News Academic Essay Awards 10.09.2020

Congratulations to three of our Upper Sixth students who have been awarded for their entries in prestigious essay competitions. Jana was shortlisted for the John Locke Institute’s Essay Competition for Economics, Sophie was highly commended  in the Exeter College, Oxford University Essay Competition for English and Anna was highly commended in the Peterhouse College, Cambridge University Vellacott Prize for History.

Here the girls provide some insight into their entries:

‘Economics is a subject that enables people to understand the forces that drive the world around them. To further my interest in the subject, I entered the John Locke Institute’s essay competition, where I had to explore the question entitled ‘What are the most important economic effects- good and bad- of forced redistribution? How should this inform government policy?’. The controversy surrounding forced redistribution has been around for decades, so writing an evaluative essay on the topic was fascinating! Entering this essay competition allowed me to not only build knowledge, but also refine skills such as clear reasoning and critical thinking.’
Jana Bulatovic

‘My essay for the Exeter College Essay Competition was titled “To what extent does literature heighten the oppression of under-represented groups?”. I chose to write about this subject because I wanted to explore literary representations and oppression further. I decided to include examples of both English and Spanish literature, to strengthen my argument and because I hope to study these subjects at university. Writing the essay made me appreciate how embedded oppression is in literature so, as I concluded, societal standards must change in order to remedy this.’
Sophie Harwood

‘The title of my essay was ‘To what extent did the impact of war alter the lives of women in Britain and Rwanda after the Great War and the 1990s genocide respectively?’. Essentially, I looked at whether or not new opportunities arise for women as a result of conflict, and whether overall they benefited from it. Their traditional ways of life changed, taking on roles in society that they otherwise wouldn’t have, which ultimately changed how they perceived themselves. Both women in Rwanda and Britain gained political power, and in some respects they became more free to act independently in society. On the other hand, it could be argued that the political powers that women gained in Britain in 1918 have been exaggerated, and the trauma that women in Rwanda experienced cannot be ignored.’
Anna Briggs