In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.

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A
GAP
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year
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(a
year
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between finishing high
school
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and starting
university
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studies) slightly becomes popular among teenagers. There are several reasons that can lead to
this
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decision
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: some individuals want to start earning money right after
the
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school
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graduation and some
people
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want to travel
while
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they are young and have enough
time
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.
This
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essay aims to discuss
advantages
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and disadvantages of young
people
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making a
decision
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about taking a
GAP
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year
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.
Firstly
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, one of the main advantages that make
this
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decision
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good is that the young individuals will have
work
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experience at a very young age that will help them to develop many skills
,
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since a good job can help to grow not only professionally, but
also
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as individuals.
For instance
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, one of the most common jobs among teenagers is to
work
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as a waiter.
This
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work
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can help to increase
time
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management skills, as employees have to come to their workplace on
time
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,
along with
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communication skills, since waiters have to chat with different
people
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, guests of the restaurant they're working at, a lot. Another advantage of taking a
GAP
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year
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is that undergraduates will have a lot of
time
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to relax, spend some
time
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with their friends and family and travel.
This
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can have a positive and even motivational effect on teenagers, since the
last
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year
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of studying in
school
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is very
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time consuming
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and
people
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have to study a lot, so
at the end
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of
a
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senior
year
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they are willing to rest after all the exams.
For example
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, I have a friend who decided to travel and have a break from studying after her
school
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graduation.
This
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decision
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helped her to rest both physically and mentally, she even found new hobbies. After that
year
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, her
university
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studies were so much more interesting for her, as she chose a major that she was particularly interested in and was able to successfully finish the bachelor program.
Secondly
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, it is important to note that
this
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decision
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can
also
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have some disadvantages,
such
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as the fact that after a whole
year
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without repetitions of all the information that was studied at
school
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, it might be hard for the students to remember everything properly.
For example
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,
people
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who decided to go to
university
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right after they finished
school
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will be more likely to get higher grades, as they do not have to revise all the topics that were studied before,
while
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the students who decided to take a
GAP
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year
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will spend more
time
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on revising and preparing for the exams. It can even affect the grades in a negative way
,
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since the exam assessments might not be “a piece of cake”.
Additionally
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, a significant disadvantage may
also
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occur when talking about
work
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employment.
According to
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statistics, employers will more likely give a job place in a prestigious company to a person with a
university
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degree rather than a teenager with only a
school
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degree.
This
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can lead to a problem that an individual who did not study at the
university
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will have more problems in the future with finding a stable and well-paid job.
To conclude
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, even though the
decision
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of whether to take a
GAP
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year
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or not is controversial
,
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since there are many advantages and disadvantages, it is very individual, since for some humans it will bring interesting experiences in both
traveling
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travelling

The spelling of traveling is a non-British variant. For consistency, consider replacing it with the British English spelling.

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and working and for some
people
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this
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decision
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might not be the best.

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coherence cohesion
To improve your coherence and cohesion, consider using more varied transition phrases and linking words to create smoother flow between your points.
coherence cohesion
Make sure to more clearly separate your points in distinct paragraphs, ideally with one main idea per paragraph to enhance logical structure.
task achievement
To achieve a higher task response score, ensure that all points are directly relevant to the topic and avoid any slight off-topic sentences.
task achievement
Remember to address both advantages and disadvantages equally to provide a balanced view, and explore each point in depth.
introduction conclusion present
Your introduction and conclusion are clear and effectively introduce and sum up the essay's main points.
relevant specific examples
You provide relevant specific examples that help to illustrate your main points, making your arguments more persuasive.

Word Count

IELTS says that you should write a minimum of 250 words in writing task 2. If you go under word count you will lose marks in task response.

A very long essay will not give you a higher band score.

Aim for between 260 to 290 words in writing task 2. This will ensure a concise essay and will be realistic in terms of time management. You have only 40 minutes to write the essay and you need around 10 minutes of planning time, so you will not be able to write a long essay in 30 minutes.

Discover more tips in The Ultimate Guide to Get a Target Band Score of 7+ »— a book that's free for 🚀 Premium users.

Topic Vocabulary:
  • Cultural immersion
  • Life experience
  • Work ethic
  • Career readiness
  • Self-discovery
  • Delayed gratification
  • Intellectual stagnation
  • Financial implications
  • Social dynamics
  • Academic trajectory
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