Government & Law — Part 2
The Celpip Plus team
Written and reviewed against the official CELPIP scoring criteria
What you'll learn: the adjective + noun collocations that let you describe laws, policies, and rights with precision — moving beyond generic words like "good," "bad," and "strict" when discussing government topics.
Why descriptive precision matters here
Government and law questions on CELPIP frequently ask for evaluation: is a policy fair, is a punishment appropriate, is a right fundamental? Learners often default to a small set of overused adjectives ("good law," "bad rule," "strict government"), which flattens an otherwise strong answer. Native speakers instead reach for adjective + noun collocations that carry built-in nuance — a strict policy feels different from a controversial policy, and a binding agreement feels different from a landmark ruling. This lesson builds that descriptive range.
Grouping the adjectives by function
The collocations below cluster into three functions: describing the strength of a rule (strict policy, binding agreement), describing its reception (controversial law, widespread support), and describing its significance (landmark ruling, fundamental right). Knowing which function you need helps you select the right adjective quickly instead of grabbing the first one that comes to mind.
Word bank: descriptive government & law collocations
| Collocation | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| strict policy | a rule enforced firmly, with little flexibility | The school has a strict policy on late attendance. |
| controversial law | a law that causes strong public disagreement | The new surveillance law has proven highly controversial. |
| binding agreement | a legally enforceable contract or promise | Both parties signed a binding agreement before the project began. |
| landmark ruling | a court decision that sets an important precedent | The landmark ruling changed how privacy cases are handled. |
| fundamental right | a basic entitlement considered essential | Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in most democracies. |
| widespread support | approval shared by a large portion of the public | The proposal received widespread support among voters. |
| harsh penalty | a severe punishment for an offence | Repeat offenders face a harsh penalty under the new rules. |
| lenient sentence | a mild punishment, less severe than expected | Critics argued the judge gave a lenient sentence for a serious crime. |
| public accountability | the obligation of officials to answer for their actions | Voters expect a higher degree of public accountability from leaders. |
| civil liberty | a personal freedom protected from government interference | Protecting civil liberties is central to a functioning democracy. |
| legal loophole | a gap in the law that allows people to avoid its intent | The company exploited a legal loophole to avoid paying taxes. |
| transparent process | a decision-making procedure that is open and clear | Citizens are demanding a more transparent process for awarding contracts. |
Worked example — Writing Task 2 opinion
Prompt: Some people believe court sentences for minor crimes are too lenient. Do you agree?
"I partly agree that some sentences are too lenient, but I believe the deeper issue is a lack of public accountability rather than the severity of punishment alone. A harsh penalty does not always prevent crime if the underlying legal loophole that allowed the offence remains open. What matters more, in my view, is a transparent process that the public can trust. Freedom from arbitrary punishment is a fundamental right, so any change to sentencing should come through a binding agreement among lawmakers rather than a single, controversial law passed in haste. When reforms have widespread support, they tend to produce fairer, more lasting landmark rulings."
This response uses eight adjective + noun collocations to argue a nuanced position rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing — the kind of balanced reasoning CELPIP Writing Task 2 rewards.
Common mistakes
- "Strong law" instead of binding agreement or strict policy — "strong" is vague; native speakers specify what kind of strength is meant.
- "Big right" instead of fundamental right — size adjectives do not collocate naturally with abstract legal concepts.
- "Soft sentence" instead of lenient sentence — "soft" sounds informal and imprecise in a legal context.
- "Open process" instead of transparent process — both are understandable, but "transparent" is the collocation raters expect in this register.
Recap
Adjective + noun collocations let you evaluate laws, rulings, and rights with the nuance CELPIP raters are trained to notice, replacing generic words like "good" or "strict" with more precise alternatives. Practice by choosing a real law or policy you have an opinion about and describing it using three different adjective + noun pairs from the table above.