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. IELTS Writing Task

Bhargavee Sisodia

18 Nov 2024

Writing, Reading, Speaking, and Listening are the four main sections of the internationally recognized IELTS exam. Tasks 1 and 2 comprise the two parts of the writing segment on both the Academic (for students) and General Tests (for working professionals) of the IELTS writing section. For Academic and General Task 2, you will have to write an answer to a certain argument, point of view, or topic. You have 40 minutes to write an essay of at least 250 words. For Academic and General, only the type of topics vary.

Types of Essays in IELTS Writing Task 2

There are six types of essays, and you will only write one of them based on the topic provided to you. The strategy and structure are created depending on the features of the specific type of essay question. Thus, we must first comprehend the many types of essays. 

• Opinion-based: This enables one to convey your opinion or case in a given matter. Whether you agree or disagree with it, you have to point it out.
• Problem/solution or Cause/Effect: Here, you have to analyze what led to a given issue while at the same time recommending competent solutions.
• Advantages/ Disadvantages: To write this type of essay, you have to look at the positive and negative aspects of a particular topic.
• Balanced opinion: To write these essays you have to only partly support one side while not completely opposing the other side.
• Discussion: Explain two points of view of a statement or argument that is as follows. If you’re asked to express your side, then do so but otherwise, do not briefly mention the elements on which you agree to.
• Two Questions or Direct Question: You shall be posed a question as a discussion prompt, and your answer directed to the question and under the form of an essay must include examples.

Criteria of scoring in Writing Task 2

The band score for writing assignment two will be calculated using four elements, as specified in the marking scheme. While there is a range of 0 to 9, the majority of students obtain 6 to 9 scores. The following criteria need to be met:

• Task Achievement: Provide a clear overview in the introduction and stick to the topic. Do not fall below the word limit of 250. If your opinion is not requested, do not give your opinion.
• Coherence and Cohesion: Cohesion refers to avoiding repetition or irrelevant content, whilst coherence refers to how simple your writing is to understand. While proper linking words such as However and Moreover are necessary, they should not be overused. You also need to compose numerous paragraphs (at least four), keep them short, and connect them well.
• Lexical Resource: Spell terms appropriately for the context in which tey are to be used, and avoid using large, difficult words. It is important to distinguish between basic word choice and simple lexis. While you have to use good vocabulary, you still need to keep it less technical and avoid unnecessarily complicated works that are out of context.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Take care of sentence formation and tenses. Use simpler sentences and proper punctuation.

Let's now take an example of an essay topic and see what type of essay it is and how to frame the answers. 

IELTS writing task 2 topics: 

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. 

This is an advantage/disadvantage essay type. Let's go through the structure of an advantage/disadvantage essay and also understand how to identify the type of essay.

Advantage/Disadvantage essays are comparatively easy to identify. It will be mentioned in the question directly to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the statement. A statement will be given in the first sentence of the question. The next sentence will have the keyword "discuss the advantages and disadvantages." Also, in some questions, you will see that you are asked about your opinion. In that case, the question will have keywords like "Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?" If you see"Do you think" written in the question, be assured that you are being asked to give your opinion. In the question mentioned above, there is no keyword like "Do you think?" So in this particular question, you need not give your opinion.

Now that we have understood how to identify the type of essay, let us figure out the structure of the Advantage/Disadvantage essay.

• Introduction: Rephrase the question.
• Body Paragraph 1: In the opening sentence, state whether you are discussing the pros or downsides and reframe the question. Next, write the positives or disadvantages.
• Body Paragraph 2: If you wrote advantages in the preceding paragraph, write downsides here, and vice versa.
• Body Paragraph 3: This paragraph is optional. If you need to divide the preceding paragraphs into smaller chunks, utilize a third body paragraph.
• Conclusion: Rephrase and reinsert the inquiry.

How Many Words Should You Write?

The word limit is 250 words for these essays. If you write anything less than 250 words, it will directly impact the Task Achievement Criteria of Scoring. Thus, under no circumstance should you write an essay below 250 words.

At the same time, you need not go overboard with the word count. There is a general misconception that the more you write, the better will be your IELTS writing band score. While the task achievement criteria are impacted if you write fewer than 250 words, it is also important that you do not overwrite because that is also a criterion of Task Achievement.

The ideal word count should be between 275-290 words.

Here are a few tips for you to maintain the correct word count:

1)Hyphenated words are counted as a single word. For example, words like know-how or far-fetched will be counted as a single word.

2)Do not repeat the sentences. This will impact in 2 ways. First and foremost, this will increase redundancy, which will impact the coherence and cohesion part of the scoring criteria. Also, the examiner will not count the repeated sentence in the word count, so it will effectively decrease your wording. This is because, due to time constraints, a lot of students repeat the sentences in order to cover the 250 words.

Now that we have understood the structure and how long the essay should be, let's go through sample answers bifurcated into different bands.

Writing task 2 topics with answers

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. 

Band 6

There are certain advantages and disadvantages of encourage young people to gain work experience or travel for a year after finishing high school and before starting university in some countries.

The primary advantage of motivate young people to obtain work experience or travel for a year after graduating from high school and before begining university has to do with life experiences and on the one hand, traveling allow students to experience various cultures and interact with people of diversity, which is a great way for students to be independant and on the other hand, gain work experience makes them financialy aware and stable while also getting exposure to working culture. This give them a sense of responsibility, which is of imense value in the long run.

There are also certain disadvantages of pushing young people obtain work experience or travel for a year after graduating from high school and before attending university. Travel or irelevant work experience give a gap year in the resume of the students and, if not justified properly, can create problems in job interviews or further education. Also, this can give a financial burden if not budgeted well. Also a year gap can also pose a struggle for students to get back into academics as the habit of studies is lost.

In some nations, promting young people get work experience or travel for a year after finishing high school and before beginning university has both advantages and disadvantages. Thus, it is crucial to weigh both the benefits and drawbacks before making any decision.

Clarification on the band: The grammatical errors in the Grammatical Range and Accuracy part of the evaluation have been underlined and are in italics. The spelling errors in the Lexical Resources portion of the evaluation are in italics. The lengthy sentences are in bold which is categorized as coherence in the evaluation. The redundant words are underlined which comes under cohesiveness in the evaluation.

Band 7

There is certain advantages and disadvantages to youth employment or travelling for a year after high school and before attending university. 

First of all, the advantage associate with motivating young people to gain work experience or travel before attending university is the acrual of unique life experiences. This enable young people to expand their interaction by pulling them off from the common territory and developing a greater level of self-relience. This perspective can go a long way in expanding their horizons as well as the ability to adapt. On the other hand, work experience facilitate financial management and financial security features accompanied by a realistic view of the working world. This not only instill in them a strong work ethic, but is also more beneficial for them to acquire skills and know-how that are invaluable in the future.

Nevertheless, there is drawbacks to motivating younger individuals to travel or work before joining a university. Unless a gap year is used as part of a properly planned educational path, it may look like an interuption of academic progress, which are not necessarily a good thing to mention during the job interview or when applying for a higher degree. Moreover, going on travel or undertaking other activities can turns out to be expensive, especially if specific proper planing and budgeting are not being followed. All the same, the break from studies might mean that the candidate stops making progress in academic work, making it difficult to continue intense studying.

It is true that in several countries, youth is often encouraged to work or travel for a year after high school. This adaptation has its advantages and some possible disadvantages, and therefore, there is a need to criticaly and carefully analyze all the aspects.

Clarification on the band: The grammatical errors in the Grammatical Range and Accuracy part of the evaluation have been underlined and are in italics. The spelling errors in the Lexical Resources portion of the evaluation are in italics.

Band 9

There are numerous benefits as well as several drawbacks of the proposition for young people to stay employed or to travel for a year after the completion of high school but before attending a university.

Foremost among the advantages is the enhancement of life experiences being built during such a sabbatical. Going to work or traveling before college prepares young people with an unparalleled expansion of their interpersonal interactions by extricating them from familiar environments, thereby nurturing a heightened degree of self-reliance. These endeavors bolster their cerebral perimeters when the perspective is widened. In the sphere of employment, which remains one of the most significant factors, the process of gaining work experience, financial prudence, and security is concomitant with a pragmatic comprehension of the professional sphere.

However,  there are salient drawbacks to consider when advocating for youth to travel or work before commencing university studies. Thus, an incorrectly timed gap year may be associated with a disruption in the educational process, which is quite undesirable when searching for a job or applying for further education. Additionally, indulgence in other activities, such as travel or unrelated activities, will prove to be very costly, often when meticulous planning and spending are not considered. Also, time out from academic activities leads to a diminution of scholastic momentum, impacting the resumption of rigorous academic endeavors.

In many countries the tradition of giving youths a year of experience or travel directly after high school is common. Like most approaches, this one has the potential to yield significant gain and, at the same time, holds risks. Thus, one must wisely and critically assess all the related factors in order to come to a well-thought decision.

Clarification on the band: There are no grammatical or spelling problems or word repetitions. The sentences are well-written, and the vocabulary is advanced. 

Conclusion

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