between what is right and what is wrong. In this essay, I will argue that while it is essential for children to understand the concept of morality from an early age, punishment may not be the most effective approach to achieving this goal. Instead, I believe that a combination of positive reinforcement, open communication, and appropriate guidance can better instil good behaviour and moral values in children.
Rather than relying on punishment to teach children right from wrong, positive reinforcement can be a more effective method. By praising and rewarding good behaviour, children are encouraged to repeat these actions, internalising the values associated with their actions. For example, parents and teachers can offer words of praise, small treats, or additional privileges when a child displays kindness, honesty, or empathy. This approach creates a positive association with moral behaviour, making it more likely for children to embrace and practice these values consistently.
Moreover, instead of resorting to punishment, parents and teachers should engage in open communication with children, explaining the consequences of their actions and the impact they may have on others. By fostering a sense of empathy and understanding, children can develop a deeper appreciation for the implications of their behaviour. For instance, if a child has engaged in a harmful action, discussing the consequences with them and helping them see the potential harm caused can be more impactful than punitive measures.
In teaching good behaviour, adults play a crucial role as role models. Children often mimic the behaviour of their parents and teachers, so it is essential for adults to exemplify moral values in their actions. By consistently demonstrating honesty, respect, and compassion, adults can influence children's behaviour positively. Additionally, providing appropriate guidance when children make mistakes or display inappropriate behaviour can be more beneficial than punitive measures.
In conclusion, while it is undeniably important for children to learn the difference between right and wrong at an early age, the use of punishment as the primary means of teaching morality is not the most effective approach. By creating an environment of trust and understanding, adults can help children develop a strong moral compass, guiding them towards ethical decision-making throughout their lives.
Sample Essay 3:
Education and learning are crucial for every child, and it is not just about academic studies. It is also important to teach children about behaviour and attitude from an early age. Some people believe that punishments may be necessary to ensure that children learn these important lessons. I agree that certain types of verbal and psychological punishment, when used appropriately, can be beneficial for children. In the following paragraphs, I will explain my reasoning.
To commence with, teaching good behaviour and virtues, when children are still young, will be easier both for parents and teachers. Moreover, if this lesson is followed by penalty or retribution when necessary, they will fear and think twice before breaking any rules and behaving unreasonably. Research carried out by the Statistics Center in Semarang shows that plenty could be the most effective tool to teach children good behaviours. This is because when youngsters know that they will be rebuked and punished for a bad action, they will usually stay away from committing such mischievous acts. This research makes it clear that lessons followed by convenience punishments at an early age are likely to be a wise idea to create youngsters become good members of society.
However, the punishment should always aim to teach good lessons not to intimidate a child. Thus physical punishment is unnecessary. Teachers and parents should always think about alternative ways before imposing any punishment on a child. If the child commits the same abominable act several times, then a minor punishment to teach a lesson should be used. Sometimes taking away a favourite toy from a child can be an effective punishment. The teacher and parents should keep in mind that the main purpose of the punishment is to teach the child a lesson not to hurt him or her physically.
After the discussion, it can be concluded that useful lessons to instil good manners and morality among children should be taught as early as possible and an effective punishment like rebuking or taking away favourite toys are good alternative to other forms of punishment.
[ Written by - Gustriza Erda ]
Sample Essay 4:
Some people believe that children can not distinguish between right and wrong, and parents and teachers should take the burden to instil morality and responsibility in them even if it means imposing punishment sometimes. I agree with this opinion, but I believe that they must first explain and advise them, and only after several violations or impish acts, they should use punishment. We also need to keep in mind that punishment should not affect a child negatively; rather it must be constructive for them.
Nowadays children are vulnerable to being negatively affected by their surroundings, peers and electronic and social media. Hence parents and teachers must teach them morality and make them aware of distinguishing right from wrong. At an early age, children have boundless curiosity and they may imitate what they see, and that turns out to be disastrous at times. To avoid that minor punishment is the best way as fear of punishment makes them stay away from many wrongdoings. To prove that, Stanford University had done many surveys on children and the results show that 80% of children who had already been punished for their particular mistakes had not repeated the same.
But we need to understand that punishments should always be associated with some lessons for children. It must not be physically or mentally harmful. For example, the World's Nursery in Japan asks children to plant trees as a punishment. Many schools in India punish children by asking them to run a few kilometres. Such punishments are constructive for children's health and society as well and could also teach children that their actions have consequences.
To conclude, I believe that children have to learn about positives and negatives and punishment is one of the effective ways to guide them to learn this distinction. However, parents and teachers must use constructive and positive punishments to show them the right path.
[ Written by - Mahesh ]
In my opinion, punishment is necessary, but it should be more constructive and not severe. The child should feel that what he/she has done is wrong and if he/she repeats that, it will not be encouraged by anyone. Physically beating or keeping him grounded won’t help. This may create a worse effect on a child’s mental state - it may make him become more violent and repeat his acts again to show his anger. As an example, I have seen many children behave very fiercely despite their parents' strict punishment for misbehaviours.
As parents and teachers, we should first understand the reason behind our children's acts and then to counselling to them. We should employ mild punishments, for example, running for 10 minutes in the field, or cleaning the neighbourhood area in the evening and so on. Doing some sort of community service could be a good punishment for our children which will make them realize their mistakes as well as build their character.
In my view, punishments are important to teach our children and not to encourage them to repeat a bad act. however, this sort of punishment must be chosen very carefully so that our children learn from them and do not become more violent due to punishments.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
What sort of punishment should parents and teachers be allowed to use to teach good behaviour to children?
Many parents use physical or tough mental punishments to discipline or control the behaviour of their children. Others prefer to use various methods to reward good conduct and penalise misbehaviour. I believe that, in this modern era, strict punishment is not effective in teaching children right from wrong. This essay will also discuss the types of punishment parents and teachers should be permitted to use to teach children good conduct.
To begin with, physical or tough psychological punishment is often responsible for the severe damage caused to some children. A family or a school, where children are punished physically for negative behaviours, is not a very conducive environment for a child to grow up in. In such an environment, it is more likely that the children will grow up to become depressed, violent and miserable. According to many acclaimed psychological analysts, strict punishment in childhood often creates trauma in the children's minds and they do not respect the person who violently teaches them morality. Hence, punishing children to teach them values may backfire.
Moreover, in this modern era, strict punishment is not seen as a good tool to teach children to learn good behaviours. Rather, motivation, rewards, and verbal reprimands can work more effectively. As a parent, for example, I have been more successful in teaching my child something important through amicable discussions, reward mechanism- to reward my child every time she does what I intend to teach her, and following this behaviour myself. I do not think that severe punishment would have been a better tool for me or any other parent I know.
Now regarding what sort of punishments teachers and parents should be allowed to use when it comes to teaching youngsters morality is a very risky area to walk through. In my opinion, when they do something that we do not like or want them to teach a lesson, we can sometimes rebuke them, talk to them to do something with an authoritative voice, take away some rewards that they like and stop talking to them for a while until they understand the reason.
To conclude, harsh punishment is not suitable to teach children something good or discipline them. Parents can use some milder methods to show them that their actions have some reactions, but inspiration, motivation and conducive conversations work best.
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