Well, here we go with the next of the IELTS ‘logic’ posts. Remember, in IELTS essays, one of the biggest problems is a lack of logical thinking, especially if you memorise material from the many IELTS ‘magic books’ out there.

Always remember, IELTS Task-Two essays require a detailed and coherent argument. It must make sense! You need to have the ability to know what makes sense and what does not. Here are five more sentences, but each one has a logic issue. Can you see what it is?

Try to work out the logic problems with the following sentences.

1. The victims cannot feel better, even if the justice takes away the criminals life.
2. Museums create jobs. In other words, they attract visitors.
3. Without capital punishment, criminals are not afraid of other punishment.
4. Capital punishment   … this extremely violent behavior cannot be accepted.
5. Instead of execution, society should investigate the causes of crime.

The answers will be given in the next ‘logic’ post.

Answers to Logic (8 of 10)

1. ‘Not to marry, especially in modern society’? But everyone lives in ‘modern society’, don’t they? Maybe the student should write … ‘in developed nations.’
2. Doesn’t everyone need money? The ‘may’ is weird.
3. ‘Willing to kill’ doesn’t make sense. It suggests someone wants them to do kill people, and needs people ‘willing’ to do so. The sentence should read something like, ‘People with murderous instincts’ or ‘Those who want to kill someone’.
4. You can’t control smoke, can you? Hmmm. It’s meant to be something like ‘cigarette sales’ or ‘cigarette prices’ or ‘cigarette distribution’.
5. It doesn’t matter how expensive cigarettes are, the ‘desire to smoke’ will remain unchanged.