IELTS Writing Task 2: Society topic — questions, vocabulary, band-7 ideas

Society is the broadest IELTS Writing Task 2 theme — it covers crime, family, culture, ageing, inequality, and the role of government. That breadth is exactly the risk: it is easy to write generally and never answer the question. The short answer for a high band: pin down whether the prompt is about a cause, a solution, a value judgement, or a comparison of past and present, then argue precisely. This page gives you the angles, vocabulary, and band-7 thesis sentences. Read it with the Task 2 strategy guide.

Common question angles

• Crime and punishment — Is prison the best deterrent, or should we focus on rehabilitation? (opinion / discussion)
• Family and tradition — Is the traditional family structure changing for better or worse?
• Inequality — How can the gap between rich and poor be reduced? Should the state intervene?
• Culture and globalisation — Does globalisation threaten local cultures and languages?
• Old vs young — Is society too focused on the young? Who should care for the elderly?

The weak answer drifts between sub-topics. The band-7 answer chooses a clear line of argument and develops it — depth beats breadth in a 250-word essay.

Vocabulary and collocations you need

• social cohesion, community spirit, the generation gap, an ageing population
• to commit a crime, a deterrent, rehabilitation, the justice system
• the wealth gap, social mobility, the welfare state, the cost of living
• cultural identity, to preserve traditions, multiculturalism, integration
• to tackle inequality, to foster a sense of belonging, a law-abiding citizen

Use the explain tool to be sure of nuance ("a deterrent" vs "a punishment") and the paraphrase tool to rewrite the prompt in your introduction without copying it.

Sample band-7 thesis sentences

• Discussion: "Although harsher sentences may satisfy a public desire for justice, I would argue that investment in rehabilitation and education does more to reduce reoffending in the long term."
• Opinion: "I largely agree that globalisation erodes local traditions, yet I believe communities can protect their cultural identity through deliberate education and government support."

Each thesis takes a side while acknowledging the opposing view — exactly the balanced precision examiners reward.

Avoid the common AZ/RU-speaker mistakes

Society essays often lose marks on abstract-noun articles ("the society" when you mean society in general), subject-verb agreement with collective nouns, and overly informal phrasing. The common English mistakes by AZ speakers guide has the fixes, and the how to get band 7 guide shows how to keep all four criteria moving together.