Sample Task 2 essay from Roy + Tony's comments

Some governments say how many children a family can have in their country. They may control the number of children someone has through taxes.

It is sometimes necessary and right for a government to control the population in this way.

Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answers.

TASK 2

The idea of having governments control the number of offspring families can have is totally unacceptable. In this essay, I will show why I strongly (totally) disagree with government controlled family planning. (Note the strong, simple opening with a passionate position!!!)

To begin with, human beings are not merely statistics which can be increased and reduced according to the wishes and needs of the powers that be. People should be seen as assets and not as liabilities that strain the economy. The population of a nation forms its human resources. The fact that governments find the populace burdensome is an admission of their failure to provide their citizens with the basic necessities of life. Instead of groaning and moaning about the vast population, they should provide much needed food, shelter, education and health care. By doing this, they are investing in a workforce that is strong, healthy and educated who will form the backbone of the country's economy. (Roy justifies his opinions and outlines his argument - notice he does not feel required to give BOTH sides of the question.)

Family planning has its loopholes. In countries such as India and China the onus is on having a male child, this results in a great number of female foeticides, the result being a biased sex ratio. We all know about the deadly Tsunami that struck Asia. Many lives were lost especially young ones. The couples who had undergone operations to permanently disable their ability to procreate are in despair. Does the government have an answer for them? The population is the market, the labour force which is found lacking in developed countries. Empowering its citizens with education and securing them with food and shelter should be the key strategy of the nations. The countries that have a large population can always export their human resources to those in need and still have enough people. (It is getting quite radical here, but Roy gives specific examples of the negative aspects of family planning and even suggests an alternative solution.)

In conclusion, I would say that government enforced family planning is an encroachment on an individual's basic rights. The number of children any family should have, should only be decided by the father and mother. The government should not interfere with (keep its hands away from) the lives of the common man.

So IELTS warriors, there you have it - a four paragraph Model task 2 essay from Roy. He has implemented all my suggestions and adapted his approach to IELTS writing accordingly.

Roy does not make his argument too complicated. He uses short sentences effectively. I detect a strong moral position in his argument, but he does not play the religious card too heavily.

All in all, a super essay that deserves a very good IELTS band, don't you agree?

Oh yes, where are all the OTHER sample Task 1 and Task 2 pieces that you were going to submit?

Roy, you are a gentleman and a scholar! We really hope you get the excellent IELTS score that work of such quality merits.

Thank you very much!

Tony

Comments most welcome . . .