Some people think that it is necessary to travel to other places to learn about other cultures. Others say that books, films and the Internet can be used as a source of information about different cultures. Do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
We live in a multifaceted society that has its own cultural and traditional values. Traditions that vary from place to place are distinctive in their own waysunique in their own form. These norms and distinctive cultural values attract people to visit different places in order to learn more which is laudable, but others believe that we live in a digital world know where all the information is available through paper and print media then there is no point to visit those places physically. This essay will analyse both viewpoints to understand their merits before presenting an opinion.
People believe that culture can be best understood when one physically visits a placewhen one physically visit that place. Proponents of this viewpoint argue that films and books do not cover all aspectsall the aspects and often shows only positive attributes and customs of a place. Cultural values and traditions are best analysed when we experience them firsthandwe live with them and participate in their festivals, religious gatherings, weddings and other events. Moreover, they say that books and the internet give us limited information and physical presence isin instrumental to observe and understand their emotions and sentiments displayedtheir emotion, feelings, sentiments and so on showcased during different occasions. For instance, Malay culture is rich in folk music, artworks, poetry, festivals, whichfestivals and so on which we usually see in different videos, but there are some less visible traits, such as their dislike of non-Malayshidden traits like their disliking for non-Malay which areis not mentioned in any book or shown in films. Furthermore, one can truly appreciate a cultureadmire and appreciate culture when they interact with its peoplewhen they mingle with them.
On the other handOn the contrary, others believe that one can easily learn the traditions and cultural norms through documentaries, historical books or digital contentthrough different documentary movies, historical books or through the digital contents available on the Internetavailable over the internet. They say that books written over different cultures were
To recapitulate, the aforementioned discussion providesthe aforementioned provides plausible arguments for both viewpointsarguments over both view point. However, I personally believe that one should travel to explore and satisfykerb their passion for learning different cultures as virtual information cannot match physical presencephysical presence cannot match the virtual information.
Why this response received Band 6.0
The response establishes a clear preference for travel and develops the experiential-learning argument with several relevant cultural examples. However, the alternative view is left as an unfinished sentence, creating a major gap in development and an abrupt break in progression, while recurring language errors reduce precision. The highest-priority improvement is to complete and develop the opposing argument before explaining clearly why direct experience remains more valuable.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A relevant position favouring travel is clear and supported, but the discussion of learning through media is effectively undeveloped.
Complete the media-based argument with explanation and an example, then compare its limitations directly with firsthand experience.
Coherence and Cohesion
The broad paragraph structure is recognisable, but the unfinished third paragraph severely disrupts progression and balance.
Ensure every body paragraph contains a complete central idea, supporting development, and a clear link to the final position.
Lexical Resource
The response shows some range in discussing culture and experience, but awkward collocations and inaccurate word choices occur repeatedly.
Use more precise combinations and correct misused words such as kerb, which contradicts the intended meaning in the conclusion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are attempted and meaning is usually recoverable, but agreement, clause control, and sentence-completion errors are frequent.
Prioritise complete sentence boundaries and subject-verb agreement before adding multiple clauses to complex sentences.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that it is necessary to travel to other places to learn about other cultures. Others say that books, films and the Internet can be used as a source of information about different cultures. Do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.