GT Writing Task 2 (Essay Writing) Sample # 50
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people believe that studying in a college or university is the best way for students to prepare for their future career. Others think they should leave school as soon as possible to develop their career through work experience.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer:
It is a common dilemma if enrolling in the tertiary education is the most effective avenue for pupils to shape their future career, or they should leave school as early as possible to advance their career through practical experience. However, I put forward the view that hands-on experience that hones the skills are crucial.
To begin with, tertiary education aims at how to extract knowledge from the existing arena and how to create new knowledge for adapting to the ever-changing work conditions. This means that the university’s learning methods encourage students to think, analyze, explore new ideas, and be creative. Subsequently, this expands their competences and knowledge, having a good grasp of abstract concepts and theories, expressing their thoughts lucidly in writing and speech. In short, higher education provides students with an impressive array of education and skill-building curricula that equip them to cope with new and challenging circumstances. A contemporary study by the labour economists founds that an executive with university degrees will give a competitive edge over his counterparts.
On the other hand, workplace experience provides youngsters with crucial know-how, personal attributes and skills that most companies look for. First and foremost, teenagers can learn how to work in groups. A student may get the experience of working in teams on assignments, but most workplaces are comprised of groups and they need to acquire the competence to work well with colleagues and value each others’ contribution and strength. Secondly, the first-hand look at planning, organizing, coordinating and managing time can have a significant effect in their career. Thus, the practical experience offers the youth a chance to sharpen their skills such as team working, communicating, problem-solving and so forth. A recent study has shown that employers value soft skills rather than knowledge of an academic discipline and technical skills.
To conclude, knowledge and skills gathered from the university are essential in the incessant changing patterns of work but on the other hand, first-hand experience help master the skills that attract employers. All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that real-world experience is a step up on the career ladder.