In this post: logic chains 4 to 8 (for depth, and for and against a gap year), plus the collocations you will actually use for these arguments, with my original sentences and upgrades.
Education and Learning · 4 parts
- 1. Common questions and breadth arguments
- 2. Depth, gap year and collocations (you are here)
- 3. My own paragraphs, broken down
- 4. Worked example, mistakes and practice
✦ In this post
2. Argument bank: eight logic chains you can turn straight into paragraphs (continued)
B. For depth: focusing on your major and getting a degree
For depth · Point 4: degrees and licences are the ticket into professional jobs
Point → Focusing on your major and earning a degree is the most convincing thing you can show when applying for jobs.
Explanation → Doctors, lawyers and teachers all have legal qualification requirements; without a degree or licence you simply cannot practise. Even in industries without such requirements, employers look at degrees first when screening CVs, because a degree is the easiest proof of ability to verify.
Example → In my university subjects essay, I wrote that doctors, lawyers and teachers all have to show a certificate.
In professions such as medicine and law, a recognised qualification is not merely an advantage but a legal requirement, so students cannot afford to dilute their main studies.
For depth · Point 5: class time is limited, so there is an opportunity cost
Point → School time is limited, so teaching more practical skills squeezes the time for academic subjects.
Explanation → There are only so many lessons in a day. Adding a car repair class means taking time from maths, science or languages, and for students preparing for university, the time taken away is exactly what decides whether they get into the university they want.
Example → In my essay against practical skills, I used Taiwan’s university entrance exams: maths and science carry a lot of weight, so students who want to go to university have to do well in those subjects.
Every hour spent on car maintenance is an hour taken away from subjects such as mathematics, which still determine whether students can enter university.
For depth · Point 6: practical skills are learned more efficiently and cheaply outside school
Point → Many practical skills do not actually need to be taught at school; learning them at home or at work is more efficient.
Explanation → Car repair needs space, tools and qualified teachers, so a school that offers it has to spend money, which may end up squeezing the budget for other courses. These skills can be learned when they are really needed, from family, online tutorials or job training.
Example → In my “disagree” essay I wrote that teachers and teaching materials are scarce, so car repair classes are expensive, and if schools place too much emphasis on such courses, the budget for other subjects will inevitably shrink.
Practical skills such as car maintenance can be learned more cheaply at home or on the job, whereas academic subjects require trained teachers that only schools can provide.
C. Gap year: experience vs cost
For a gap year · Point 7: a year of work teaches skills that textbooks don’t
Point → Working for a year after leaving school builds practical experience and gives students clearer goals when they start university.
Explanation → At work you have to be punctual, work with people of different ages and take responsibility for results, which are hard to practise in a secondary school classroom. And once you have seen an industry first-hand, you won’t choose your degree based only on your scores.
Example → In my gap year essay I wrote about “putting learning into practice”: taking on challenging tasks at work and applying theory to real situations.
Working for a year allows school leavers to develop responsibility and teamwork, and many of them return to education with a clearer sense of what they want to study.
Against a gap year · Point 8: without qualifications or skills, job options are limited, and travel is expensive
Point → The risk of a gap year is that the jobs students can do are limited, and choosing to travel may create a financial burden.
Explanation → School leavers have no degree and few professional skills, so they often end up in low-paid or even unsafe jobs. Those who travel have no income, so transport, accommodation and tickets have to be paid for by their family or with borrowed money, and afterwards they have to get used to studying again.
Example → In my gap year essay I wrote about three costs (accommodation, transport and tickets) and the problem of “not finding a suitable job”.
Without qualifications, school leavers are often limited to low-paid jobs, while those who travel may depend on their parents or even go into debt.
3. Core vocabulary and collocations: words you will actually use for these arguments
This section only covers collocations you will definitely need for the arguments above (the argument bank starts in Part 1), with the original sentences from my essays so you can see how they look in a paragraph. The original sentences are kept exactly as I wrote them at the time; the right-hand column gives a more natural or more precise version. For the full education word list, see Topic Vocabulary, Part 1.
| Collocation | My original sentence (source) | More natural / upgraded version |
|---|---|---|
| main subject / major | studying other subjects rather than their majors is better (university subjects) | rather than → in addition to: the question is about studying other subjects alongside your major, not instead of it |
| study for a qualification | it is wise for students to study for a qualification during their undergraduate study (university subjects) | during their undergraduate studies (“studies” is usually plural when it means a course of study) |
| adapt to changes | learning comprehensive subjects makes students easier to adapt to changes in the workplace (university subjects) | studying a wide range of subjects makes it easier for students to adapt |
| figure out whether | students can figure out whether they are interested in the main subjects (university subjects) | Natural; you can use it as it is |
| broaden one’s horizons | which can definitely broaden their horizons and help them to decide their career paths (practical skills, agree) | help them decide on their career paths |
| be proficient in | An array of jobs … undeniably should be proficient in talking in the public (practical skills, agree) | require proficiency in public speaking (in the public → in public) |
| distract sb from | real-world skills distract schoolchildren to their academic study (practical skills, disagree) | distract schoolchildren from their academic studies |
| be allocated to | limited school time should be assigned to study professional knowledge (practical skills, disagree) | should be allocated to academic subjects (“to” is a preposition here, so it is followed by a noun or -ing form) |
| financial burden | posting financial burdens to schools (practical skills, disagree) | placing a financial burden on schools |
| put theory into practice | those leaved students can put the theory into practice (gap year) | school leavers can put theory into practice |
| take on challenging tasks | through conducting challenges tasks in the workplace (gap year) | by taking on challenging tasks at work |
| defer university entry | (I never used it; added here) | defer their university place for a year: the precise phrase for gap year questions |
| transferable skills | (I never used it; added here) | develop transferable skills: a core phrase for questions about studying other fields |
| opportunity cost | (I never used it; added here) | the opportunity cost of studying practical skills: useful for the opposing side |
Continue reading · Part 3 of 4
IELTS Notes in English · Topic Guides (post 1 of 10)
Next →: IELTS Task 2 Topic Guide: Work and Careers
Task 1 Structure · Task 2 Structure · Topic Guides · Writing Language · Band Score Samples · Practice Methods · Speaking & Study Tips
✦ 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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