Original Text

Giving youth a hand
Can a jobs crisis end up destroying the hopes of an entire generation? Even in the best of times, many young people have a hard time getting a foothold in the labour market, with youth unemployment often two to three times higher than for adults. In recessions, finding work gets tougher still.

Across the OECD area, youth unemployment rose by 4.3 percentage points over the year to June 2009, to 17.6%, which is about twice the overall average rise for all age groups. Youth unemployment is highest in Spain, with over a third of young workers now out of work there, compared with a national average of 15.8% for workers aged 25 and over. Several other countries with different kinds of labour markets, from Italy through Sweden to the US, also have youth unemployment of almost (or more than) 20%. Even in countries where well-established apprenticeship systems have traditionally promoted a smooth transition from school to work, such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland, youth unemployment has climbed sharply too.

In short, an entire generation of recent school-leavers could soon find themselves out of work for months or possibly years, and may never recover the losses in income, career prospects, and job and life satisfaction that early and prolonged unemployment can cause.

Source: OECD / Academic English Sample

Task:

Read the text on the left, then toggle the tabs on the right to see how this same information is transformed using different methods.

Outline Method

Hierarchical & Linear

Topic: Youth unemployment during economic crisis

I. General problem

Youth struggle to enter labour market
Youth unemployment = 2–3× higher than adults
Recessions worsen job opportunities

II. OECD statistics (2009)

Youth unemployment ↑ 4.3 percentage points
Reached 17.6% (June 2009)
Rate ≈ double overall average

III. Country examples

Spain: >⅓ of young people unemployed
- Adult unemployment (25+): 15.8%
Italy, Sweden, USA: ~20% youth unemployment

IV. Apprenticeship countries

Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Traditionally smooth school-to-work transition
Youth unemployment still increased sharply

V. Consequences

Long-term unemployment (months/years)
Permanent losses:
- Income
- Career prospects
- Job & life satisfaction

Aspect	Key Information
Main issue	Youth unemployment
Scale	2–3× higher than adults
OECD average	17.6% (2009)
Increase	+4.3 percentage points
Worst case	Spain (>33%)
Other countries	Italy, Sweden, USA (~20%)
Apprenticeships	Germany, Austria, Switzerland still affected
Consequences	Long-term income & career loss

How to: Outline Method

1. Start with the main topic at the top.

2. Use Roman numerals (I, II) for main ideas.

3. Use letters or bullets for details.

4. Indent to show the hierarchy: General → Specific.

❗ Best when the text has a clear logical structure.

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Outline Method

Topic: Youth unemployment during economic crisis

I. General problem

II. OECD statistics (2009)

III. Country examples

IV. Apprenticeship countries

V. Consequences

Topic: Youth Unemployment

Cues / Keywords

Notes

Summary

Reduced & Paraphrased

How to: Outline Method

Best Used For