Plan this opinion essay about globalisation with the ideas and outline below, write it on a 40-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
As countries become more connected, cultures around the world are becoming too similar, and this is a loss for humanity.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
Pick two or three points from one or both columns. You do not need all of them, and your own examples score better than memorised ones.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 250 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
It is often claimed that increased global connection is making cultures alike, and that this is a loss. I agree that some distinctive traditions are being weakened, but I do not accept that cultural diversity is being destroyed.
There is certainly evidence for the concern. The same fast-food chains, clothing brands and pop songs can now be found in cities from Tashkent to Toronto, and young people everywhere follow the same online trends. As a result, local customs, dialects and crafts are used less, particularly among the young, and once they vanish they are hard to revive. If every place begins to look and sound the same, the world will be a less interesting one, and humanity will lose valuable knowledge that these traditions carry.
On the other hand, I think this view overstates the problem. The exchange of ideas has enriched life in many ways. Cuisine is a good illustration: dishes like pizza, sushi and curry have spread across the globe and then been adapted by local cooks, producing new and exciting combinations. People also keep their own identity even when they adopt foreign habits, and a teenager can listen to international pop and still celebrate traditional festivals with the family. Furthermore, cultures have always changed through trade, migration and conquest. The Silk Road is a good example, as it carried religions, foods and inventions between continents, and none of the cultures involved lost its individuality.
Rather than regretting change, societies should support the elements of heritage that matter most, such as language and the arts, through education and funding.
In conclusion, global connection does bring some uniformity, but it also creates new forms of culture, so I do not believe it represents a real loss for humanity.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cultural homogenisation | cultures becoming alike |
| uniformity | being all the same |
| globalisation | growing connection among countries |
| cultural exchange | sharing of cultural ideas |
| distinctive | clearly different |
| erosion | gradual loss |
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