How to win an Oxbridge essay competition | Part 3: Writing a prize-winning essay

Maria Izmirlieva2 minutes read

The speaker, a recent graduate from the University of Cambridge, emphasizes the importance of essays in academic success, sharing insights on how to write a successful essay. They outline a structured approach to essay writing, including understanding the question, conducting research, multiple drafts, and proper structuring for a coherent and compelling essay.

Insights

  • The speaker has a strong academic background, having written prize-winning essays and graduated with a first-class degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, showcasing their expertise in essay writing and academic success.
  • The video outlines a comprehensive approach to essay writing, emphasizing the importance of understanding the question, conducting thorough research, and following a structured process involving drafting, referencing, and proofreading, providing valuable insights for students aiming to improve their essay writing skills.

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Recent questions

  • How many prize-winning essays did the speaker write?

    Two

  • What degree did the speaker graduate with?

    First-class

  • What are the main sections of the video about essay writing?

    Five

  • What is emphasized as crucial before writing an essay?

    Understanding the question

  • What is involved in the research stage of essay writing?

    Extensive reading

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Summary

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Mastering Essay Writing: Tips from a Scholar

  • The speaker has written two prize-winning essays during their time at university, one for the Vott Essay Prize in History at Peter House, Cambridge, and the other for the Peter Kane Legal Reasoning Prize at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
  • They have recently graduated from the University of Cambridge with a bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences, achieving a first-class degree.
  • The speaker emphasizes the importance of essays in their academic experience and shares insights on how to write a successful essay.
  • The video is divided into five main sections: before writing the essay, the process of writing, structuring the essay, proofreading, and referencing.
  • Before writing the essay, it is crucial to understand the question, break it down, identify command words, and determine the main points to cover.
  • Forming a mind map of the question and ideas, noting down research questions, and instinctive responses can help in the initial stages of essay writing.
  • The research stage is essential and involves extensive reading to incorporate existing ideas and interpretations into the essay, ultimately enhancing its quality.
  • The process of writing the essay includes multiple drafts, a research document for collating resources, and easy referencing.
  • Structuring the essay involves a clear introduction, main body with thematic paragraphs, subtitles, topic sentences, evidence, analysis, and a conclusion that summarizes the arguments without introducing new ideas.
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