My hometown is Hai Phong, a modern city, located in the North of Vietnam.

Although severals parts of it are industrial, it is still a green place. Hai Phong is also a coastal city had the largest sea port in the reason. Being the third populous ciy in Vietnam, it is considered as quite a vibrant city. The center of town is always bustling no matter day or night. And the ouskirts is not much less lively. The city is also famous for amazing tourist destinations such as Do Son beaches, Cat Ba island, Cat Co island, beautiful caves and outstanding rock formation. Hai Phong also has some problems about traffic congestion on rush hour like almost modern cities , but I think it is an ideal place for everybody, especially young people becasue the cost of living is fairly reasonble, the pace of life is always vibrant with endless thing to do and see. And I guess what I like the most is the good sense of communication there. People are hospitable and willing to help. And I really enjoy living there.

Capital punishment feeds the cycle of violence in society by pandering to a lust for revenge. It brutalizes us and deadens our sensitivities to the precious nature of every single human life." Most Rev. David B. Thompson, Bishop of Charleston, S.C., December, 1998. I believe that killing, is killing and it is wrong. No one should ever have the right to take another persons life. But in todays society, the government presumes that those who commit horrible crimes should be executed. There are many reasons why I strongly support the abolishment of capital punishment including, my religious beliefs, the cost of execution, and the fact that capital punishment in the United States is flawed and furthermore unconstitutional. As a Catholic I feel that only God should judge us. The supreme court should not have the option to decide weather we live or die. Pope John Paul II once said that the death penalty is both cruel and unnecessary. "Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform." I also respect my values of respecting life, all kinds of life. Even though those that are facing death row have committed terrible crimes and killed innocent we should not execute them. I

think locking them up for the rest of their life is punishment enough. We should make them feel remorseful for their actions. Another important reason why I am against the death penalty is the financial costs associated with executions. In the US it costs less for a man to live in prison for the rest of his life than to execute him. According to antideathpenalty.com it costs 2 million dollars for someone to be on death row and then executed. Thats four times as mush as regular prison. It is a waste of money. During these tough economic times our governments money should not be used on the death penalty. There are many other ways that our money can be used aside from killing. Finally, I theorize that capital punishment is filled with fault and extremely unconstitutional. Death sentences are handed out arbitrarily and in an unfair manner. For example, Serial killers such Gary Ridgway who admitted killing 48 prostitutes got life in prison. Meanwhile, mentally ill murderers who could not afford good lawyers and did not gain media attention were sentenced to death. In Alabama, David Hocker was executed after a one-day trial. His mental illness was not sufficiently described to the jury. These are only two reasons why capital punishment in our country is flawed and incredibly faulted. I believe that it should not matter weather or not they have a good lawyer, murders should not be executed. They should automatically get life in prison, execution should never be an option. Those that are for the death penalty believe that if they do not kill these horrible people, then others are more likely to commit the same crimes. I disagree with them because there is proof that since the death penalty, the crime rate has not gone down. The crime rate in the US is 6 times that of Britain and 5 times that of Australia, where the death penalty does not exist. Texas and

Oklahoma have executed the most death row inmates, yet in 2003 their state murder rates increased. In conclusion, the death penalty should be abolished. It should no longer be an option in the United States because it is against our country's Constitution. It is also against my religious beliefs and life values. Our country will never gain peace if we are killing our own citizens. Only God should decide if we should stay on this Earth, not the government.

Against death penalty Death penalty occurs when people found guilty of particular crimes are sentenced for life. It usually involves punishing wrong doers with death. Death penalty is also known as capital punishment. Death penalty denies human rights to people Jayashree P 2010. When the state chooses to apply death penalty, it usually denies human rights to people. In most states, death penalty is usually done with the claims that the state is administering justice. It is normally a cruel punishment that one can be given. n t hnh xy ra khi ngi b kt ti ti phm c bit b kt n v cuc sng. N thng lin quan n vic trng pht nhng k lm sai vi ci cht. n t hnh cn c gi l n t hnh. n t hnh ph nhn nhn quyn cho ngi dn Jayashree P 2010. Khi nh nc la chn p dng hnh pht t hnh, n

thng ph nhn nhn quyn cho ngi dn. Trong hu ht cc bang, n t hnh thng c thc hin vi nhng tuyn b rng nh nc ang qun l cng l. N thng l mt hnh pht d man m ta c th c a ra. Against death penalty is usually a move towards opposing death penalty. Death penalty should be opposed no matter what crime a person has committed. In addition, death penalty should also be opposed regardless of the uniqueness of the criminal or the method the state wishes to use in killing the criminal. Death penalty is not good because it deprives human beings their rights as human beings. According to Bedau H, 2010, the use of capital punishment violates the human rights of an individual. Chng li n t hnh thng l mt ng thi hng ti i n t hnh. n t hnh nn b chng i khng c vn g ti phm ngi cam kt. Ngoi ra, hnh pht t hnh cng cn c phn i khng ph thuc vo tnh c o ca ti phm hoc cc phng php nh nc mun s dng git cht hnh s. n t hnh l khng tt v n lm mt i con ngi quyn li ca h nh nhng con ngi. Theo Bedau H, 2010, vic s dng n t hnh vi phm nhn quyn ca mt c nhn. There are several reasons as to why people are against death penalty. One of these reasons is that death penalty is a cruel form of punishment. It is associated with the olden days when corporal punishments like slavery were common. Therefore in the modern days, people are

against death punishment because they view it as a corporal type of punishment. Murder is also seen by those against death penalty as a barbaric act that should have no room in our modern societies which have become civilized, Jayashree P 2010. In addition, many people are against death punishment because it shows lack of respect for the life of human beings Bedau H, 2010. The life of a criminal should be valued and respected and thus regardless of the crime, the criminal should not be given a death punishment. Countries that practice death punishments are view as immoral because murder is a distasteful act. C mt s l do l ti sao mi ngi ang chng li n t hnh. Mt trong nhng l do l n t hnh l mt hnh thc c c b trng pht. N gn lin vi nhng ngy xa khi nhc hnh nh ch n l c ph bin. V vy trong nhng ngy hin i, mi ngi chng li hnh pht t hnh v h xem n nh l mt loi h b trng pht. Git ngi cng c nhn thy bi nhng ngi chng li n t hnh nh mt hnh ng d man m cn phi c khng c ch trong x hi hin i ca chng ti tr thnh vn minh, Jayashree P 2010. Ngoi ra, nhiu ngi chng li hnh pht t hnh bi v n cho thy s thiu tn trng i vi i sng ca con ngi Bedau H, 2010. i sng ca mt tn ti phm nn c nh gi v tn trng v do khng ph thuc vo ti phm, ti phm khng nn c a ra mt hnh pht t hnh.Nc hnh pht t hnh thc t c xem l v o c v git ngi l mt hnh ng kh chu.

Capital punishment is also opposed on the grounds that it denies a criminal the process of law. When a criminal is given a death punishment, they do not benefit from a new law that may be enacted which may reverse the sentence given to them by the state. Death punishment is also opposed because it is associated with discrimination whereby those who are illiterate or poor may get such a punishment Jayashree P 2010. When the state practices death punishment to its criminals, the people of that state tend to think that human life does not deserve respect and care. Therefore, those who are against death punishment claim that by applying death punishment, the state will instill bad morals to the people and thus human life will no longer be respected Bedau H, 2010. n t hnh cng phn i vi l do n ph nhn mt qu trnh t tng hnh s ca php lut. Khi mt tn ti phm c a ra mt hnh pht t hnh, h khng c hng li t mt o lut mi c th c ban hnh m c th o ngc bn n cho h bi nh nc. T vong trng pht cng phn i bi v n c lin quan n phn bit i x, theo nhng ngi khng bit ch hay ngho c th nhn c nh mt s trng pht Jayashree P 2010. Khi thc hnh nh nc cht hnh pht cho ti phm ca n, l ngi ca nh nc m c xu hng ngh rng cuc sng ca con ngi khng ng c tn trng v chm sc. V vy, nhng ngi ang chng li ci cht hnh pht cho rng bng cch p dng hnh pht t hnh, nh nc s thm nhun o c

xu cho ngi dn v do cuc sng ca con ngi s khng cn c tn trng Bedau H, 2010. Moreover, death penalty is also opposed because when it is practiced; people do not get to know the causes of crime because they do not give the criminals a room to explain the cause of crime. Death penalty should thus not be practiced in order to give room to the criminals to explain why they choose to do criminal acts. When the state gets to know the causes of crimes, it can apply new measures to ensure that people do not commit such crimes any more. According to those who are against death penalty, death penalty should be abolished because it wastes a lot of resources. It is seen to cost the state more that if the criminal just remained in the prison. In addition, death punishment is burden to the system of criminal justice and it is not a good instrument to be used to limit criminal acts in a society Jayashree P 2010. More so, a society that claims to be humane should not intentionally murder its people. This is because when the society practices death penalty, its people will start viewing killing as a way of solving its problems. Another reason as to why people are against death punishment is because it is sometimes administered to totally innocent people. The major purpose of punishment is to deter crime. When death punishment is used, crimes do not go lower. This means that death punishment should not be used because it does not help in curbing crime.

Hn na, hnh pht t hnh cng phn i bi v khi n c thc hin, mi ngi khng nhn bit nhng nguyn nhn ca ti phm bi v h khng cung cp cho nhng tn ti phm mt phng gii thch nguyn nhn ca ti phm. n t hnh nn do khng c thc hnh cung cp cho phng bn ti phm gii thch l do ti sao h chn lm hnh vi phm ti. Khi nh nc c bit nguyn nhn phm ti, n c th p dng cc bin php mi m bo rng mi ngi khng phm ti nh vy na. Theo nhng ngi ang chng li n t hnh, hnh pht t hnh nn c bi b v n lng ph rt nhiu ti nguyn. N c xem l chi ph nh nc hn l nu ti phm ch cn trong nh t. Ngoi ra, hnh pht t hnh l gnh nng cho h thng t php hnh s v n khng phi l mt cng c tt c s dng hn ch hnh vi phm ti trong mt x hi Jayashree P 2010. Hn th na, mt x hi m tuyn b l nhn o nn khng c git ngi ca mnh. iu ny l bi v khi x hi thc hnh n t hnh, ngi dn s bt u xem git cht nh mt cch gii quyt vn ca n. Mt l do khc l ti sao nhng ngi ang chng li hnh pht t hnh l v n i khi c dng cho nhng ngi hon ton v ti. Mc ch chnh ca hnh pht l ngn chn ti phm. Khi hnh pht t hnh c s dng, ti phm khng i thp hn. iu ny c ngha rng hnh pht t hnh khng nn c s dng bi v n khng gip trong vic kim ch ti phm.

Different religious groups are also against death punishment. This is because killing is forbidden in the

bible and therefore death punishment should not be used Gardner C, 15. Many people are also against death penalty because they claim that death penalty is given to people in an unfair manner. More so, punishment should be done to enable the person to transform but death penalty does not give criminals a room for transformation. Cc nhm tn gio khc nhau cng ang chng li hnh pht t hnh. iu ny l do git hi b cm trong kinh thnh v do hnh pht t hnh khng nn c s dng Gardner C, 15. Nhiu ngi cng ang chng li n t hnh bi v h cho rng hnh pht t hnh c a ra mi ngi mt cch khng cng bng. Nhiu hn nh vy, hnh pht phi c thc hin cho php ngi chuyn i nhng hnh pht t hnh khng cho bn ti phm phng chuyn i.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample 1

(with model answer)
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Without capital punishment (the death penalty) our lives are less secure and crimes of violence increase. Capital punishment is essential to control violence in society. To what extent to you agree or disagree with this opinion? You should write at least 250 words.

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Model Answer
This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 8 score. Here is the examiners comment:

This response is very fluent and well expressed in an appropriate register. A range of relevant issues is skilfully presented and discussed. The argument is logically developed and well organised. A wide range of structures and vocabulary are used appropriately and accurately with only minor flaws.

Before talking about the essential role of death penalty, you have to think about the meaning, and the purpose, of any kind of punishment. If you consider that the purpose is to prevent the guilty from being nasty again, you can be seduced by an argumentation in favour of the suppression of capital punishment. But you have to think about another aspect of the problem: a punishment is also useful to impress people, to make them fear the law. In fact, lets take the example of a young misfit, which has grown in a violent atmosphere, influenced by older delinquents, etc He could possibly kill someone for money, or even for funWhy would he fear prison? Life would be easier for him there. In addition, in many cases, when you behave normally, you can benefit from penalty reductions. This young misfit needs to be impressed he needs to know that the law is a frontier. When you cross it, you can lose your life. That is why capital punishment helps keeping a distance between robbery and murder. If you abolish it, you suppress the difference between these two types of crime, which are completely different. But there is also a limit to define: even if death penalty is unavoidable, it would be a crime to apply it to inadequate cases. If there is no premeditation or past facts which can justify such a punishment, it is far too strict to apply death penalty. That is why the lawmakers have to establish precisely the context in which capital punishment can be pronounced. That is the price to pay to limit violence without using excessive violence.

There is a well-known saying "Once you owe something, you have to pay for it". Similarly, criminals, committing crimes, should be punished for their misdeeds. At the highest level, capital punishment should be used in some cases to ensure the security for our society and prevent violence. Firstly, we mush have serious measures to punish severe crimes. Some actions are very dangerous: murders kill innocent people, vandals damage valuable properties and they both cause bad consequences on the whole society. There are also wrongdoers, who can not be reeducated and always return to their bad ways after being in jail. Death penalty can be a good way to ensure that crimes will not happen again. Secondly, capital punishment is an appropriate way to deter criminals. Newspapers and movies usually wrongly describe those committing crimes, building images of heroes and not counting deaths in such crimes. Governments and laws should play their roles and make people understand that they are responsible for their actions. One thing must be concerned when we want to use capital punishment: we are living in a civilized society. Careful investigations should be hold to ensure that the correct culprit is caught. Furthermore, social position and influences on his relatives should be studied. Last but not least, we should understand a truth that the death penalty can not solve all problems. Overall, the death penalty is necessary to prevent crimes, especially severe ones, but the law should study carefully cases when applying this too serious measure of punishment. Anyway, the main root of crime should be studied and other measures should be used before deciding to kill someone.