TOEFL: Sometimes it is acceptable not to tell the truth - not all lies are wrong

Thank you for deciding to review this essay.

Parents usually teach their children not to lie. However, when we grow older, we acknowledge that there are indeed a few exceptions. In other words, not telling the truth is occasionally acceptable. There are three main reasons to support my opinion.

First of all, people may live happier if they do not know the truth. Sometimes, people lie to you for your own benefits. For example, doctors usually lie a lot to cancer patients. It is a common truth that happiness can actually diminish diseases. Therefore, in order to get better, patients should not know how marginal their cancer is. Or at the very least, they can enjoy the rest of their lives in joy and happiness, instead of crying and waiting for death.

Secondly, in some cases, not telling the truth is not only acceptable, but also necessary. In the military, soldiers are trained not to tell the truth no matter what when under interrogation. The truth they are trying to hide from the enemy can closely associated with the lives of millions of citizens or with the national secrets. Moreover, in some countries, it can be considered a treason if you tell a "truth" about the government or military to the enemy or even to the public.

Lastly, it is understandable not to tell the truth when somebody asks you a personal question. We all have our own privacy and our own secrets. Therefore, we should respect others' private lives. In fact, in social class, students are taught not to ask new people they have just met three things: age, job, and marriage. If they do, they may have a terrible first impression.

In conclusion, not all lies are wrong because they can make people feel happier, help protect one's country, or simply safeguard one's privacy.

Thank you for reading till the end. Hope it doesn't hurt your brain. Please give me a feedback and grade my essay on the scale of 5. I really appreciate it. Thank you again!

The whole essay seems OK, you provide enough examples to support your point.
I would recommend you to demonstrate syntactic variety, using some more complex sentence structures and some advanced words.

Hi Jake,

I'm coming back to yours :).

In fact, in social class, students are taught not to ask new people they have just met three things: age, job, and marriage. If they do, they may have a terrible first impression.

This sentence makes me a little bit headache although I know what you are trying to tell.
I guess some word order could be adjusted.
My attempt:
In fact, some topics such as age, job, and marriage are not welcomed in the first meeting in social class.

Cheers.

I have a few suggestions for your essay. There are three main reasons to support my opinion. This transition looks too rough. You could even eliminate it from your essay. In other words, not telling the truth is occasionally acceptable This one looks redundant. Let me attempt to modify your introduction. We have been taught to not lie since we were kids. However, as we grow older, we begin to realize that there are exceptions for that particular action. After that, you can simply provide an example. It is fine to write an example in the introduction.