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Cambridge 12 Writing Task 2 Test 3 - Sample Answers (Band 9 to 4-5)
Real band 9, 8, 7 and 6.5 sample answers for this prompt, plus a genuine band 4-5 answer so you can see exactly what pulls a score down. Every sample comes with examiner-style notes on Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
The Prompt
Wearing Uniforms to Work
In some countries, it is common for people to wear a uniform to work. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this practice?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
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262 wordsNames a specific industry that deliberately rejects uniforms, turning an abstract point about self-expression into something concrete.
Workplace uniforms, whether the branded outfits worn by retail staff or the formal attire required in many corporate offices, bring both genuine practical benefits and real costs to employees, and I believe the balance tips one way or the other depending largely on the type of work involved.
The advantages are considerable in customer-facing roles. A uniform makes staff instantly identifiable to customers, which is genuinely useful in a large retail store or hospital, and it removes the daily burden and expense of deciding what to wear, a small but real form of decision fatigue that uniforms eliminate entirely. Uniforms can also promote a sense of equality among colleagues, since expensive clothing can no longer signal status or wealth once everyone wears the same outfit.
However, uniforms come with genuine drawbacks. They can suppress individual self-expression, which matters more to some employees than others, and in creative industries, a strict dress code can feel actively at odds with the culture the company is trying to build; this is precisely why many technology and design firms deliberately avoid uniforms and formal dress codes altogether. There is also a practical cost concern: employers who require uniforms but do not provide or subsidise them effectively shift a business expense onto employees, particularly burdensome for lower-paid workers.
In conclusion, uniforms offer clear practical and equalising benefits in customer-facing and safety-critical roles, but their drawbacks, particularly around cost and self-expression, mean they are not universally appropriate, and organisations should choose deliberately based on the nature of the work rather than defaulting to a uniform out of habit.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Fully addresses both advantages and disadvantages with genuine balance and a clear final position, and the point about technology and design firms deliberately avoiding uniforms gives the argument real specificity.
Coherence & Cohesion: Each paragraph carries a distinct function, and cohesive devices ("however", "in conclusion") link them naturally throughout.
Lexical Resource: Wide range of precise vocabulary ("decision fatigue", "suppress individual self-expression", "safety-critical") used with natural collocation.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Wide range of complex structures, including relative clauses and semicolons used correctly, with full accuracy.
Band 8
253 wordsWell balanced and clearly argued, just slightly more general in its supporting detail than a band 9 answer.
In many workplaces, employees are required to wear a uniform, and I believe this practice has both clear advantages and real disadvantages, depending on the type of job involved.
One major advantage is that uniforms make employees easy to identify, which is especially useful in jobs where customers need to find staff quickly, such as in a large supermarket or a hospital. Uniforms also save employees time and money, since they don't need to decide what to wear or buy a large variety of work clothes, and they can create a sense of equality among staff, since nobody's clothing shows they are richer or poorer than their colleagues.
However, there are also disadvantages to wearing a uniform. Some people feel that uniforms limit their ability to express their personal style, which can be important to them, especially in creative jobs where individuality is often valued. In addition, if employers require staff to wear a uniform but do not pay for it themselves, this can be an unfair financial burden, particularly for employees who are not paid very much. There is also a concern that requiring identical clothing for everyone can make a workplace feel less personal, since employees lose one of the small everyday ways they might otherwise express who they are.
In conclusion, while uniforms bring practical benefits such as easy identification and equality among staff, they also have downsides related to self-expression and cost, so I believe whether to require a uniform should depend on the specific nature of the job.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Fully addresses both advantages and disadvantages with a clear, well-supported opinion, though the reasoning stays slightly more general than the band 9 answer's specific industry reference.
Coherence & Cohesion: Clear structure with an accurate "However" pivot and a well-signposted conclusion.
Lexical Resource: Good range of vocabulary, though "limit their ability to express their personal style" is a little more general than the higher-band answer's more precise phrasing.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Mostly accurate complex sentences with only rare minor slips.
Band 7
258 wordsA clear, balanced answer that would be stronger with one concrete example to anchor its argument.
In some jobs, workers have to wear a uniform, and I think this has both good and bad points. I will discuss both sides in this essay.
One advantage of wearing a uniform is that it makes it easy for customers to recognise staff, which is helpful in places like shops or hospitals where people often need to find an employee quickly. Uniforms can also save workers time, since they don't need to spend time choosing what to wear every day, and everyone looks equal because they are all dressed the same way.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages too. Some employees might not like wearing a uniform because it stops them from showing their own personal style, which some people care about a lot. Also, if a company makes workers pay for their own uniform, this can be a problem for people who don't earn very much money. There is also a concern that wearing the same clothes as everyone else can make a workplace feel less personal, since employees lose one of the small ways they might otherwise show who they really are. This is a small but real cost of standardised dress.
In my opinion, uniforms can be useful in certain jobs, especially ones where customers need to identify staff quickly, but I don't think they are necessary or a good idea for every type of job.
In conclusion, wearing a uniform to work has both advantages and disadvantages, and whether it is a good idea really depends on the type of job.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Addresses both advantages and disadvantages with relevant reasoning, but no specific real-world example is used to support either side, unlike in the higher-band answers.
Coherence & Cohesion: Organised logically with one clear idea per paragraph; cohesive devices ("On the other hand", "In conclusion") are accurate but predictable.
Lexical Resource: Adequate range for the task, with some repetition of "uniform" and "job" throughout.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Generally accurate mix of simple and complex sentences; meaning is always clear.
Band 6.5
253 wordsThe discussion is well balanced, but agreement errors on nearly every key task word noticeably lower the score.
In some job, worker have to wear uniform, and I think this have both good and bad point. I will discuss both side in this essay.
One advantage of wearing uniform is that it make easy for customer to recognise staff, which is helpful in place like shop or hospital where people often need to find employee quickly. Uniform can also save worker time, since they don't need to spend time choosing what to wear every day, and everyone look equal because they are all dress the same way.
On other hand, there is some disadvantage too. Some employee might not like wearing uniform because it stop them from showing their own personal style, which some people care about a lot. Also, if company make worker pay for their own uniform, this can be problem for people who don't earn very much money. There is also concern that wearing same clothes as everyone else can make workplace feel less personal, since employee lose one of small way they might otherwise show who they really are. This is small but real cost of standard dress that many worker do not think about until they experience it themselves.
In my opinion, uniform can be useful in certain job, especially one where customer need to identify staff quickly, but I don't think they are necessary or good idea for every type of job.
In conclusion, wearing uniform to work have both advantage and disadvantage, and whether it is good idea really depend on type of job.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Addresses both advantages and disadvantages, matching the content of the band 7 answer, but grammar errors throughout reduce clarity.
Coherence & Cohesion: Follows the same one-idea-per-paragraph structure as the higher-band answers.
Lexical Resource: Limited by missing plurals on key task words ("job", "worker", "uniform") used throughout instead of their plural forms.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent subject-verb agreement errors ("worker have to wear", "it make easy", "there is some disadvantage", "it stop them", "whether it is good idea really depend") appear on nearly every sentence.
Band 4-5 - What to Avoid
46 wordsStates a position but never develops either the advantages or disadvantages, and stays well under the required length.
Uniform is good because everyone look same. It also easy for customer to see who is worker.
But some people don't like uniform, they want wear own clothes to work.
I think uniform have good point and bad point, this is my opinion about this topic.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Advantages and disadvantages are each given only a single unsupported sentence, so neither side of the question is genuinely developed. At well under 250 words, the response is also underlength.
Coherence & Cohesion: Paragraphs are short, disconnected statements with minimal linking beyond "But".
Lexical Resource: Vocabulary is basic and repetitive ("good", "like", "point" used with little variation).
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent errors throughout ("everyone look same", "it also easy", "uniform have good point").
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