Writing: A description of a festival

 1  Read the email from Jian to Shimi. Answer the questions. Speak for no longer than one minute.

• Do you think Jian knows Shimi? Why / why not?
• Is an email to a friend formal or informal?

1.  Select Record Audio to record yourself.
2.  If you want to add a note to your teacher, write it in the Comments box.
3.  Select Submit to dropbox to send the recording to your teacher.

2Read the email. Answer the questions. 

You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.

Hi Shimi!

Thanks for your email.

Happy New Year! We're celebrating Chinese New Year at the moment. We celebrate in the first month of spring. It's a very important festival for Chinese people, because we think about new beginnings at the start of a new year.

Before the celebrations start we clean our houses. This is a tradition – we are cleaning away all the bad things.

On New Year's Eve, the evening before the New Year, we have a special meal with our family. We eat traditional food. We usually have fireworks at midnight. We say that the fireworks chase away bad spirits. We also wear red clothes. Red means fire, so we say that our red clothes also help chase away evil spirits.

When we wake up on New Year's Day, we find a red envelope in our beds. It's got money and sweets in it – it's a present from our parents and grandparents. We also have a lantern festival. There are many lights and lanterns. It's beautiful. We often have a dragon dance, too. It's my favourite part of the festival! I love Chinese New Year, because I like all the traditions and I like being with my family.

Write to me about one of your festivals.

Take care

Jian

• 1What is the festival?

• 2When do people celebrate this festival?

• 3Why do people celebrate this festival?

• 4What do people do at this festival?

• 5What kind of food do people eat?

• 6What clothes do people wear?

• 7What is Jian's favourite part?

Linking words of addition: too, also

4Rewrite the sentences in bold. Use the linking words in brackets. 

You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.

• 1My parents give me my Christmas presents after breakfast. I also give them presents.

   (too)

• 2We send Easter cards. We eat chocolate eggs, too!

   (also)

• 3Grandad is always happy when we dance. We are happy, too.

   (also)

• 4We make decorations. We buy them, too.

   (also)

• 5The boys send the girls Valentine's cards. The girls also send the boys cards.

   (too)

Unit 5 Writing Guide

1.  Read the instructions.
2.  Write your answer in the Word document.
3.  Save your work.
4.  Upload your file.
5.  If you want to add a note for your teacher, write it in the Comments box.
6.  Select Submit to dropbox to send your work to your teacher.