Some people think that foreign films and programmes have a negative impact on local culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Many believe that foreign movies and shows create an adverse impact on domestic culture. I completely agree with this opinion because I believe that foreign cinemas and programmes exert a powerful influence on local audiences by promoting individualism and Western fashion trends.
Foreign movies and programmes contribute to the dilution of local cultural values. Films from dominant film industries often portray specific lifestyles, norms, and ideologies that may not be acceptable to local culture. When these films become smash-hit, they can induce local audiences to adopt the films’ cultural ideals that may challenge conventional norms and values. This, in turn, can lead to an erosion of the local cultural fabric. A good example here is “The Pursuit of Happiness”, an American film. The movie’s emphasis on individualism can resonate with Asian audiences who also stress the importance of the collective well-being of society.
Likewise, local audiences often emulate certain features of foreign films and shows that may cause conflict with shared cultural values. That is to say that international cinema tends to showcase Western fashion vogues that may go against traditional dress codes. The influence of these movies on viewers can lead to the adoption of Western attire. This is illustrated by the fact that many Indian audiences, particularly corporate women, wear trousers, suits or skirts with blazers, which challenges conservative dressing norms in certain Indian societies. The influence of foreign films and programmes, thus, can lead to the adoption of Western dressing trends, which may conflict with local cultural norms.
In conclusion, I totally agree that foreign films and shows have harmful effects on local culture because they encourage local audiences to adopt individualistic views and Western clothing styles that go against their own societal values.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct the collocation Original: create Suggested revision: have Why it matters: English uses “have an impact” rather than “create an impact” in this context.
- 2. Use the correct medium Original: cinemas Suggested revision: films Why it matters: “Cinema” refers to the art form or industry, while individual content is described as films.
- 3. Use the right preposition Original: acceptable to local culture Suggested revision: compatible with local culture Why it matters: “Compatible with” naturally expresses whether the portrayed values fit the local culture.
- 4. Correct number and article Original: become smash-hit Suggested revision: become smash hits Why it matters: The plural subject “films” requires the plural noun phrase “smash hits.”
- 5. Use a natural verb Original: induce Suggested revision: encourage Why it matters: “Encourage” is the natural verb for influencing audiences to adopt ideas.
- 6. Remove the article Original: lead to an erosion Suggested revision: lead to erosion Why it matters: “Erosion” is used uncountably when referring generally to gradual cultural loss.
- 7. Use the standard term Original: vogues Suggested revision: trends Why it matters: “Fashion trends” is the natural collocation; “vogues” is awkward and redundant here.
- 8. Use formal wording Original: go against traditional dress codes Suggested revision: conflict with traditional dress codes Why it matters: “Conflict with” is more precise and formal than the phrasal verb “go against.”
- 9. Refer to people correctly Original: many Indian audiences Suggested revision: many Indians Why it matters: “Audiences” denotes groups of viewers, not multiple individual people.
- 10. Use respectful precision Original: corporate women Suggested revision: women in corporate roles Why it matters: The revised phrase identifies the professional context naturally and precisely.
- 11. Clarify the relative clause Original: which challenges conservative Suggested revision: a trend that challenges conservative Why it matters: The revised phrase makes clear that the clothing trend, rather than the nearest noun, conflicts with the norms.
- 12. Place the adverb naturally Original: programmes, thus, can lead Suggested revision: programmes can thus lead Why it matters: The adverb fits naturally between the modal verb and main verb without surrounding commas.
Suggested Rewrites
- create have
- cinemas films
- acceptable to local culture compatible with local culture
- become smash-hit become smash hits
- induce encourage
- lead to an erosion lead to erosion
Why this response received Band 7.5
The essay maintains a clear complete agreement and develops two focused cultural concerns involving individualism and Western dress, supported by named examples. Its strongest feature is the consistent paragraph structure and sustained relevance to local norms. The main limitation is evidential logic: the film example says individualism resonates with collectivist audiences, and the clothing example assumes adoption necessarily causes cultural harm. Prioritise explaining the mechanism of displacement with more balanced, credible evidence.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear position is sustained and two relevant ideas are developed, but the examples do not fully substantiate the claimed cultural harm.
Show how repeated exposure can displace local stories, languages, or dress traditions, and acknowledge that cultural exchange does not always equal cultural erosion.
Coherence and Cohesion
The introduction, two focused body paragraphs, and conclusion form a clear, cohesive progression with effective internal linking.
Reduce repetition of the fashion conclusion within the second body paragraph and use that space to deepen the causal explanation.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and mostly precise for media influence and culture, though several expressions are inaccurate or overstated.
Replace 'foreign cinemas', 'become smash-hit', and 'fashion vogues' with 'foreign films', 'become major hits', and 'fashion trends'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A good range of complex structures is used with strong overall control, despite occasional agreement and noun-form errors.
Correct forms such as 'When these films become major hits' and ensure pronouns and relative clauses refer unambiguously to the intended idea.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that foreign films and programmes have a negative impact on local culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.