IELTS Writing Task 2 (Exercises): PRISONERS GIVING TALKS

Topic: PRISONERS GIVING TALKS

Useful words and phrases:

1. associate with (collocation)
2. criminology (n):
3. commit a crime = carry out a crime (collocation)
4. criminals – offenders – delinquents – law-breakers (n)
5. gather knowledge (collocation)
6. holistic view (np)
7. imprisonment (n)
8. incarceration (n)
9. rehabilitation (n)
10. remorseful
11. to deprive somebody of something
12. to inform somebody of something = to keep somebody informed of something
13. the lens of science (noun phrase)
14. undergo (v)

Exercises:

Task 1: Write sentences from given cues. Make changes to the cues when needed.

1. ehabilitation / offender / need / care / empathy / both / their family / community.
   ______________________________
2. field / criminology / provide / opportunity / stimulate work / mostly / law enforcement / psychology.
   ______________________________
3. cancer / risk / associate with / smoking / be / well documented.
   ______________________________
4. athlete / undergo / mandatory / drug test / before / compete / the championship.
   ______________________________
5. she / sentence / five years / imprisonment.
   ______________________________
6. criminals / affect / society / the way / billions / dollars / be / spend / each year / incarceration.
   ______________________________
7. ecology / problem / usually / require / holistic / view / find / solution.
   ______________________________
8. defendant / remorseful / what / he / do / but / it / too late.
   ______________________________
9. If / we / notice / there / always / chances / gather knowledge / daily conversations.
   ______________________________
10. some / parent / deprive / themselves / many pleasure / so that / their children / have / best / everything.
    ______________________________

Task 2: Fill in the blanks with suitable words/phrases

Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later. Some people think that having these people to give a talk to school students is the best way to tell them about the dangers of committing a crime. Do you agree or disagree?

Educating school students on the consequences of carrying out a crime has long been a contentious issue. There is a common belief that talks by ex-prisoners should be held at school to inform students of the threat to society when a crime is committed. While I accept that this practice is beneficial in a few ways, I believe there are many better methods to educate students about the dangers ofcrimes.

There are certain benefits of having reformed criminals talking to students about the hazards that are 1__________crime. The most obvious benefit is that students may learn from those who truly understand about crime. Those who 2__________have likely 3__________about the dangers of crime for the victims, not only from their own offenses but also from communication with other criminals. In addition, this method may also educate students about the threat to the offenders themselves when they commit a crime. To explain, ex-prisoners are those who have 4__________a long process of 5__________and 6__________, so their life-stories are often a great source of real-life experience of not only what prisoners are deprived of but also how 7__________they feel.

However, I am convinced that there are better solutions to teach students about the neg¬ative effects of partaking in criminal activity. The most viable measure may be to introduce 8__________as a subject at school. While the life-stories of ex-prisoners are often biased, criminology knowledge is based on empirical data and research and as such, tends to be more reliable than anecdotal evidence. With this method, students can learn all the necessary knowl¬edge about crime, including the dangers of it, through 9__________and therefore have a 10__________on crime and the associated dangers. Another useful measure could be to film the harsh daily lives of prisoners and show it to school students. Notwithstanding the benefits of giving talks, films with vivid imagery can be much more visually attractive and thus more effective in informing students of the harsh reality of life in 11__________.

To conclude, I am of the opinion that although talks by ex-prisoners may keep students informed of the dangers of carrying out a crime, there are stronger measures such as the introduction of criminology as a school subject.

371 words

Key/Answer

Task 1:

1. The rehabilitation of offenders needs more care and empathy from both their family and community.
2. The field of criminology provides many opportunities for stimulating work, mostly in law enforcement and psychology.
3. The cancer risks associated with smoking have been well documented.
4. Athletes must undergo a mandatory drugs test before competing in the championship.
5. She was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
6. Criminals affect the society in the way that billions of dollars are being spent each year on incarceration.
7. Ecological problems usually require holistic view to find the solutions.
8. The defendant was remorseful for what he had done, but it was too late.
9. If we notice, there are always chances to gather knowledge from daily conversations.
10. Some parents deprive themselves of many pleasures so that their children can have the best of everything.

Task 2:

(1) associated with
(2) committed a crime
(3) gathered knowledge
(4) undergone
(5) imprisonment
(6) rehabilitation
(7) remorseful
(8) criminology
(9) the lens of science
(10) holistic view
(11) incarceration