Some people believe that a gap year between school and university is a good idea, while others disagree strongly. Consider both sides of this debate and present your own opinion. You should give reasons for your answer, and include ideas and examples from your own knowledge and experience.

While

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gap

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years

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are increasingly popular, they continue to be rather controversial because the benefits are hard to quantify exactly. There are arguments on both sides of

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very topical debate, and I will discuss them now. On the one hand, opponents of

gap

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years

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point to the cost involved in areas

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as

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, accommodation and living expenses. All

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money has to come from the student’s family, or even from borrowing to be paid later.

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, it is often said that

gap

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years

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take a young person’s focus away from studying

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and allows them to get involved in distractions

such

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as travelling.

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can make it hard to adjust to university life, damaging the student’s performance.

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, there is a concern over the safety of young people if they are travelling to remote places. Being kidnapped or mugged is a poor start to an academic career, after all.

On the other hand

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, supporters of

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years

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say that the

skills

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learned outweigh the disadvantages. They highlight the independence and assertiveness that a student will acquire, in areas

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as time management and interpersonal

skills

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. They

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say that these

skills

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lead to greater career success later in life,

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cancelling out the costs involved.

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, there are

manyexamples

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many examples

of young people using

gap

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years

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to achieve something significant, whether in voluntary work or in a sector of business that interests them. In conclusion, my own feeling is that a year off can indeed be a useful activity, with the experience leading to improved

skills

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that are invaluable in the future. Of course,

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is provided that the year is planned carefully and used for something genuinely worthwhile.