Writing Task 2: Opinion (Agree/Disagree) Essay: Question 6
Syllabus W.task2
In many societies today, traditional festivals, ceremonies and customs are given far less importance than they once were. Some people argue that losing these traditions is not a real loss, since culture must inevitably change with the times.
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.
Show worked solution Hide worked solution
Worked solution
Examiner notes
Task Response
The introduction paraphrases the prompt and states an unambiguous position, that the loss of tradition is a genuine loss, within the first sentence, using a concessive opening (“While it is undeniable…”) that acknowledges the counter-view without ever adopting it. Each body paragraph develops one fully realised reason (the loss of embedded communal knowledge; the erosion of identity and generational bonds) with a specific, plausible personal example rather than a generic claim, and the conclusion reasserts exactly the same position stated at the start, so the argument never drifts.
Coherence & Cohesion
The four-paragraph structure is signposted clearly with topic sentences (“The first reason is…”, “Equally significant is…”) and each paragraph moves logically from claim to explanation to example to implication. Cohesive devices (“something that cannot simply be reinvented”, “a function that has arguably become more, not less, important”, “In conclusion”) link ideas within and across paragraphs without resorting to mechanical, formulaic connectors.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise and topic-appropriate (“living archive”, “embedded knowledge”, “anchoring personal identity”, “digitally dispersed”), with natural collocations rather than memorised idioms bolted on for effect. Word choice is varied throughout, with no unnatural repetition of key terms such as “tradition” or “culture”.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
The essay uses a wide range of complex structures (non-defining relative clauses (“a harvest festival, for instance, typically encodes…”), subordinate clauses of concession and reason, and a semicolon to join two closely related independent clauses) entirely free of grammatical error, demonstrating full control rather than a narrow, safe range of simple sentences.