It is Important for Children to Learn the Difference Between Right and Wrong at an Early Age – IELTS Writing Task 2
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Contents
It is usually important to agree or disagree with a certain fact or piece of information in opinion essays. Your argument must support one of two opposing views in the essay.
Given below is an example of an IELTS Writing task 2 opinion essay. Let’s understand how to frame the essay from the ideas we have.
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?
Outline
Essay Type
Opinion essay
Introduction
State your opinion clearly (whether you agree or disagree). Explain in brief what you are going to write in the body of your essay.
Some people argue that punishment is essential to help youngsters learn to distinguish between right and wrong.
Body
Paragraph 1: Children learn what is appropriate via punishment and discipline.
Paragraph 2: Limits and regulations are necessary for children.
Conclusion
Restate your opinion in clear and direct sentences.
Sample Essay
Adults have a vital role to play in teaching children to recognise and regulate their behaviour. Some people argue that punishment is essential to help youngsters learn to distinguish between right and wrong. I strongly agree with this. Punishment aids a child’s development. Otherwise, the youngster would not understand the negative ramifications of their actions. In the following paragraphs, I shall discuss my opinion and give supporting reasons.
It is widely accepted that how adults respond to a child’s conduct has long-term consequences. It has an impact on how a kid thinks, acts, feels, and interacts with others. Children learn what is appropriate via punishment and discipline. When children are taught the distinction between right and wrong through punishment, they understand the repercussions and are more likely to cease doing so.
Children learn by example. Hence, it is important for parents to act as a model for how they want their children to behave. Limits and regulations are necessary for children. The most effective ways to punish children are using timeouts or taking away something, such as gadgets. Another approach to assist youngsters in understanding the difference between right and wrong is to take away their privileges or pocket money, encourage them to help with household chores, and then educate them on why they are being punished. These techniques are less likely to have an adverse effect on a child’s mental health.
It is true that corporal punishment may have a detrimental effect on children. However, punishment does not always have to entail abusing or assaulting. It may be as simple as scolding and using minor penalties to educate children that their actions have harmful effects.
To sum up, children should be made aware of their misconduct. It is the responsibility of parents to teach their children the difference between right and wrong. They can always use mild punishments to educate their children.
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Band 9 Sample Essay
Childhood is indisputably a vulnerable phase for anybody. Since children are gullible, they will walk on the path that is shown to them. Hence, it is necessary for them to learn the difference between right and wrong. One of the ways to ensure that children learn this polarity is by punishing them whenever they do something wrong. I support the opinion that punishments have the capability to shape the future of a child.
The dread of punishment invigorates children to keep a distance from wrongdoings. This way, they don’t end up being trapped in problems, with friends or with anybody else in the surroundings. Furthermore, this way, they can relish a school life devoid of confrontations, issues, and more, which could eventually affect their academic performance. For instance, a child punished for bullying a classmate or a schoolmate is unlikely to repeat the same in the future because of the fear of punishment and embarrassment he could face again.
When these children grow and turn into adults, they will strive to follow the right path and stay away from misconduct because of the lessons they learned in childhood. Admittedly, things learnt because of punishment will help them impart the correct values to their children as well. From a wider perspective, the entire society will gain benefits.
While at it, it is also true that the punishment should not be severe as it can create adverse effects, everything in limit would suffice.
Concluding the essay, I would like to pinpoint that children ought to know the difference between wrong and right from an early age. This helps them be good citizens of society and follow the correct path.
Vocabulary
- Essential
Meaning: (adjective) absolutely necessary; extremely important.
Eg: Air is an essential element of the atmosphere.
- Ramification
Meaning: (noun) a complex or unwelcome consequence of an action or event.
Eg: Sitting unprepared in an exam can have ramifications on scores.
- Repercussion
Meaning: (noun) an unintended consequence of an event or action, especially an unwelcome one.
Eg: Your actions will have repercussions on a much wider scale.
- Cease
Meaning: (verb) come or bring to an end.
Eg: Daniel never ceases to amaze me.
- Encourage
Meaning: (verb) give support, confidence, or hope to (someone).
Eg: One should encourage positive thinking behavior.
- Corporal
Meaning: (adjective) of or relating to the body.
Eg: Corporal punishments can affect mental health.
- Detrimental
Meaning: (adjective) tending to cause harm.
Eg: Miscommunication can have detrimental effects on relationships.
- Entail
Meaning: (verb) involve (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence.
Eg: This new project entails a great deal of research.
- Adverse
Meaning: (adjective) preventing success or development; harmful; unfavourable.
Eg: Eating sugar can have an adverse effect on diabetic patients.
- Misconduct
Meaning: (noun) unacceptable or improper behaviour, especially by an employee or professional person.
Eg: Kelvin was dismissed from this job due to misconduct.
More Writing Task 2 Essay Topics
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14 Comments
Tad Ha
Posted on Nov 8, 2023
Children must be punished to differentiate the right and wrong. However, this is not simple, and so far, punishment teaching has become a highly controversial topic. A large majority of parents opine that this pedagogy should be widely used in the education area, for forming a standard awareness inside every kid. However, policy-makers supported by an equally large number of educators argue this method is anti-education. In my view, I will discuss both views and give supporting reasons.
Punishment teaching should not be used for kids to prevent them from being stubborn. Normally, everyone including children tends to be against what they are taught through retribution. When parents use abuse to educate juveniles, they will be uncomfortable and try to oppose what they are taught to distinguish. Then if the one who teaches still uses punishment to educate kids, this cycle will continue forever. As a result, callousness and stubbornness will be increasingly formed in their personality.
However, early childhood experiences and lessons have a great impact on the growth of kids in the future. Hence, the teaching people should teach juveniles moral characteristics and preclude them from immoral habits. Kids are curious and active but they are also too immature to understand the causes of incidents. Thus, guidance and reminders are needed for children; the mentors should penalize juveniles when they make repeated mistakes.
It is true that every punishment will teach kids lessons to develop themselves and become obedient children. Nonetheless, the abuse should only stop with a warning or have light punishments instead of strong physical impacts on the body.
In short, children need to be aware of their misbehaviour. It is the responsibility of parents to teach their children to distinguish between right and wrong. They can always use mild punishments to educate their children.
Reply
IELTS Expert
Posted on Nov 9, 2023
Band 5.5 –
The essay expresses a position, arranges information and ideas coherently. There is
a clear overall progression and it also uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task.
The vocabulary can surely be improved upon.
Complex sentences are rarely used in the essay.
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Mohamed Ahmed
Posted on Oct 27, 2023
I believe that children should be punished when they do something wrong because later on in life they will always be reminded to not do the same thing again. So, in the future they will constantly be reminded of the punishment and immediately they will avoid redoing the same mistake.
I agree with the statement because it is important to discipline children or in 10 years time they may become criminals or even end up in jail. So, you should punish children because it will keep them on the right track and help them focus on their future and to always do the right thing. In addition, when they become adults they will consistently do the right thing due to the lessons that they learnt from their childhood.
However, most children spend half of their time in school so it will be hard for the parents to punish them whenever they are in the wrong. But, teachers should always be there and punish the child whenever they bully another student. Teachers, could always put children in break detention so they wouldn’t enjoy their free time with their friends. Moreover, at home the parents could always take away their phone or not allow them to watch TV as a source of punishment. Finally, these punishments done by teachers or the parents will always help keep the children in good behaviour.
In conclusion, I believe that children should be punished because they have to be disciplined for them to know the difference between the right and wrong.
Reply
IELTS Expert
Posted on Oct 28, 2023
Overall Band: 5
Task response is not adequate as main ideas are relevant, but they are insufficiently developed.Simple vocabulary is used and the range does not permit much variation in expression. Use of cohesive devices is limited.
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Zahra
Posted on Oct 24, 2023
Children should be taught about the right and wrong by their parents and teachers. The proper way of Punishment is one of the methods of nurturing beside the others.
To begin with, it seems obvious, the physical punishment is not a good choice at all for teaching to children since it does not have any benefits but it could bring serious mental damage for children which may not forgotten or cured forever. Contrary, right punishment could be helpful for bringing up our children in many aspects. Firstly, they are taught that any wrong decision and mistake have some implications. Secondly, they should take the responsibility of their faults. So, it could make them more responsible. For example, if they broke their favourite toy and ask for another one, they should understand there is not one more toy for them and this is the result of their action.
In addition, Parents and teachers should be carful about the method of their punishment. They should consider that they should not hurt children’s confidence. For instance, parents and teachers can not insult and humiliate children’s faults especially in front of other people. Instead, they can deprive them from their favorite entertainment or movie or any things which has a value for them. Also, they can ask their children to take the responsibility of their mistake and try to make it right. For example if they pour the food on the floor, they should clean it by themselves.
In conclusion, proper way of punishment is a necessary method to raise well-behave children who learnt the difference between good and bad.
Reply
IELTS Expert
Posted on Nov 28, 2023
Overall Band: 5.5
The relationship of ideas can be followed but the sentences are not fluently linked to each other. Thus the answer lacks the use of cohesive devices. The range of grammar structures is limited and rather repetitive.
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Yu
Posted on Oct 21, 2023
Some people believe that childrens like the white paper which have nothing inside so they must be taught a punishment for what is right or wrong at an early age. However, other people think that children should learn this distinction by themself. I strongly agree that the first opinion is better than the second one.
A lot of parents think that the punishment is necessary to help them learn the difference between right and wrong. That is correct because a child has a different mindset, if we do not conform, the child can do bad deeds without thinking. The other wants children to try to get their own knowledge to understand this distinction.
It is true that corporal punishment may have a detrimental effect on children. However, punishment does not always have to entail abusing or assaulting. It may be as simple as scolding and using minor penalties to educate children that their actions have harmful effects.
To sum up, children should be made aware of their misconduct. It is the responsibility of parents to teach their children the difference between right and wrong. They can always use mild punishments to educate their children.
Reply
ria mahajan
Posted on Oct 23, 2023
Overall Band : 4
Main ideas are difficult to identify and such ideas that are identifiable may lack relevance, clarity and support.Relationships between ideas can be unclear and/or inadequately marked. There is some use of basic cohesive devices, which may be inaccurate or repetitive.inappropriate word choice and errors in word formation and in spelling may impede meaning.
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MD. Rabiul Islam
Posted on Oct 6, 2023
Criminals commit more crimes though they are released after first punishment. The possible reasons can be frustration, unskilled or lack of consciousness of the government or administration. There are a number of solutions if they are implemented in a proper way. A good result can be expected.
First of all, it is very easy to commit offenses for those kinds of persons who are suffering from lack of money as a result they can’t bear the expenses of the family, and commit crimes. In other words, they don’t have the ability to cope with this competitive world, can’t find their desired jobs or they are not trusted or given stuff, lack of emotional support that they badly need, on top of that there may be a shortage of work. For these reasons, the offenders commit more crimes after serving the first penalty.
But, some effective steps can be taken considering age, education, social status and ability to do something. They are: offenders must be taken under control while in prison like necessary to keep a sharp eye on them regarding lifestyle, misconduct, communication with other criminals, physical change, moreover drug addiction and solution according to their problems. Other things are that their rehabilitation must be assured by providing technical training, farming education, scientific methods of cultivation so that they do not face money problems because it is the chief reason for committing crime. Some motivational sessions towards them to lead a healthy and happy lives can be effective also to bring crime rates down . Finally, a heavy penalty should be implemented by the administration if they commit crimes repeatedly.
In conclusion, the government, law enforcers, society and NGo should raise their voice from their own places against heinous activities and come forward to solve these problems which would be better ways also.
Reply
IELTS Expert
Posted on Nov 27, 2023
Band 5.5
No examples have been provided for elaborate justification.
The vocabulary used is very basic and should be enhanced.
Cohesive devices are not used as per expected and should be improved upon.
The variety of grammatical sentence structures is also very limited.
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Patience Weltaa
Posted on Sep 24, 2023
Learning to distinguish between good and bad is principle in the early age of a child and punishment is a necessity for children to learn this difference. I agree to this point because, children are supposed to be taught to be responsible for every action they take whether good or bad.
To begin with, punishment is paramount in teaching children to become disciplined adults in future. Children can be very curious in their early ages, they would always want to try everything but it is left unto the parents and society to punish them to show thm that, the action they took was wrong. Some children if left unpunished doesn’t know the gravity of their actions.
Another point is that, learningthe differences between right and wrong through punishment also make children to responsible for every discision in life. Punishing children at an easy age help them to realise that every action in life comes with an accompanying reward or punishment or has a consequence and they must be taught to know that.
Lastly, children often learn through the hard way and punishment can be one of the hard way children can learn through. Children get so familiar with their parents that they parents that teaching them without punishment sometimes become difficult and yield no results, but with punishment, they tend to realise the seriousness of their actions. In summary, learning to distinguish between right and wrong is principle with punishment and I strongly agree that punishment helps children to become responsible in life.
Reply
ria mahajan
Posted on Sep 25, 2023
Overall : 5.5
There is a limited use of cohesive devices with some inaccuracy. A mix of simple and complex sentence forms is used but flexibility is limited. Simple vocabulary is used accurately but the range does not permit much variation in expression.
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Pari
Posted on May 12, 2022
Nowadays, how to nurture children becomes a controversial issue among parents and education system. Because of the necessity of distinguishing between right and wrong by offspring, there is a view that argues there should be punishments as an aid for this purpose. I believe that there should be encouragements alongside retributions, as punishing by itself would not be any help in this regard.
Undoubtedly, kids should not be awarded when they do something wrong, therefore, parents must set some rules for children. As they cross the limitations and regulations, they should be disqualified from something they like, such as their favorite toys or food. If they do not become aware of the consequences of what they behave, they will not be able to distinct between morality and immorality in their future lives.
Although no one denies the essentiality of imposing penalties for youngster’s wrongdoings, these disciplines should not be strict. For instance, when a kid behaves wrongly, his or her parents should not hurt him or her physically, moreover, his or her mental health should not be affected detrimentally. Some simple disqualifications or making them to think about the repercussions of their behavior would be enough. As an example, when a child insults somebody, he or she could not go to the park or play with his or her Teddy Bear. Additionally, I am of the belief that youngsters should be motivated whenever they have ethical conduct.
To sum up, as it is crucial for children to be aware of the results of their misconduct, parents have the right to use mild punishments to shy away their youth from misbehavior.
Reply
kasturika
Posted on May 13, 2022
Band Score – 5
Concentrate on the correct usage of articles, tense, prepositions and punctuation.
Since it is an opinion essay, you are required to write about one line of contrast in a separate body after presenting two body paragraphs supporting your views.
Learn error-free sentence formation.
Use C2 level of words.