9 Steps to Band 9 - IELTS Writing Task 2 - Crime

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Question: Studies show that crime rates are lower among those with educational degrees. Therefore, the best way to reduce the crime rate is to educate criminals while they are still in prison. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Answer:
Introduction:
The question of how best to reduce the crime rate is something that countries around the world have long struggled with. While educating convicts in prison is one way to reduce the crime rate, another excellent approach would be to reduce poverty.

Body Paragraph 1: Education

Many criminals turn to a life of crime due to a lack of alternative options or examples in their lives. While educating convicts in prison is one way to reduce the crime rate, another excellent approach would be to reduce poverty. Educating convicts in prison can provide them with the skills and guidance they need to be able to make a living legally once they are released, which in turn will greatly reduce their likelihood of recommitting and returning to jail. For example, a 19-year-old convicted of robbery would be far less likely to reoffend if given the opportunity to learn coding skills and earn a living as a computer programmer, as the salary he could earn legally would outweigh his ill-gotten gains. Therefore, it is clear that educating prisoners is definitely an effective way of reducing the crime rate.

BP2: Reduce Poverty (Find the 2 mistakes!)

Another effective approach to reducing crime would be to reduce poverty. Poverty are one of the key causes of crime, because people who are desperate to feed their families will do anything to make money. If we were to reduce extreme poverty so that no-one had to go hungry, the number of people desperate enough to break the law would be significantly reduced, as would the crime rate itself. A classic example from literature is that of Jean Valjean, from the novel Les Miserables. He is sentenced to jail time for stealing bread to feed his family, but if he had had enough food in the first place, he would never have committed thief. As such, it is clear that reducing poverty would be a very effective measure in the fight against crime.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be clearly seen that while educating criminals in jails would help to reduce crime, reducing poverty should also be a top priority.