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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Students in many countries are encouraged to travel or work for a year before starting their university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to work or travel after finishing high school and starting education in a university.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

Model Answer 1:
There is no doubt that some young students are encouraged to work or travel a year after finishing high school. Some people assume that such a step is so beneficial to students while others oppose such ideas. In my point of view, I think this idea has both advantages and disadvantages.

An advantage of travelling or working just after high school and before attending university is the change to learning new things and gaining valuable work experience. When young people decide to work instead of getting straight to the university, they will get accustomed to the work environment and learn about several skills upon which they can build their future. In this way, it can be definitely assumed that they will be more than ready for any future work, be it a university study or any other job. For example, my brother preferred to work when he finished high school with the aim of learning new skills. Upon completion of high school, he easily found a suitable job and impressed the employers with his experience while also attending his university classes. 

On the other hand, travelling or working instead of focusing on the university education has some negative impacts. When young people prefer to travel just after completing their high school, they may encounter cultural shocks. For example, one of my relatives decided to travel in young age and due to his immaturity and lack of knowledge of the outside world, he was utterly shocked by the customs and the way of life there. He was unable to get familiar with that community and was completely disappointed since he was unable to stay there. Consequently, his decision was against him because he did not get any benefit from his travelling.

In conclusion, no one can deny that travelling or working during high school has its positive and negative impacts. So, high school students are highly recommended to know their abilities and readiness before embarking on working or travelling in order not to be shocked or otherwise.

[ Written by - Abdulaziz Alharthi ]

Model Answer 2:
In today's modern world, many students are planning to further their studies immediately after they finish school. However, there are a handful of people who assert that young teenagers should be given a chance to travel or work for at least one year before they really attend a university. Thus, it is important for us to establish both the positive and negative impacts on young people who plan to go on a trip or start to work before starting their tertiary education.

Undoubtedly, there are numerous benefits if young people were to work or to travel around the world after they finish school. To begin, working or travelling helps the students to gain precious life experiences which are not available on textbooks. To illustrate, when young adults come out to work before attending a university, they are actually being offered a valuable opportunity to get into contact with others. It is crucial for them to develop interpersonal skills which play an indispensable role in their studies and their prospective jobs. In addition, if they were planned to go on a trip worldwide, they would, unquestionably, learn about the cultures and traditions of the locals which may be slightly or totally different from theirs. It, indirectly, widen their horizons and may help them to reduce the experience of culture shock when they arrive in a new place in the near future.

Nevertheless, a coin always has another side. If they decide to work or to travel for a year, they may graduate later than their peers. The statistic of recent research conducted in Columbia has shown that memorising and interpreting abilities of a student deteriorate as they grow older. In other words, it means that they are likely highly not to achieve their aspirations due to the continual weakening of the mental abilities of their brains. Besides, they may have forgotten about the foundation of certain subjects that they have learnt in secondary school. Again, it will probably lead the students who start their tertiary education late fail to gain success in their academic performances.

In conclusion, although there are both benefits and damaging consequences if they travel abroad or work after they finish school, I believe every individual can still strive hard and achieve their set goals regardless of life experience and age. Our nation will continue to prosper and flourish in the decades to come if more educated and knowledgeable generations are being raised up.

[ Written by - Lee Wing Qeen ]

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