Some people think the government should ban dangerous sports, while others believe people should be free to choose.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. Some people think the government should ban dangerous sports, while others believe people should be free to choose.

Government Ban Dangerous Sports Freedom Choice People - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Write at least 250 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 7 · 353 words.

There is a view that governments should prohibit extreme sports, like rock climbing and

skydiving. I partially subscribe to this idea and will explain why.

Admittedly, the idea that extreme sports should be outlawed can be supported on many

grounds. First and foremost, such sports normally pose danger to the survival of

participants, as can be seen in the example of mountaineering. According to observations,

hundreds of people die on an annual basis while climbing the mountain or hills, ultimately

making this activity largely life-threatening. Also of a major concern is that skydiving can

sometimes prove risky, especially when the equipment used starts malfunctioning. It is

likely that those partaking in this sport may face severe injuries or even death if necessary,

precautions are not properly taken into account before trying out such an extreme sport as

high as thousands of meters. Therefore, it seems to me that an immediate ban on those

sports is crucial if we are to save people’s lives.

With that said, I do not fully advocate the given point of view since governments ought to

consider a wide range of needs of individuals before implementing any serious measures.

In other words, no one holds the right to restrain the interests and preferences of

enthusiastic people that wish to take on new challenges by exerting themselves in skydiving

as long as the safety and protection are ensured prior to participation. Equally important is

the fact that unbeaten records are set in the activity of climbing mountains, such as the

ones related to Mount Everest. Knowing there might be a chance of success, travelers from

all over the world are generally keen to hit the highest peak out of pure curiosity and self-

recognition. While there is still insurmountable hardship involved, it does not discourage

climbers from their will of reaching the top of the mountain whatsoever.

In conclusion, despite the issues revolving around the survival of participants of dangerous

sports, I firmly believe that such activities should not be banned outright given the elicited

desire of individuals to go beyond their wildest expectations and push themselves to the

extreme.

Examiner feedback

The essay is a strong Band 7.0 performance. It addresses all parts of the prompt with a clear, consistent opinion and uses a good range of academic vocabulary and complex grammatical structures with high accuracy.

Task Response - 7

- Addresses both sides of the argument and presents a clear position throughout the essay. - Ideas are relevant and supported, though the support for the 'ban' side relies heavily on general examples without exploring the government's role deeply. - The conclusion clearly restates the writer's stance, maintaining consistency.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Information is organized logically with a clear progression from the argument for a ban to the argument for personal freedom. - Uses a variety of cohesive devices (Admittedly, First and foremost, With that said, In other words) appropriately. - Each paragraph has a clear central topic, though some transitions between sentences within paragraphs are slightly mechanical.

Lexical Resource - 7

- Uses a sufficient range of vocabulary (outlawed, life-threatening, malfunctioning, insurmountable hardship) to allow for some precision. - Shows awareness of style and collocation, though there are occasional inaccuracies (e.g., 'survival of participants' is slightly unnatural compared to 'safety' or 'lives'). - Spelling and word formation are accurate throughout.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 7

- Demonstrates a variety of complex structures, including conditional sentences and subordinate clauses. - Most sentences are error-free, though there are minor punctuation issues (e.g., unnecessary commas after 'if'). - Control of grammar is generally good, though some phrasing is slightly wordy or awkward ("if necessary, precautions are not properly taken").

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