IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.

IELTS Essay # 1216 - Unemployment remains the biggest challenge to school-leavers

IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Unemployment remains the biggest challenge to school-leavers in most countries.

How far do you agree with this assessment?
What other challenges face young people today?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.



Model Answer 1: [Agreement]

Adolescents face several challenges on their path to adulthood and successful career. And it becomes even more difficult for school-leavers as sorting their way out in the employment market seems to be the immediate and the biggest obstacle they encounter. Besides, other social and family issues often hurt them, and this essay sheds some light on the topic.

Regarding the problems fresh school graduates face, the most acute is the scepticism harboured by employers over hiring them. It seems to be the reason behind the high unemployment rates in many countries, especially in third-world countries where managing a job by a school leaver is exceptionally difficult. Employers usually look for experienced workers who possess practical skills and at least a college degree. Hence, school graduates with no prior experience are often placed at the bottom of the shortlist. For instance, due to unemployment, many university graduates apply for simple clerical jobs, which makes the scenario for school-leavers even more baffling.

Moreover, limited job prospect is another big problem for them. Even the school-leavers are lucky enough to secure a job, they have to work long hours with low wages. They often do not have sufficient time and money to pursue higher academic qualifications needed for career progression. Consequently, they are trapped in lower positions with limited social mobility.

Sadly, young people are not only challenged by employment problems. They may consistently live under the threat of political instability, social unrest, sexual and racial discrimination, and child marriage - all of which are beyond their control. These risks pose actual threats to the physical safety of youngsters in addition to their livelihoods.

To conclude, unemployment is the most challenging problem for young people, especially for school-leavers. However, the lack of safety, social unrest, and discriminations are also serious problems for them in parts of the world.

[Written by - Vanessa]


Sample Answer 2: [Disagreement]

Unemployment is a significant challenge in many parts of the world today, but it is not the biggest challenge to school-leavers in most countries. So, I disagree with the idea. Here, I will also outline other serious challenges that are faced by young people today. 

School-leavers are young people who are generally very optimistic and enthusiastic about joining the professional world, but they are also generally very inexperienced at the same time about the realities of life as well as the professional world. In many cases, these school-leavers do not also have the necessary skills, aptitude and acumen, needed to enter or compete in the job market. But, once these school-leavers receive some proper training and experience, related to the available jobs, getting a job suddenly does not remain such a big challenge anymore. 

A far bigger challenge for high school graduates is the dilemma to decide whether to take a year break or continue education, do a part-time job or take a skill development course, stay with the family or live alone, get into a relationship or focus on the future career and so on. Those decisions are crucial for their future and are quite challenging for young minds. For instance, more than 68% of school-leavers in our capital city find making the right decision far more challenging than getting a part-time job. Finally, staying away from bad companies and bad habits seems like another challenge that young people find really hard. Some bad companies can ruin the life of a school graduate without him or her even realising it. So this is extremely challenging. 

In conclusion, unemployment is a big challenge, but not the biggest challenge for school-leavers. Deciding on important directions in life and staying away from bad friends and bad habits are much more challenging for them.



Model Answer 3: [Agreement]

The unemployment rate among youngsters who have recently finished school is a major concern in many countries. In my view, finding the first job is a herculean task, and the most challenging perhaps, for such youngsters just after their school graduation. As a result, many of them remain unemployed. So I agree with the opinion offered.

To begin with, the modern job pool is extremely competitive. Employers are looking for candidates with a renowned diploma as well as considerable experience. Thus, just a school certificate and some training courses cannot guarantee employment for adolescents in most countries. This is why unemployment is still the biggest problem that fresh school graduates have to face. To illustrate, more than 66% of school-leavers in many subcontinent regions remain unemployed because they are not eligible to apply for better jobs and due to the lack of suitable jobs for them in the job market.

Besides unemployment, school-leavers often face family pressure and money insufficiency that they cannot avoid. According to the research conducted by the Bureau of Statistics, one of the major social issues for fresh school leavers is the expectations from their family to support them, especially in needy families. The research reveals that such youngsters were ready to work extra hours or find a not-so-suitable part-time job just to support their families. But getting a decent job was tremendously challenging.

In conclusion, youngsters face several difficulties after they complete school education, such as family pressure and the shortage of money. However, the most challenging task for them, in my opinion, is finding their first stable job.

[Written by - Arthur]



 

Sample Answer 4: [Disagreement]

Nowadays, the opinion that unemployment is the biggest obstacle to school-leavers has been a common notion in many countries. However, I do not agree with this assessment as I believe that young people today face even bigger challenges than unemployment. In this essay, I will elaborate on my opinion and provide reasons to support it.

While it is true that unemployment is a significant challenge for school graduates, it is not the biggest obstacle they face. Firstly, the education system itself can be a challenge. Many students struggle to find the right career path, and the pressure to perform well in academic exams in higher studies can be overwhelming, leading to stress and anxiety. Additionally, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds may face financial barriers to accessing higher education or even completing their secondary education. This can result in them being unable to compete for the best job opportunities, even if they do manage to secure employment.

Moreover, young people today face other challenges that have a significant impact on their mental health and overall well-being. The rise of social media has increased the risk of cyberbullying, harassment, and addiction, causing young people to struggle with self-esteem and anxiety. Additionally, the prevalence of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety has risen in recent years, with young people being among the most affected.

In conclusion, while unemployment is undoubtedly a significant challenge for school-leavers, I do not agree that it is the biggest obstacle they face. The education system, financial barriers, and mental health issues are just as crucial in hindering young people's progress. It is essential to address all these challenges to ensure that school-leavers can lead fulfilling and successful lives.

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 4.49 (46 Votes)

Arindam
Write about the following topic:

Unemployment remains the biggest challenge to school-leavers in most countries.

How far do you agree with this assessment? What other challenges face young people today?

Unemployment is a curse and a lurking monster in our society. It is more so among school leavers who fail to complete their academic education. Such youngsters from low and middle-class families struggle even more and pay the ultimate price for the rest of their life. I agree that leaving school is the biggest challenge for school leavers apart from a few other problems that make things worse as a whole.

To commence with, such school leavers always look for financial freedom, which they never had access to, and sometimes it is the pressure from their family to meet the demands. In this process, they tend to look out for opportunities and become easy preys to job recruiters at a very tender age. Most of the A-listed companies do not hire such young people as they demand more qualification, experience and academic excellence. The employers who do consider them would pay less and make them work for longer hours. This ultimately leads to job dissatisfaction from a very early age and a struggle that continues for the life.

Besides, such school-leavers suffer from stress, burnout and anxiety and regret that they did not complete their education which could have ensured a better professional and personal life. Such anxiety, along with unhealthy work conditions in many developing countries, lead them to try drugs, which lead to complete darkness. For example, it is evident from recent research that school-leavers tend to work with peers who are all adults and three among ten ends up being sexually abused or drug addicts.

In conclusion, the authority should arrange state-run further education facilities for school-leavers and improve their skills so that they are not exploited in job sectors and can choose a life they wish for.

Ranbir kaur
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Ash
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Kamila
One of the main problems for people who dropped out of school in the latest years is unemployment. I completely agree with this statement. However I think that nowadays, unemployment due to school leavers is not the main problem, in fact, there are many other obstacles that young people have to overcome.

As data have shown these years, unemployment rate is still high in many countries, and one of the reasons of it, might be the fact that many people have not completed their studies. Sometimes the causes that lead people to leave school may be the fact that to certain individuals education is not valued as it was in the past, therefore it is not considered a method that can give the opportunity to get a job, when in reality it is actually one of the safest way to get one. As a matter of fact, it is in university that most of the time students make their first steps in the working world by doing an internship which can subsequently lead them to get the job they were preparing for.


For what concerns young people in general unemployment is one of the many other problems that they have to face.
Most of teenagers nowadays aspire at the same things in life, with leads to a much larger competition among them. As a result most of these teenagers end up giving up on their goal or even at finding new things to do.
One of the other challenges that young people have young face, most of the time this goes for the second immigrant generations, is that not only they have to face unemployment but sometimes they cannot choose what to study in college, that leads them in being unable to do what they actually want to do, therefore to be less prone to look for a job.


In conclusion i believe that unemployment is one of the main problems of society and that one of the things that should be done to try to reduce it is to make everyone understand the importance of education and to give everybody the opportunity to go to school.

Gurmeet Singh Sandhu
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