Onterra TutorIs taking a year to work or travel before university a good idea?
Duolingo English Test writing question in the official format, with a full model answer and notes on why it scores. Write your own version below it and get an instant rater-style score.
The question
Some students take a year to work or travel before starting university. Do you think this is a good idea? Explain your opinion with reasons and examples.
Model answer
I think a year out is a good idea for most students, but only if it has a shape. Arriving at eighteen straight from examinations, many students choose a subject because they were good at it at school rather than because they want it, and a year of ordinary work is a fast education in what you can stand doing all day. My cousin spent his year in a hospital kitchen and switched from law to nursing before it cost him anything. The risk is real, though: a year of nothing at all makes returning to study harder, and some never return. Work, save, or travel with a purpose. An empty year is the version that goes wrong.
Why this answer scores
- Qualifies the opinion in the first sentence, then defends both the benefit and the risk.
- The cousin example gives a concrete outcome, which is stronger than a general claim.
- Short final sentences give the response a confident, spoken rhythm.
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