It is becoming increasingly popular to have a year off between finishing school and going to university. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

Nowadays, having a gap
year
before commencing higher studies is growing rather common among teenagers. Several are the benefits that youngsters can attain from
this
decision,
however
, there could
also
be some drawbacks to having a
year
off school. To elaborate, if students were to wait for a full
year
before enrolling on
university
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the university
a university
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, they could properly use that time to analyze life paths and make wiser educational choices.
For instance
, recent studies have shown that those who had the chance to deeply think about their career path in their youth, were the ones with higher job prospects after their graduation.
Additionally
, those who would decide to travel in that
year
off could potentially interact with foreign societies and gain
further
cultural knowledge which would prove fundamental to their self-development.
However
, becoming economically independent in that time off could discourage adolescents from going back to school. The taste of financial freedom could entice youth to continue working to obtain more money
instead
of wasting their time attending a course.
For example
,
last
year
in the US the percentage of kids that returned to academic courses after a gap
year
was half the total amount of those who graduated the previous
year
.
Furthermore
, while travelling people usually forget how to efficiently perform at school as they are mostly focused on enjoying their new experiences.
Such
loss of academic practice could result in increasing numbers of students dropping out of educational institutions. To conclude, even though many benefits arise from taking a
year
off before starting higher studies, a fair number of disadvantages could
also
emerge from
this
trend. Acquiring new jobs and the loss of academic performance could prevent former pupils from pursuing
further
education.
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Answer the 'Advantages and Disadvantages' topic

IELTS advantages and disadvantages questions normally give you a statement and ask you to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of that statement.

Answer structure for the type of essay

  • Introduction
  • Body paragraph 1 – advantages
  • Body paragraph 2 – disadvantages
  • Conclusion

Examples to start your body paragraph:

  • The main advantage is...
  • The disadvantage of this...
  • The main benefit...
  • Despite these advantages...
  • One possible drawback...

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • gap year
  • work experience
  • internships
  • traveling
  • life experiences
  • personal development
  • independent
  • self-reliant
  • educational progress
  • graduation timeline
  • financial burden
  • academic momentum
  • structured academic environment
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