Newsfeed

• The Oxford IQ Academy Essay Writing Competition Pathways School Gurgaon
  
  November 30

The Oxford IQ Academy Essay Writing Competition is a competition organized by the alumni of the Oxford IQ Academy, a preparatory academy for Oxford college. It provides children from around the world with the opportunity to write their own essays classified on the bases of different topics, areas of interest, and age groups. After essays are submitted, a panel of faculty at the Oxford IQ Academy mark them, scoring them anywhere between a zero and exceptional first (93%+). Students that get a 2.2 (58%) and above are selected to be potential recipients of one of the scholarships offered.

The essayists receiving the top two marks are awarded full scholarships valued at £5,995.00. The three runners-up win scholarships valued at £4,000.00, the next 5% highest scoring essayists win scholarships valued at £3,000.00, the next 10% highest scoring essayists win scholarships valued at £2,000.00, the next 20% highest scoring essayists win scholarships valued at £1,000.00. Finally, the next 40% highest scoring essayists win scholarships valued at £500.00. The program includes a dorm at the Oxford University for students to stay in over the summer, while living life like an actual college student. Each student has a private instructor who guides them through the exploration of areas they are interested in, and collaborative workshops and classes also come with the offer.

Hold on though – let’s start from the beginning! I first came to know about the Oxford IQ Academy Essay Writing Competition via the school newsletter. As a student interested in literature and writing, I decided to participate. First, I was told to write a statement of purpose, explaining why I was a good fit for Oxford. I explained my areas of interest, achievements and writing journey as an aspiring author.

Now came the part of writing the essay itself. I chose to write my essay on the question ‘Can we make any Meaningful Generalizations about the Causes of War?’. I chose this question because I knew there could be many ways to approach it – and I wanted to explore the reasons behind so many of the gravest mistakes humans have made. I couldn’t wrap my head around why or how there could be meaningful causes behind the deaths and injury of so many people! I was curious; and soon, this curiosity led to excitement to learn and know more. I researched for hours – exploring all about previous wars, identifying links between these wars, causes of these wars and the basis by which we can deem something ‘meaningful’. Writing this essay was not easy – it took me days spent on accumulating data, and weeks on drafting out the actual essay itself. I spent hours writing and typing, worrying over every word I had written, every sentence I composed and every paragraph I framed. However, if you gave me the option today to not enter the competition at all, I would never take it!

This competition helped me achieve three main things. Firstly, I was able to acquire so much general knowledge and understanding of the history, topography, geography, culture and thought processes of so many countries. I understood not only history better, but also how it has molded the world we live in today and influenced the actions of our current leaders. Second, it helped improve my writing skills. The countless hours spent on drafting my work have helped me identify new ways to portray what I want to say. I learnt how to phrase my thoughts in different ways, appealing to the ethos, pathos, and logos of my readers. I picked apart my vocabulary, analyzing it for improvement and learning new words and synonyms. Finally, I was also able to make my data flow – as paragraphs were strategic and related to each other. Now, for the most important of everything I leant; to never give up. The phrase “Never Give Up” is a clichéd statement, but a true one. Nowadays, people forget about the importance of sticking to their goals and persevering through the challenges that come with them. Take my example as a reminder, that although it is cliché, you really shouldn’t give up. If I gave up when times got hard, I would never have learnt about such important events happening in the world, about my own writing skills and abilities and would never have won a £1,000 scholarship to the program!

I want to thank all my teachers and my parents for encouraging me to always do my best and correcting me when I’m wrong. It’s because of them that I have the courage to keep going and the opportunities to do so!

By: Tara Kumar, MYP 3E, MYP 3 Cub Reporter