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Some people believe that a person's culture is defined by their country of origin, while others believe that has only a minor influence. Discuss both these views and give your opinion.

Some people believe that a person's culture is defined by their country of origin, while others believe that has only a minor influence. xBjN
If we define culture as shared beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviours, it stands to reason then that a person's country of origin impacts their culture. The question is to what degree. Is nationality the defining influence or is it just one of many factors in play? Personally speaking, I would say both arguments have validity, but I would lean towards the latter. It is easy to understand the ‘defining influence’ argument. If someone is born and raised in a place, they will be heavily influenced by it. Psychologists refer to this as the ‘nurture argument’ - you are a product of your environment. For example, if your country's cuisine uses certain ingredients, your palate gets accustomed to those ingredients, but may struggle with other less familiar flavours. If your country has a traditional style of music, say, reggae or rock, all citizens will be exposed to it and, as a result, are more likely to enjoy it. On the other side of the argument we need to consider the effects of globalisation. Most people have daily access and exposure to other cultures. The evidence is all around us- restaurants, films and foreign businesses are ubiquitous. One of the benefits of globalisation is that it offers us a selection of cultural possibilities to choose from. It is unlikely that you will find any citizen of a certain country who does not have likes or preferences that come from outside of their country of origin. In addition, more and more people work, study or travel extensively away from their home country. Inevitably, these people will be subject to new influences. My own view is that while we are influenced by our nationality, in this globalised world, one's country of origin is only one aspect of our collective culture. We all adopt elements from other cultures on a daily basis, unconsciously or according to our preferences and experiences. To my mind, this is what makes the world such an interesting place.
If we define
culture
as shared beliefs, values, attitudes and
behaviours
, it stands to reason then that a person's
country
of origin impacts their
culture
. The question is to what degree. Is nationality the defining influence or is it
just
one of
many
factors in play?
Personally
speaking, I would say both
arguments
have validity,
but
I would lean towards the latter.

It is easy to understand the ‘defining influence’
argument
. If someone
is born
and raised in a place, they will be
heavily
influenced by it. Psychologists refer to this as the ‘nurture
argument’
-
you are a product of your environment.
For example
, if your country's cuisine
uses
certain ingredients, your palate
gets
accustomed to those ingredients,
but
may struggle with
other
less familiar
flavours
. If your
country
has a traditional style of music, say, reggae or rock, all citizens will
be exposed
to it and,
as a result
, are more likely to enjoy it.

On the
other
side of the
argument
we need to consider the effects of
globalisation
. Most
people
have daily access and exposure to
other
cultures
. The evidence is all around us- restaurants, films and foreign businesses are ubiquitous. One of the benefits of
globalisation
is that it offers us a selection of cultural possibilities to choose from. It is unlikely that you will find any citizen of a certain
country
who does not have likes or preferences that
come
from
outside of
their
country
of origin.
In addition
, more and more
people
work, study or travel
extensively
away from their home
country
.
Inevitably
, these
people
will be subject to new influences.

My
own
view is that while we
are influenced
by our nationality, in this
globalised
world, one's
country
of origin is
only
one aspect of our collective
culture
. We all adopt elements from
other
cultures
on a daily basis,
unconsciously
or according to our preferences and experiences. To my mind, this is what
makes
the world such an interesting place.
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IELTS essay Some people believe that a person's culture is defined by their country of origin, while others believe that has only a minor influence.

Essay
  American English
4 paragraphs
328 words
6.0
Overall Band Score
Coherence and Cohesion: 5.5
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Lexical Resource: 5.0
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  • Check your work for spelling and word formation mistakes
Grammatical Range: 6.5
  • Use a variety of complex and simple sentences
  • Check your writing for errors
Task Achievement: 6.0
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    Present relevant ideas
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