How to Write an IELTS Advantages/Disadvantages Essay Without Repeating Yourself (Part 3 of 3): A Worked Gap Year Example, Common Mistakes, a 30-Minute Plan and Practice

IELTS · Task 2 Structure中文版　Updated 2026/11/09

In this post: A worked example that redistributes the four gap year points, common mistakes, a 30-minute writing plan, a self-check list and practice with answers.

Advantages/Disadvantages Essays · 3 parts

1. Question type and mirror repetition
2. Angles, development and frames
3. Worked example and practice (you are here)

✦ In this post

7. Worked example: redistributing the four gap year points
8. Common mistakes
9. A 30-minute writing plan
10. Self-check list
11. Practice (with answers)

Gap year: four points from four different angles. Advantages: work experience clarifies what to study (ability, individual, long term); travel or rest relieves pressure (mental health, individual, short term). Disadvantages: study rhythm broken (study habits, individual, short term); costs fall on parents or debt (economic, family, medium term) — At a glance: the four gap year points redistributed across different angles.

7. Worked example: redistributing the four gap year points

Back to the gap year question (pros and cons + opinion; the original is in Part 1). Using the angle table to choose four new points avoids the conflict in the “work” column of my original essay:

Point	Topic	Level / time frame
Advantage 1: work experience helps students see more clearly what they want to study	Ability, learning	Individual / long term
Advantage 2: a year of travel or rest relieves the pressure of exams and university applications	Health (mental)	Individual / short term
Disadvantage 1: the rhythm of studying is broken, and returning to the classroom takes readjustment	Study habits	Individual / short term
Disadvantage 2: travel costs often fall on parents, or students go into debt early	Economic	Family / medium term

Advantage 1 and disadvantage 1 are both about learning, but one is about “direction becoming clearer” and the other about “rhythm being broken”. The mechanisms differ, and they pass the opposite test (the opposite of “rhythm broken” is “study habits maintained”, not “direction becoming clearer”). Written as paragraphs:

Model (advantages paragraph): There are some reasons why taking a gap year can be beneficial. The primary one is that working for a year helps school leavers decide what they really want to study. After experiencing the daily routine of an office or a restaurant, many young people discover which tasks they enjoy, so they are less likely to choose a university major simply because it is popular. Another advantage is psychological. After years of preparing for exams, a year of travelling or working gives students time to rest, which allows them to start university with more energy and curiosity.

Model (disadvantages paragraph): However, a gap year also has its drawbacks. First and foremost, students may find it difficult to return to academic life. After twelve months without lectures or deadlines, some of them struggle to concentrate on reading and revision again, and they may fall behind classmates who went straight to university. Apart from this, the financial cost can be considerable. Since most school leavers have no stable income, the expense of travelling often falls on their parents, or the students have to borrow money before their studies have even begun.

Compared with the original, these two paragraphs do three things. First, the four points belong to ability, health, study habits and money, and no pair is the positive and negative of the same thing. Second, the disadvantages paragraph uses Apart from this to signal clearly that the angle has changed. Third, disadvantage 2 is about who ends up paying, which raises the level from the individual to the family; when the conclusion gives a position, it can naturally add that “paid internship schemes could reduce this burden”.

8. Common mistakes

Mistake	Example	How to fix it
The advantage and disadvantage are the positive and negative of one thing	Saving on drivers’ wages ↔ drivers losing jobs	Catch it with the opposite and same-source tests; merge them into one weighed paragraph, or replace one with a point from a different angle
The advantage and disadvantage contradict each other	Work teaches practical skills ↔ students cannot find suitable work	Delete one, or rewrite as a condition (only those who find work can learn from it)
All four points are at the individual level	Motivation, ability, money and mental health all about the person only	Extend at least one point to the family, an industry or society
What follows For instance is not an example	For instance, car accidents may happen easily…	An example needs a specific situation: who, where, what happens
Leaving out the mechanism	Writing only “it will cause mental health problems”	Add a sentence with because / since explaining the process in between
Giving an opinion in the conclusion of a pure pros and cons question	The question does not ask for an opinion, but the conclusion says I believe the benefits are greater	Not penalised, but it wastes words; just summarise each side once
In an opinion question, the solution conflicts with the disadvantage	Using bank loans to solve the cost of travel	The solution should genuinely reduce that disadvantage, not bring it back in another form

9. A 30-minute writing plan

Time	What to do
0–2 min	Copy out the question sentence, circle outweigh / opinion, decide the question type and number of paragraphs
2–7 min	Use the seven directions to think of 6–8 points, and label each with its angles (individual / society, short / long term, economic / health)
7–9 min	Pick four points (three for Outweigh), run the opposite and same-source tests, and remove any repeats
9–11 min	Write the two-sentence introduction: paraphrase the question + a second sentence that fits the question type
11–24 min	Write the two body paragraphs; every point has at least “point + mechanism”, plus an example or result; add a signal sentence when changing angle
24–27 min	Write the conclusion: summarise both sides for pure pros and cons; give a position for opinion questions; weigh the sides for Outweigh
27–30 min	Check: no two points contradict each other, what follows For instance is an example, small grammar errors

Minutes 2–9 for planning may look like a lot, but it is the best-value time in the whole essay. Of the Task 2 essays I timed during that period, most took 30–40 minutes; Essay 43 took 41 minutes for 323 words. You have 40 minutes in the exam. Spend a few more minutes planning and you are less likely to get stuck while writing paragraphs, or to discover halfway through that two points repeat each other.

10. Self-check list

☐ I copied out the question sentence and confirmed whether it is pure pros and cons, pros and cons + opinion, or Outweigh
☐ Each of my four points is labelled with its angles, and they fall into at least three different boxes
☐ At least one point goes beyond the individual level
☐ Every advantage–disadvantage pair passes the opposite test and the same-source test
☐ No two points contradict each other (one saying it will happen, the other saying it will not)
☐ Every point has a mechanism (what follows because / since / in other words really explains)
☐ What follows For instance is a specific situation, not the topic sentence reworded
☐ When I change angle, the topic sentence signals it (Apart from… / At a broader level…)
☐ The conclusion fits the question type: a position only when asked, weighing only for Outweigh

11. Practice (with answers)

Practice 1: do these pairs repeat each other?

Decide whether each pair below is “a repeat” or “fine”. If it is a repeat, think of a replacement point:

Online shopping | Advantage: no need to go out, saving time | Disadvantage: people go out and walk around less, so they get less exercise
Students with part-time jobs | Advantage: earning money eases the family’s financial burden | Disadvantage: long working hours affect their studies
Developing tourism | Advantage: more local jobs | Disadvantage: many people have no work in the off-season
Children using tablets from an early age | Advantage: more learning resources | Disadvantage: their eyesight and sleep suffer

Show answers

Pair 1: a repeat (same source). Both points come from “not needing to go out”, one positive and one negative. You could replace the disadvantage with “high-street shops lose business” (economic / society) or “more packaging waste” (environment).
Pair 2: fine. One is economic (family income), the other is about learning (studies): different angles.
Pair 3: a repeat (opposite). The disadvantage really says “the jobs are not that stable”, which weakens the advantage itself. You could replace it with “prices and rents rise, affecting local residents” or “more pressure on the environment”.
Pair 4: fine. One is about learning, the other about health, with different mechanisms.

Practice 2: use the angle table to plan

Question (my paraphrase): more and more university courses are moving online. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages. Fill in two advantages and two disadvantages, label their angles, and make sure the four points fall into at least three boxes.

Show answer

Point	Topic	Level / time frame
Advantage: students can rewatch recordings and learn at their own pace	Learning	Individual / short term
Advantage: people in rural areas or in full-time work can also take courses, so educational opportunities become more equal	Educational opportunity	Society / long term
Disadvantage: long hours in front of a screen affect eyesight and concentration	Health	Individual / short term
Disadvantage: with less face-to-face discussion, students find it harder to build networks and teamwork skills	Relationships, skills	Individual → workplace / long term

This is one possible answer. Note that the first advantage (rewatching recordings) and the first disadvantage (screen time) are both related to “watching videos”, but one is about learning efficiency and the other about health, so they pass the opposite test.

Practice 3: identify the question type and write the second sentence of the introduction

(Paraphrased) More and more young people are choosing to go abroad for university. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
(Paraphrased) Some companies let employees work only four days a week. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your opinion.
(Paraphrased) Many cities are turning their centres into car-free pedestrian zones. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Show answers

Question 1: pure pros and cons, four paragraphs (2 + 2), no opinion. The purpose of this essay is to analyze both the merits and demerits of studying abroad.
Question 2: pros and cons + opinion, four paragraphs (2 + 2), give a position. The purpose of this essay is to analyze both sides of this arrangement and explain why I think it is beneficial overall.
Question 3: Outweigh, five paragraphs (2 + 1). I believe that the benefits of car-free city centres clearly outweigh the drawbacks. For the concession, you could choose “nearby shops lose some business in the short term”, because it is a short-term problem that shuttle buses can ease.

Further reading

This is the last part of “Advantages/Disadvantages Essays”. To start again, go back to Part 1.

IELTS Notes in English · Task 2 Structure (post 5 of 9)

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Task 1 Structure · Task 2 Structure · Topic Guides · Writing Language · Band Score Samples · Practice Methods · Speaking & Study Tips

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✦ Target Your Future

Some days you practise for hours and the score still does not move. I hope these notes remind you that the setbacks are part of the road: every recording you replayed, every essay you rewrote and every sentence you finally dared to say is progress you have already made.

I wrote this down so the next person can take fewer detours. You do not have to follow my method exactly. Find a rhythm that works for you, rest when you need to, and come back for the next small step.

I hope what you take away is more than a number on a score report: a little more confidence in yourself, and the courage to step a bit closer to the world.

— Ting

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