Prompt
Causes + solutions – Youth crime
In some countries, the number of crimes committed by young people is increasing. What are the causes of this problem and what solutions can you suggest?
Band 9 sample answer
Band 9 sample answer
Sentence-by-sentence analysis
Anatomy of a Band 9 Essay
Read the model answer normally, or switch on the examiner breakdown to see how each sentence contributes to the response.
Analysed against the four IELTS Writing assessment criteria. Each note explains how this specific sentence supports the essay.
Paragraph 1: Introduction — frames the consequences, identifies broad causes and previews the response
In several nations, youth offending is on the rise, a trend that threatens public safety and wastes human potential. This increase is usually driven by a combination of weakened social support and powerful external influences, and it can be reduced through early intervention, better opportunities and proportionate justice.
“Youth offending” provides an accurate academic paraphrase of crimes committed by young people, while the appositive ending establishes why the issue matters socially and individually.
The thesis answers both parts of the task by grouping the causes into social support and external pressure, then previewing three corresponding areas of intervention.
Paragraph 2: Body 1 — explains the family, socioeconomic and online causes of youth offending
One major cause is family instability and inadequate supervision. When parents work multiple jobs, experience addiction, or are absent altogether, teenagers often lack consistent boundaries and emotional support, making them more susceptible to antisocial peer groups. A second driver is social and economic marginalisation. In deprived neighbourhoods, limited access to quality schooling, apprenticeships and safe recreational spaces can make crime appear like a realistic route to income or status. Finally, online culture can intensify these pressures by normalising violence, facilitating cyberbullying, and enabling quick recruitment into local gangs.
The paragraph opens with a clearly defined causal category, focusing first on the immediate support structure around young people.
The subordinate clause gives several plausible forms of family instability before the participial ending explains the mechanism linking reduced supervision to greater peer influence.
The explicit transition separates socioeconomic exclusion from family circumstances, keeping the causal analysis organised rather than blending all disadvantages together.
The sentence explains how marginalisation can affect behaviour: when legitimate educational, employment and recreational pathways are weak, offending may appear to offer alternative rewards.
“Intensify these pressures” correctly presents online culture as an amplifier rather than an isolated cause, while the three precise mechanisms show how digital environments can increase risk.
Paragraph 3: Body 2 — proposes coordinated preventive, educational and justice responses
Addressing the problem requires coordinated solutions. First, governments should fund preventive programmes that identify at‑risk children early—through schools, community clinics and social workers—and provide parenting classes, counselling and mentoring. Second, education systems must offer credible pathways into work, such as vocational tracks, paid internships and partnerships with local employers, so that legitimate progress competes with illegal alternatives. Third, policing and sentencing should be smarter rather than simply harsher: diversion schemes, restorative justice and compulsory training for first-time offenders can reduce reoffending, while serious repeat crimes should still attract firm penalties.
The topic sentence signals that no single intervention can answer the multiple causes identified in Body 1, preparing the reader for a deliberately multi-part response.
This measure directly targets weak family and social support by combining early identification with concrete assistance for both young people and parents.
The proposed vocational and employment pathways directly answer the earlier problem of marginalisation by making lawful routes to income and status more realistic.
The colon and contrasting final clause allow a nuanced justice policy: rehabilitative responses are proposed for suitable first offences without implying that serious repeat offending should go unpunished.
Paragraph 4: Conclusion — synthesises the causal analysis and matched response
Overall, youth crime increases when young people grow up with fragile support networks and few legitimate prospects. Tackling it effectively means strengthening families and communities while expanding education-to-employment routes and using rehabilitation-focused justice where appropriate.
The conclusion compresses the principal causes into two coherent categories: inadequate support and insufficient legitimate opportunities.
The final sentence mirrors the three-part solution structure developed in the essay, bringing family support, opportunity and proportionate justice into one coherent response.
Verified word count: 265
Analysis by IELTS Master editorial review. How this analysis is created and reviewed
Useful vocabulary and phrases
family instability
Gives a precise, academic label to a common cause.
Family instability can leave teenagers without supervision or guidance.
economic marginalisation
Helps explain structural drivers beyond individual blame.
Economic marginalisation can make illegal income seem attractive.
susceptible to peer pressure
Common IELTS collocation used accurately.
Some adolescents are susceptible to peer pressure from delinquent groups.
early intervention
Links directly to prevention-focused solutions.
Early intervention through schools can prevent later offending.
diversion schemes
Specific, credible policy language.
Diversion schemes for first-time offenders can reduce reoffending.
restorative justice
Shows nuanced understanding of criminal-justice approaches.
Restorative justice can hold youths accountable while supporting rehabilitation.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing causes and solutions without explaining how they lead to crime or how they would work in practice.
- Proposing only punitive measures (e.g., longer prison sentences) without prevention or rehabilitation.
- Using overgeneralised claims like “young people are bad today” instead of evidence-based drivers such as family breakdown or deprivation.
- Writing an ‘opinion’ essay rather than a causes-and-solutions structure.
- Failing to link each solution to a specific cause.
Now apply what you have learned
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