In many countries, people are increasingly choosing to give money as gifts for celebrations instead of buying individual presents. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development for society?
Stance: The rising trend of giving money as gifts is largely positive because of its practicality and the freedom it grants recipients — a custom Vietnam has practised for generations through lì xì and mừng tuổi — outweighing its minor drawbacks.
This answer is capped at 6.5 because it gives only one reason for the trend (practicality) developed with a single example, uses simple sequencing words like 'First' and 'Second' inside the concession paragraph, and never reaches the cultural framing (lì xì reappearing in the conclusion) that gives the 7.5 version its unity.
In many countries, people are now choosing to give money as a gift for celebrations instead of buying a specific present. In Vietnam, this is not a new idea, since lì xì, the red envelopes given at Tết, and money gifts at weddings and birthdays have existed for generations. Although some people may see this as less thoughtful, I believe this trend is mostly positive for society.
One main reason for this trend is that money gives the receiver more freedom and is more practical. Nowadays, people have very different needs, so a money gift lets them buy exactly what they want or need, instead of receiving a present they do not really like or use. This can make the receiver feel more grateful than getting an unwanted gift. For example, during Tết, my 78-year-old grandmother received lì xì from several relatives, including me. Instead of getting things she did not need, she used the money to buy household items and save some for a health check-up. This made her feel more independent.
It is true that giving money can sometimes feel less personal than choosing a gift carefully. However, I think the benefits are bigger than this small disadvantage. First, giving money means less unnecessary shopping, because people do not buy presents that nobody wants, which also reduces waste. Second, for the person giving the gift, it saves a lot of time and stress, especially during Tết or wedding season, when someone might need to attend many celebrations in a short time. This makes giving money a more convenient and less wasteful choice for everyone.
In conclusion, although giving money as a gift can seem less personal, I believe the growing trend of monetary gifts, like lì xì in Vietnam, is a positive development. It is practical, reduces waste, and gives the receiver more freedom, so its advantages are greater than its disadvantages.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“Although some people may see this as less thoughtful, I believe this trend is mostly positive for society.” — A balanced thesis that briefly concedes an objection before stating a position, meeting the double-question prompt's demand for both reasons and an opinion, though in a shorter, plainer form than the 7.5 thesis.
- LR“more independent” — A plain, correct adjective phrase conveying the effect of the gift, without the more specific sensory detail ('tangible', 'much like the confidence she gained') found in the 7.5 version's equivalent moment.
- CC“However, I think the benefits are bigger than this small disadvantage.” — 'However' clearly pivots from the conceded drawback back to the main argument, performing the same cohesive function as the equivalent sentence in the 7.5 essay.
- GRA“Instead of getting things she did not need, she used the money to buy household items and save some for a health check-up.” — A correctly formed sentence opening with an 'Instead of' contrastive phrase, similar in shape to the 7.5 essay's 'Rather than' opener but with less embedded detail.
- TR“so its advantages are greater than its disadvantages” — The conclusion directly answers the 'positive or negative' part of the double question in plain, unambiguous language.
This version reaches 7.0 through collocations that closely approach the 7.5 essay's own phrasing ('stronger sense of appreciation', 'outweighs...') and a well-controlled 'Rather than... choices she was able to make' sentence, but the cultural detail about lì xì appears only in the introduction, not woven back into the conclusion as it is at 7.5.
In many countries, people are increasingly choosing to give money rather than buy a specific present for celebrations. In Vietnam, this is far from a new custom, as lì xì, the red envelopes exchanged at Tết, along with cash gifts for weddings and birthdays, have existed for generations. While some may view this as a loss of personal thoughtfulness, I believe this trend is largely positive for society.
One major reason behind this shift is the practicality and freedom that money offers the recipient. As people's needs become increasingly diverse, a cash gift allows individuals to buy exactly what they want or need, rather than receiving a present that may end up unused. This tends to create a stronger sense of appreciation than an unwanted gift would. During a recent Tết visit to my hometown, my 78-year-old grandmother received lì xì from several relatives, including myself. Rather than another item she did not need, this allowed her to purchase specific household goods and save some money towards a medical check-up, choices she was able to make entirely on her own.
Admittedly, giving money can sometimes feel less personal than carefully selecting a gift. However, I believe this concern is outweighed by broader benefits. Firstly, monetary gifts help reduce unnecessary consumption, since fewer unwanted items are produced and eventually thrown away. Secondly, for the giver, it removes much of the stress and time pressure involved in choosing a gift, which matters greatly during a busy period such as Tết or wedding season, when a person may attend several celebrations within a few weeks. This combination of convenience and freedom of choice makes monetary gifts a more practical and less wasteful option overall.
In conclusion, despite some valid concerns about a lack of sentimentality, the growing preference for monetary gifts, such as lì xì in Vietnam, represents a positive development for society. Its practicality, reduced waste and the freedom it gives recipients outweigh its perceived drawbacks.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“While some may view this as a loss of personal thoughtfulness, I believe this trend is largely positive for society.” — Closely mirrors the concessive-thesis structure of the 7.5 essay, showing the writer can balance an objection against a clear position, though the vocabulary ('largely positive') is a touch less precise than the 7.5 phrasing.
- LR“stronger sense of appreciation” — A precise collocation close to the 7.5 essay's 'genuine sense of appreciation', showing a near-native command of this key phrase.
- CC“However, I believe this concern is outweighed by broader benefits.” — Nearly identical in function and wording to the 7.5 essay's pivot sentence, showing the writer has internalised this cohesive move.
- GRA“Rather than another item she did not need, this allowed her to purchase specific household goods and save some money towards a medical check-up, choices she was able to make entirely on her own.” — Opens with a contrastive 'Rather than' phrase and closes with an appositive, closely echoing the 7.5 essay's structure but with slightly less compact phrasing in the appositive itself.
- TR“Its practicality, reduced waste and the freedom it gives recipients outweigh its perceived drawbacks.” — Closes with a three-item list weighing benefits against drawbacks, matching the persuasive structure of the 7.5 conclusion though without weaving in the specific cultural callback to lì xì within this final sentence.
The 7.5 answer is distinguished by weaving the lì xì/mừng tuổi cultural reference through the introduction, the grandmother example and the conclusion so the essay reads as a single unified argument, and by the closing appositive 'much like the confidence she gained from learning to make video calls on her own' that links this essay back to a recurring image across the writer's essays.
The growing preference, across many cultures, for giving cash at celebrations rather than selecting a specific physical present marks a notable shift in gift-giving customs. In Vietnam, this is hardly a new phenomenon: lì xì, the red envelopes exchanged at Tết, and mừng tuổi and mừng cưới gifts at birthdays and weddings, have long placed cash at the centre of celebration. While some might see this as a loss of personal thoughtfulness, I would argue that, on balance, the trend is a positive one for society.
One principal reason behind this trend lies in the practicality and independence it affords recipients. In an era of increasingly diverse personal needs, a cash gift lets the individual acquire precisely what they actually want or need, eliminating the risk of unwanted presents gathering dust in a cupboard or being quietly re-gifted. This direct usefulness fosters a genuine sense of appreciation rather than obligatory gratitude. During a recent Tết visit to my hometown in Nghệ An, my 78-year-old grandmother, who lives alone, received lì xì from several relatives, including myself. Rather than another set of ornaments she did not need, this allowed her to buy specific household items and put some aside toward a medical check-up, choices she made entirely on her own terms. The impact was tangible: her sense of independence, much like the confidence she gained from learning to make video calls on her own, was itself part of the gift.
Admittedly, giving money can sometimes feel impersonal, potentially lacking the thought and effort that goes into carefully choosing a specific gift. However, this concern is often outweighed by broader societal benefits. A reduction in unnecessary consumption is one clear advantage, since it curtails the production and eventual disposal of items nobody particularly wanted in the first place — no small consideration in a country where wedding gift tables can otherwise fill with duplicate vases and unused kitchenware. Furthermore, for the giver, it removes the considerable stress and time pressure of gift selection, which matters greatly amid the packed social calendar of Tết or wedding season, when a single person might attend a dozen celebrations in a matter of weeks. This efficiency, combined with the recipient's freedom of choice, ultimately makes for a more thoughtful and less wasteful form of exchange.
In conclusion, despite some valid concerns about its lack of sentimentality, the growing preference for monetary gifts at celebrations — a tradition Vietnam has quietly practised through lì xì and mừng tuổi for generations — represents a positive development for society. Its benefits, rooted primarily in practicality, reduced waste and the empowerment of recipients, considerably outweigh its perceived drawbacks.
Collocations
Examiner Notes
- TR“While some might see this as a loss of personal thoughtfulness, I would argue that, on balance, the trend is a positive one for society.” — A balanced thesis that concedes a possible objection before staking out a clear position, exactly as the two-part prompt requires.
- LR“gathering dust in a cupboard” — An idiomatic image that vividly conveys the waste of an unwanted physical gift.
- GRA“Rather than another set of ornaments she did not need, this allowed her to buy specific household items and put some aside toward a medical check-up, choices she made entirely on her own terms.” — A sentence opening with a contrastive "Rather than" clause and closing with an appositive, controlling two structures within one fluent unit.
- CC“However, this concern is often outweighed by broader societal benefits.” — The discourse marker "However" pivots cleanly from the conceded drawback back to the essay's main supportive line of argument.
- TR“the growing preference for monetary gifts at celebrations — a tradition Vietnam has quietly practised through lì xì and mừng tuổi for generations — represents a positive development for society.” — The conclusion reasserts the thesis while weaving in the earlier cultural detail about lì xì, unifying the essay's argument and local evidence.