IELTS Writing Task 2 | Traditional festivals and celebrations

• Introduction:
• Paraphrase the overall essay main topic.
• Write a clear opinion.
• 1st Body Paragraph
• Write a topic sentence with a clear main idea.
• Explain your main idea.
• Develop it with specific or hypothetical examples.
• 2nd Body Paragraph
• Write a new topic sentence with a new main idea.
• Explain your new main idea.
• Include specific details and examples.
• Add as much information as you can and make sure it links logically.
• Conclusion:
• Summarise your main ideas.
• Include a final thought.

• Around the world, many traditional festivals these days are at risk of becoming outdated and irrelevant. In my opinion, this contributes to issues concerning cultural disintegration and should be countered by citizens in concert with governments.
• The main issues resulting from abandoning traditional festivals concern culture. More commercial holidays such as Black Friday and Christmas are gaining in popularity which naturally threatens smaller cultural groups and their festivals. For example, in China there are numerous ethnic groups living in remote areas that struggle to preserve their traditions over time as locals learn more about the outside world and leave their hometowns. As these groups disperse further both physically and virtually it will be a challenge for old traditions to persist and the results may impact the stories they hand down through generations, their language, traditional dishes and other aspects of culture.
• The optimal remedies for the weakening of traditional cultures are for governments and individuals to actively encourage traditional festivals. Governments can make the greatest difference. For instance, states could fund organizations that aim to promote traditional festivals by staging local events and reaching out to older members of the community. Younger people could likewise attempt to engage more with their roots and connect with the sources of their culture. This occurs to some extent already when traditional festivals are advertised on social media to bring in a wider audience and greater attention.
• In conclusion, the loss of traditional festivals is a boon to globalization and injures the cultural identity of various groups. This development must be confronted by locals of their own individual initiative and encouraged by governments.

Vocabulary and Useful Expressions

• Around the world: globally
• traditional festivals: cultural celebrations
• at risk of becoming outdated and irrelevant: might start to be forgotten
• contributes: adds to
• issues concerning cultural disintegration: problems relating to cultures being lost
• countered: remedied
• citizens in concert with governments: people working together with the state
• resulting from abandoning traditional festivals concern culture: caused by not celebrating older festivals relate to tradition
• commercial holidays: festivals mainly concerned with making money
• Black Friday: the day after Thanksgiving when there are many sales
• Christmas: the holiday about the birth of Jesus
• naturally threatens smaller cultural groups: of course cause problems for minorities
• numerous ethnic groups living in remote areas: smaller cultural groups in less populated areas
• struggle: have difficulty
• preserve: keep alive
• outside world: the rest of the world
• leave their hometowns: move away
• As these groups disperse further both physically and virtually: when these peoples move to new places or learn more about the world
• persist: continue
• impact: effect
• hand down through generations: teach their children, grandchildren
• traditional dishes: older cuisines
• aspects of culture: related to culture
• optimal remedies: best fixes
• weakening: not getting stronger
• actively encourage traditional festivals: go out of their way to help older celebrations
• make the greatest difference: have the biggest impact
• fund organizations: give money to groups
• aim: try to
• promote: encourage
• staging local events: putting on celebrations
• reaching out to older members of the community: talking to one’s elders
• likewise attempt to engage more with their roots: similarly try to learn more about tradition
• connect with the sources of: get back into contact with the origins of
• to some extent already: to a degree
• advertised: marketed
• social media: Facebook, Instagram, etc.
• bring in a wider audience and greater attention: make more people notice it
• loss: disappearance
• boon: good for
• globalization: everyone around the world connecting
• injures the cultural identity of various groups: harms how groups of people see themselves
• confronted by: fought by
• initiative: efforts