TEOFL iBT Writing for an Academic Discussion Uniform policy in high school (Revised)

Some people argue that uniforms promote equality and reduce distractions, while others believe that they stifle individuality and self-expression. Given these perspectives, do you think it is better for high school students to have to wear uniforms？

 

 

 

☆Let’s think

1.        What kind of people wear uniforms? Why do they wear uniforms, or why are they made to wear uniforms?

2.        Which is the dress code of your school, uniform policy or no-uniform policy? Do you like it? Why/Why not?

 

 

☆Hints for Points for Discussion

Uniform policy

1.       Uniforms help equal treatment. The policy is fair for students with financial difficulties.

2.       Uniforms make it clear that school is the place to study.

3.       Uniforms are for protection. High schools should exercise restrictions on some aspects of students’ life.

4.       Uniforms help develop the sense of belonging, or love for the school.

 

No-uniform policy

1.       To make students wear uniforms violates their freedom. It is to monitor and control students.

2.       No-uniform policy helps understand and nurture liberty and individuality, leading to independence.

3.       Freer dress codes help students express themselves, experiment with new modes, or nurture creativity.

4.       Everyday clothes are comfortable and reasonably priced.

 

 

☆Sample Responses

A.

【Thesis】High schools should respect their students’ autonomy and should not force them to wear uniforms.

【Supporting Details】Clothing is an indicator of personality, and a uniform is a label of a social status, an icon of an occupation and the lank. Thus, a person in a certain uniform is expected to play a certain role and behave accordingly. Military officers, medical personnel, restaurant workers, kindergarten pupils, and inmates are in uniforms, and they are expected to behave as society expects them to. A person wearing a high school uniform, therefore, is expected to behave as a minor and act in a way that matches the image of the school the uniform represents. Like a jar of jam with a label, students in uniforms are judged and treated uniformly. This will not only discourage students from having self-respect or modesty but also negatively affects their emotional development as citizens. They are half-adults who are in the period of life when their world view and identity is challenged and reestablished. The uniform policy limits this transformation by explicitly showing that they are watched and controlled, making them uncritical and irresponsible to society and to themselves.

【Counterargument-treatment】Although there is a practical advantage that school uniforms lessen discrimination based on inequality as Emily points out, no-uniform policy can avoid inequality with certain dress codes, while the restriction of individuality with uniforms is difficult to address other than abolishing the rule.

【Conclusion】High school students should be treated as an individual with a distinct personality with freedom, independence, and individuality. School has no authority to limit them by demanding them wear uniforms.

 (265 words)

 

B.

【Main Idea】I think it is better for students to be required to wear uniforms because uniforms contribute to fairness.

【Supporting Details】This is because uniforms can prevent wealth gap from being revealed. Under the no-uniform policy, rich students will naturally come to school in high-quality, stylish attire, and poor students keep wearing what they can afford for years. This difference can lead to separation, discrimination and even bullying, Students may not show such problems on the surface, but according to a professor, school is a closed space where even the smallest difference can make one ostracized. Till they go to university and acquire freedom to escape from belligerence, high school students, especially the vulnerable ones, need to be protected from harassments and attacks by wearing in the same clothes as others are wearing.

【Counterargument-treatment】The claim of James that uniforms restricts freedom of expression could be true, but students can exercise it during their free time.

【Conclusion】

School should provide the environment for students to be able to focus on their studies without worries, and uniform policy facilitates its realization.

 (175 words)