IELTS Essay Topic:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

By punishing murderers with the death penalty, society is also guilt of committing murder. Therefore, life in prison is a better punishment for murderers.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Model Essay:
In some countries, a murderer is given a death penalty by the authority as a punishment. However, by committing murder, society is also guilty. Consequently, there is an opinion that a better punishment for murderers is life in prison. I would argue that I agree with this statement that life prison for murderer is a better alternative.

Doing murder is a heinous crime and the murderer has to be given an exemplary punishment too. Nevertheless, giving them a death penalty is like doing the same crime as the murderers do, but the difference is that it is under a formal law. So, there are no differences between the murderer and the society. Moreover, although the murderer had committed a cruel crime, they still have a right to live. That is a basic human right.

Because of those reasons, punishing the murderer by sentencing them life in prison is a far better option than death penalty. There are some important reasons of this opinion. First of all, we have to respect their rights as human. Secondly, by punishing them with longer sentences, we can give them a very long time for realizing their mistakes and to repent. The last reason is that the murderer have to feel guilty for the rest of their life because of their mistakes not die without feeling the guilt.

To sum up, instead of giving murderer a death penalty, punishing them to life in prison will give them a second chance to be a better person and live down their sin.

[ Written by – Titi ]