Write at least 250 words · 40 minutes
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Ideas to get you started
- Students gain maturity and real-world experience
- Some may lose the habit of studying
- Earning money can reduce later student debt
A plan for this question
- Introduction: paraphrase the trend and answer the question: the advantages outweigh the disadvantages if the year is planned.
- Body 1 (disadvantages): losing the study habit, some never return, a year later into a career, expensive travel with little benefit.
- Body 2 (advantages, and why they weigh more): maturity, a clearer choice of course, money saved to reduce debt, experience for a CV.
- Conclusion: restate your answer with the condition.
Model essay
269 words
Some students choose to take a year off between leaving school and starting university, usually to work or to travel. In my view, the advantages of a gap year outweigh the disadvantages, provided that the year is planned with clear goals.
The main disadvantage is that students may lose momentum. After a year away from books, some find it hard to return to the routine of lectures, reading and exams, and a few decide not to go to university at all. A gap year also delays the start of a career by a year, which means a year less of earning a graduate salary. In addition, travelling abroad can be expensive, and a year spent mainly on holiday adds little to a student’s skills.
However, for most students the benefits are greater. A year of work or volunteering helps young people mature: they learn to manage money, take on responsibility and work with people of different ages and backgrounds. Many return to education with a clearer idea of what they want to study, which can prevent the costly mistake of choosing the wrong course. Working for a year can also allow students to save money, reducing the debt they will have to repay later. Finally, experience gained during a gap year, such as a job in a hospital or a volunteering project abroad, can make a CV stand out to future employers.
In conclusion, although a gap year carries some risk of losing study habits and delays graduation, the maturity, clarity and savings it can bring are more valuable. A well-planned gap year is, on balance, a positive choice.
Written by Acedmi to show what a high-band essay looks like. It is not an official IELTS sample, and your own ideas can be different.
Useful vocabulary
- gap year
- A year off between school and university.
- “She took a gap year to work in a hospital.”
- lose momentum
- Lose the energy or habit to continue.
- “Some students lose momentum during a year off.”
- mature
- Become more adult and sensible.
- “A year of work helps students mature.”
- volunteering
- Working without pay to help others.
- “Volunteering abroad teaches new skills.”
- student debt
- Money students borrow and must repay.
- “Saving during a gap year reduces student debt.”
- stand out
- Be noticed because it is better or different.
- “Real work experience makes a CV stand out.”
- well-planned
- Organised carefully in advance.
- “A well-planned gap year has clear goals.”
- on balance
- After considering both sides.
- “On balance, a gap year is positive.”
Common mistakes
- "Make a gap year". The correct phrase is "take a gap year".
- Talking only about travel. Work and volunteering are often stronger examples.
- Not deciding which side is greater. An "outweigh" question needs a clear answer.
What the examiner marks
Four criteria, equally weighted: Task Response (answer every part of the question with a clear position), Coherence and Cohesion (logical paragraphs and linking), Lexical Resource (range and accuracy of vocabulary) and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. An essay under 250 words loses marks for Task Response.