Table of Contents
BEST IELTS Writing Task 2, 4th August
IELTS WRITING TASK 2
IELTS WRITING TASK 2
The Internet is now used all around the world as a source of information and communication. However, its content is often controversial, so many people think it needs to be controlled. Others believe there should be no interference whatsoever. Discuss both points of view, and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
SAMPLE ANSWER
As its name suggests, the Internet has indeed linked the world in a single mesh, but whether this figuratively ensnares or enhances is the key, and possibly unanswerable, question. Its ubiquity, easy accessibility, and totally unregulated nature, all suggest Internet censorship may be required, yet I would argue against this.
My main concern is that censorship raises the problematic issue of who decides what is, or is not, appropriate. Entrusting governments might mean what they term ‘censorship’ is actually a stifling of free opinion and valid criticism, an exchange absolutely crucial for a country’s political, social, and cultural evolution. If, for example, North Korea regulated Internet content, the results would be ludicrous a farcical outpouring of state-propaganda resembling the Orwellian nightmare of ‘1984’. It is precisely the free availability of information which inspires the masses to demand change from the oppressive or totalitarian regimes of this world.
Those who favour Internet censorship claim it is important to remove, in particular, the explicit and extreme pornographic content. They say that if minors access such sites, their
impressionable minds could be adversely affected – for example, in the stereotyping of women, irresponsible attitudes towards human sexuality, or simply obsessive viewing, to the detriment of more productive pursuits. The plethora of these sites must certainly be indicative of a growing trend, which, arguably, does society and those involved, little service, and may well do worse.
However, the demand for such material merely reflects human nature. Denying access on the net only means it will be sought and satiated elsewhere, and ultimately the users themselves must be allowed to decide what they watch. The Internet, as a parallel universe, will necessarily have both good and bad, but just as people demand freedom of choice in the real world, so too must it be offered in the virtual one.
This is why the case for Internet censorship is weak. Attempting it only puts society on the proverbial ‘slippery slope’, from which it may ultimately descend. A much better approach would be to educate users in assessing the value of web-based material. Nations attempting this have only faced international condemnation, so hopefully such an unequivocal message will prevail.
IELTS Writing Task 2
IELTS Writing Task 2