IELTS Speaking Practice Question Set: Culture

I’m particularly proud of our hospitality. Guests are treated almost like family — people will insist you stay for a meal even if they’ve only just met you. I’m also proud of our traditional music, which has a unique sound that reflects our history.

Useful language:hospitalityinsistreflects our history

Not as often as I’d like — maybe three or four times a year, mostly during the major national holidays. When I do go, I really enjoy the atmosphere, especially the live music and the street food.

Useful language:not as often as I’d likethe atmospherestreet food

It’s a mixed picture. Many young people are more drawn to global trends, especially through social media. But interestingly, there’s been a revival recently — some young musicians and designers are reinventing traditional styles in a modern way, which has made them fashionable again.

Useful language:a mixed picturedrawn toa revivalreinventing

In my hometown, the weekly folk dance evenings in the main square are very popular. Anyone can join in, from children to grandparents, so it’s a nice way for different generations to spend time together.

Useful language:join indifferent generations

Yes, quite a lot. The most memorable was Ethiopian food, which I tried at a restaurant last year. You eat it with a spongy flatbread called injera instead of cutlery, which felt unusual at first but was great fun, and the spices were wonderfully rich.

Useful language:memorableinstead of cutlerywonderfully rich

Now that I think about it, the tradition of visiting every relative during the holidays is quite unusual to outsiders. You might visit ten houses in two days and eat at every single one! I find it exhausting but also very warm.

Useful language:now that I think about itoutsidersexhausting but warm

In some ways it has helped — festivals are livestreamed, so people abroad can still take part. But it has also changed how we celebrate; people often spend more time filming events on their phones than actually enjoying them.

Useful language:livestreamedtake partfilming events

Very much. Learning about other cultures helps me understand why people think and behave differently, and it often makes me look at my own culture with fresh eyes. Travelling and watching foreign films are my favourite ways to do it.

Useful language:with fresh eyesbehave differently

I’d like to talk about the New Year celebration in my culture, which is the most important festival of the year for my family.

It takes place at the start of the year, and preparations begin weeks in advance. People clean their homes thoroughly, buy new clothes and stock up on food. On the evening itself, the whole extended family gathers at my grandparents’ house for a huge dinner. There are certain dishes we only cook at this time of year, and everyone has a job — my aunts handle the main dishes and the children are in charge of decorating. At midnight we go outside to watch fireworks, and the next morning younger people visit older relatives to wish them good health.

In terms of what it signifies, the festival is all about new beginnings. Cleaning the house symbolises getting rid of bad luck from the previous year, and the family dinner represents unity and gratitude. It’s also a moment of respect for older generations, because visiting them first is a way of honouring them.

I think it’s very important to maintain this tradition. Life has become so busy that many families rarely sit down together, and this celebration guarantees that we do at least once a year. It also passes our values on to children in a natural, enjoyable way. Of course, some customs are changing — for instance, many people now send greetings by message instead of visiting — but I believe the core of the celebration, bringing people together, is worth protecting.

Useful language:weeks in advancestock up onextended familysymboliseshonouringpasses our values onworth protecting

It has had a double-edged effect. On the one hand, globalization has made cultural exchange much easier — people can enjoy food, music and films from almost anywhere, which has broadened our horizons. On the other hand, there’s a risk of homogenisation: the same brands, fast-food chains and entertainment dominate in every city, so local traditions can be pushed aside. I’d say the overall diversity people can access has grown, but the distinctiveness of individual places has decreased.

Useful language:double-edgedbroadened our horizonshomogenisationpushed asidedistinctiveness

Governments can do quite a lot. They can fund museums, festivals and traditional arts, so these activities don’t disappear for financial reasons. Including local history, music and crafts in the school curriculum is another effective step. They can also protect historic sites and support craftspeople, for example through grants or tax breaks, so that traditional skills remain a viable way to earn a living.

Useful language:school curriculumhistoric sitescraftspeopletax breaksa viable way to earn a living

Not fully, no. You can certainly appreciate a culture’s food, art and customs without the language, but many of the subtleties — humour, proverbs, the way people show politeness — are tied to the language itself. Some words simply don’t translate. So I’d say you can understand a culture partially without the language, but learning it opens a much deeper level of understanding.

Useful language:subtletiestied todon’t translatea deeper level of understanding

They can have a significant impact. Different cultures have different expectations about punctuality, hierarchy and how directly people say no. For example, in some cultures a negotiation starts with building a personal relationship, while in others people get straight to business. If companies aren’t aware of these differences, misunderstandings can damage trust — which is why many firms now provide intercultural training for staff who work abroad.

Useful language:punctualityhierarchyget straight to businessdamage trustintercultural training

A huge role. Social media decides, to a large extent, what becomes popular — songs, fashion, even slang can spread worldwide within days. It has also given a voice to smaller communities, who can now share their traditions with a global audience. The negative side is that it tends to reward trends that are short-lived and attention-grabbing, so culture can feel more superficial and fast-moving than before.

Useful language:to a large extentgiven a voice toshort-livedsuperficial

Schools are probably the most powerful tool we have. They can teach local history and traditional arts alongside core subjects, organise visits to museums and heritage sites, and invite older members of the community to share stories and skills. When children experience their heritage actively rather than just reading about it, they’re much more likely to value it and pass it on.

Useful language:cultural heritagealongside core subjectsheritage sitespass it on

I think practices that cause harm — for example, those that discriminate against certain groups or are cruel to animals — should be abandoned or reformed, even if they’re traditional. Culture isn’t fixed; it has always evolved. At the same time, we should be careful not to dismiss practices simply because they seem old-fashioned to outsiders. The key question should be whether a practice harms people, not whether it’s modern.

Useful language:discriminate againstreformedevolveddismissold-fashioned