IELTS CUE CARD
[PART 2]
A TRADITION IN YOUR
COUNTRY
Describe a tradition in your country
You should say:
- what it is
- who takes part in it
- what activities there are
And explain how you feel about it
A N S W E R
Let me tell you about our annual tradition that’s filled with superstitious beliefs but very fascinating and at the same time lovely and that’s the celebration of New Year. In this country, we give importance to the first day of the year, well, for the obvious reason – we want to welcome the year full of happiness, prosperity, good health, and high hopes. Well, who wouldn’t want to start the year full of positivity?
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Superstitious [adj.] – believing in superstitions; beliefs based on old ideas about luck and magic rather than science or logic
Fascinating [adj.] – extremely interesting
Prosperity [noun] – the state of being prosperous (i.e. wealth; success)
TIPS
i & ii.) The speaker provided a straightforward introduction by giving the kind of tradition that he would like to talk about. He provided one good reason as to why that tradition was important to his fellow countrymen. He did achieve coherence for his first and second paragraphs.
So a day before the New Year, every household practices the centuries-old tradition which is to entirely clean the house, that is changing the bedsheets in every room, dusting the furniture until it looks shiny, washing all the laundry, polishing the floor, deep-cleaning the toilet and the bathroom, and doing all the types of house cleaning that you can think of. We do this every year because we believe that doing so attracts positive energy or some good luck.
If we fail to do a thorough cleaning, the negative energy or the bad omen remains in the house which is the main culprit of undesirable incidents or some bad luck that we will experience throughout the year.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Dust [verb as used in the answer] – to remove the dust or dirt on the surface
Deep-clean [verb] – to perform an intense cleaning
Omen [noun] – something that is considered to be a sign of how future events will take place
Culprit [noun] – the cause of the problem
TIP
iii.) Here, the speaker described the things that he did which served as supporting details of his introduction. By doing this, the examiner would surely be able to understand the main point of his monologue. Make sure to provide very specific details of the topic, so you’ll be able to formulate an easy-to-understand monologue.
It’s still vivid in my memory how I hated cleaning the entire house the day before the New Year when I was a kid because, in the first place, I just abhorred house chores. All I wanted then was to watch TV and go outside to play with my friends. However, my mom oftentimes asked me to give her a hand in cleaning and I couldn’t refuse since I didn’t want to be caned. She always just told me a day before New Year that we needed to clean the house or else the evil spirit would conquer us all. Honestly, I memorized that line when I was little because that’s what she always said year after year.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Vivid [adj.] – evocative; producing powerful feelings or clear images in the mind
Abhor [verb] – regard with disgust and hatred
Give a hand [phrase] – help
Cane [verb as used in the answer] – whip; beat
TIP
iv.) In this part, the speaker added supplemental details to his story so he could speak at length. What he did was just recall his childhood memories that were related to the main topic as well. That’s a very good technique for him to extend his story a little bit more.
Anyway, when the clock strikes at 12 AM, what we always do is light the firecrackers. This is a sign that we welcome the year full of positive energy and it’s also an act of driving away the bad spirits. Right after that, we all gather at the table and devour the special and sumptuous dishes and of course, enjoy time with our family. Although I hated the tradition of cleaning the house when I was a kid, funnily enough, I’ve been doing that year after year now that I’m a grown-up man.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Drive away [phrasal verb] – force to go away
Devour [verb] – eat hungrily or quickly
Sumptuous [adj.] – splendid; expensive looking
Funnily enough [phrase] – used for saying that you think something is surprising or unusual
Grown-up [adj.] – adult
TIP
v.) The speaker simply wrapped up his story by adding another idea that talked more about the tradition. His last line was perfectly developed and it’s amusing as he talked about how he practiced doing the things that he hated when he was a child, now that he’s an adult. It’s a great way to end his monologue.
PART 3
How do people value traditional festivals?
Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question since each country has its own traditional festivals and its people celebrate their festivals in a unique way. What I can give you is just a generalization – first of all, each country declares a national or local holiday when they celebrate their own traditional festivals so that its citizens can take part in the said festival in a more meaningful way. During the celebration, people prepare some special dishes, spend time with their loved ones, and definitely have fun.
If the festival has something to do with religion, people normally utter their prayers or express their gratitude to their God for the blessings that they have obtained in life. So basically, the act of celebrating the festival is how people give importance to their traditions.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
One-size-fits-all [adj.] – suitable for or used in all circumstances
Utter [verb] – say something
Obtain [verb] – get; acquire
TIP
i.) The speaker gave an honest answer to the question and focused on discussing his general idea or opinion. Then he provided specific examples that would surely support his answer better. He made sure to discuss his answer thoroughly so he could achieve coherence and at the same time make the examiner understand his points well.
What’s the difference between festivals now and those in the past?
Seriously, that’s one hard question to answer, like I said earlier, each country has its own unique festival and its people have their distinct way of celebrating it. Well, I’m not sure how to answer that question, however, the main difference which I can only assume is that festivals these days are more commercialized than those in the past. What I mean by that is business people, take advantage of the festivals and come up with their marketing strategy to sell their products or services during the celebration of a particular festival.
For instance, in the annual celebration of Valentine’s Day, companies selling confectioneries advertise their products convincingly telling everyone that buying their chocolates or sweets and gifting them to their loved ones is the best way to express their undying devotion to their loved one. That kind of strategy is mainstream these days and it has become the new culture which I believe was not commonly practiced in the past.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Distinct [adj.] – recognizably different
Commercialized [adj.] – profit-orientated
Take advantage of something [expression] – to use an opportunity to achieve results
Confectionery [noun] – sweets or chocolates
TIP
i.) Again, the speaker answered the question honestly as he didn’t know how to answer the question, he simply focused on his assumption. He tackled the idea of business stating that businessmen took advantage of festivals making those festivals commercialized. By giving that idea, he’s able to develop a well-discussed answer as he successfully compared the past and the current times.
Do you think Western festivals like Christmas are replacing traditional festivals in your country?
I don’t think so, although the Western influence is prevalent in this country, we still value our own traditions religiously. Well, we can’t deny the fact that we do celebrate Western festivals like Christmas and Halloween but we don’t celebrate them like the way Western people do. I mean, we recognize or acknowledge these festivals but those have no significant meaning to us.
I know that Christmas is important among Christian people because they commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, but for us non-Christians, we enjoy the Christmas season because it’s a great opportunity for us to buy things that are on sale in all shopping malls or online shops. That’s just how we think of those Western festivals.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Prevalent [adj.] – widespread Religiously [adv.] – with consistent and conscientious regularity Commemorate [verb] – mark or celebrate
TIP
i.) The speaker gave a negative answer directly to the question and stated his opinion on how they viewed Western festivals. For him to expound his answer, he gave one Western festival as an example that his countrymen celebrate and explained a little bit more about that. The way he developed his answer made him sound spontaneous and coherent.
Do you think it is wrong for children not to celebrate traditional festivals?
I neither want to say it’s wrong nor it’s right because in the first place, children don’t have any or enough know-how about celebrating traditional festivals and they cannot decide on their own. I believe it all depends on their parents if their parents educate them about the importance of celebrating a festival and if they practice it at home, then they’ll understand the significance of the festival and will surely celebrate it with them.
However, if parents choose not to celebrate any traditional festivals as a personal choice, then why would children spend time celebrating it when they cannot do it on their own? I must say to answer this question logically is to understand their parents’ views about celebrating traditional festivals.
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Know-how [noun] – knowledge to do something
Logically [adv.] – in a way that is expected or sensible under the circumstances
TIP
i.) The speaker expressed his answer differently by using the expression, neither…nor, which was helpful for him to sound natural and advanced. Then, he transitioned to talking about the parents of children since he believed that children did not have any or enough knowledge about celebrating traditional festivals. He provided a well-thought-out answer that made him sound confident.
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Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources: Collins, Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford
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