Cambridge IELTS 10 Test 1 Writing Task 2: Sample Answer

Few people would deny that a child who grasps the difference between right and wrong early is better prepared for adult life. However, I only partly agree that punishment is necessary for this, because discipline does not have to mean pain or humiliation.

Children are not born with a moral compass; they build one through the consequences of their actions. A toddler who snatches a toy learns little from a lecture, but a great deal when the game stops because another child is upset. Without any sanction, boundaries become negotiable, and a pupil may arrive at school expecting every rule to bend. In this sense, some form of penalty is a useful teaching tool.

Nevertheless, punishment is only one ingredient, and rarely the most effective. Explaining why an act was harmful, praising generosity and modelling honest behaviour tend to shape conduct far more durably than fear does. Studies of harsh parenting also suggest that children who are smacked often become secretive rather than sorry, learning to avoid detection instead of avoiding wrongdoing.

As for what should be permitted, I believe parents and teachers should be limited to proportionate, non-physical measures. Withdrawing a privilege such as screen time, a short time-out, or asking a child to repair what they have damaged links the consequence directly to the offence. Teachers might add a supervised lunchtime detention or a conversation with the family. By contrast, hitting, shouting and public shaming should be ruled out, since they teach children that power justifies aggression.

In conclusion, early moral learning matters and fair consequences have a place, but they work best when they are predictable, mild and combined with explanation and encouragement.