IELTS Writing Task 2 in 2021 with Band 8 Model Essay – Topic: Rules & Laws

IELTS Writing Task 2:

Society is based on rules and laws. It could not function if individuals were free to do whatever they wanted to do. To what extent do you agree or not?

Band 8 Model Essay: 

It is often argued that a lawless society could not function properly if individuals had too much freedom to do whatever they wanted to. I completely agree with this school of thought.

With no doubt, a society without laws and regulations has to face chaos. For instance, the public would live in fear if a person could murder someone else because of personal reasons but did not have to suffer fitting punishments afterwards. Similarly, if someone got drunk and caused traffic accidents, they would be punished appropriately because such an incident would not only set a bad example for other members of the public, but also leave extreme loss to the families of the victims. These examples serve to show that a lawless society could cause social unrest and put its citizens at risk.
For the above reason, I believe that people have to abide by the laws to maintain order in society. As long as people don’t break the laws, they can do whatever they wish to and  they still have their own freedom. In addition to this, the laws would play a deterrent role against wrongdoings. Only when law-breakers are punished for their crimes could social issues be mitigated. Having said that, I believe that laws should not always be fixed or rigid, but need to be flexible and take into consideration the nature and the circumstances, among others, of each crime to ensure fair and just punishments.

In conclusion, I reaffirm that a society could not function smoothly like a well-oiled machine if it had no laws and regulations.

1. Lawless society = society without the presence o flaws

2. School o f thought

4. Chaos

5. Suffer fitting punishments

6. Set a bad example for

7. Serve to show that

8. Social unrest

9. Maintain order

11. Abide by

12. Play a deterrent role

13. Rigid

14. Well-oiled machine