Critical Analysis of Complete IELTS Textbook: Cultural Factors in Focus

The inseparable connection between language and culture has been at the forefront of many studies. Similarly, the role of teaching materials in fostering intercultural competence of language learners is consistently highlighted in the literature. In this regard, the current study aims at investigating the representation of culture in Complete IELTS textbook published by Cambridge University Press, 2012. Adopting Kachru's concentric circles of English speakers around the world, the cultural content related to Center and Periphery Countries was explored. To quantify and categorize cultural themes, Byram's cultural checklist (1993) was used. Next, the content of four sections of the textbook, namely reading, listening, speaking, and writing, was analyzed to record any cultural representation. The sample included 16 reading , 10 listening , 10 speaking and 10 writing sections. The results indicated that the textbook contains cultural presentations of different countries with more weight given to Periphery Countries. The culture of these regions occupies 67.97% of the content, whereas Center Countries take up 32%. Moreover, in terms of the eight areas of Byram, the majority of the cultural presentation (55.61%) falls under the category of geography. It can be concluded that the textbook is free of any cultural bias and ideological/political motives.