Named after English physician and philosopher, the John Locke Institute conducts an annual essay competition over a range of topics designed to lead pupils out of the confines of school education.
The John Locke Institute strives to be a catalyst for young people, educating them from good students into great writers. This includes “independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style.”
The unique essay competition challenges students with interesting questions beyond the confines of school curricula.
When completing the essay, there was a choice of 22 questions over seven different topics, including Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law.
Lucas chose philosophy narrowing down options before deciding on answering the question: “In what sense are you the same person today that you were when you were ten?”
After lots of hard work and some waiting, Lucas was shortlisted for a prize finally being revealed as a high distinction. Receiving this placed Lucas in the top 5% of applicants.
This achievement proves the natural talent Lucas holds for essay writing along with the finetuning and development of skills that he will be able to carry forward into the future.
Lucas extended his advice to any pupils looking to enter this, or indeed any other essay competition, explaining “it is very easy to be tempted to keep researching on and on before writing, but once you have achieved a sufficient understanding of the topic to formulate your argument, you should begin drafting or at least planning (in detail) your essay.”
“Further research can follow when prompted by any issues or questions raised in the process of writing/planning.”
Congratulations to Lucas on this highly impressive achievement.
