MAGAZINE ARTICLE – SAMPLE

Is a Gap Year Worth It? - Title

The trend of taking a gap year out from your current job or studies - Introduction
has grown hugely since the 1990s. How come that more and more
people make the leap: what jobs do they go for and what benefits do
they reap?
- Question

 Money and experience - Main Body

Waiters or cashiers in fast-food restaurants are common jobs picked
for a gap year. It is a real opportunity to gain customer-facing
experience, to learn to work under pressure and of course to save
money for future projects. The experience can prove hard though, as
working conditions including a sustained pace and regular late shifts
may be poor.

Volunteering – a good option

Volunteering for a charity, hospital or care home is another option for

those looking for a more compassionate experience. It can be
personally very rewarding as you may learn a great deal about
yourself in helping others in need. For example, if you intend to
pursue a career in healthcare, it is also a real way of demonstrating
your motivation when applying to school or university.
- Conclusion

The need for adventure

Finally, if a thirst for adventure is close to your heart, you might want
to consider travelling. It doesn’t have to be far, we sometimes forget
the travel experience can be right on your doorstep so it fits the bill
for tight budgets. Going for an abroad option means an extra financial
effort but you can get to know a different country, meet different
people, improve your language skills and also more broadly learn how
to get by in life.

All options have their pro and cons, in the end the best advisor is
unmistakably yourself. Ultimately, you probably won’t regret taking a
gap year simply because you will not only enhance your CV, but also
gain maturity and many other useful life skills.
WRITING AN ARTICLE (PRACTICE)
Read the following article and do the tasks below.

________________________________________
The trend of young people taking a gap year from their studies has grown
hugely since the 1990s. How come that more and more youngsters make the
leap: what jobs do they go for and what benefits do they reap?
 Money and experience
Waiters or cashiers in fast-food restaurants are
common jobs picked for a gap year. It is a real
opportunity to gain customer-facing experience, to
learn to work under pressure and, of course to save
money for future projects. The experience can
prove hard though, as working conditions, including a sustained pace and regular
late shifts, may be poor. And, let’s not forget that, most of the times, you’ll end up
paying for the broken glasses!
Volunteering – a good option
Volunteering for a charity, hospital or care home is
another option for those looking for a more
compassionate experience. It can be personally very
rewarding as you may learn a great deal about
yourself in helping other people in need. For
example, if you intend to pursue a career in
healthcare, it is also a real way of demonstrating your motivation when applying
to school or university.
The need for adventure
Finally, if a thirst for adventure is close to your
heart, you might want to consider travelling. It
doesn’t have to be far, we sometimes forget the
travel experience can be right on your doorstep so
it fits the bill for tight budgets. Going for an
abroad option means an extra financial effort but
you can get to know a different country, meet different people, improve your
language skills and also more broadly learn how to get by in life.

All options have their pro and cons, in the end the best advisor is unmistakably
yourself. Still, you probably won’t regret taking a gap year simply because you will
not only enhance your CV, but also gain maturity and independence.

1. Give an appropriate title to the article above.

2. Identify the parts of the article and complete the table below with main
ideas taken from the text.

INTRODUCTION MAIN BODY CONCLUSION