St Mary’s student receives commendation in international essay competition

A Year 13 St Mary’s student has been awarded a commendation after her eloquently written law essay was shortlisted for the prestigious John Locke Essay Competition 2022. Siyu L., entered the Law Prize category in the international competition, which is organised by the John Locke Institute, part of the University of Oxford.

Every year, the John Locke Essay Competition attracts thousands of entries from across the world from students who have opted to go beyond the confines of the school curriculum and explore a range of challenging questions.

The world-renowned competition is made up of seven subject categories. Once a student has picked a category, they are required to write an essay responding to one of four questions provided on that given topic. St Mary’s Upper Sixth student, Siyu L., entered the Law Prize category – submitting a 2,000-word argumentative essay on the subject: “Should ‘hate crime’ be punished more severely than the same crime with different motives?”

Submissions are reviewed by an expert panel of judges, including senior academics from the University of Oxford. They examine a range of criteria for each of the essays: the level of knowledge and understanding shown of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, the quality of argument, the structure, writing style, and persuasive force. Following this tough process, Siyu was shortlisted for the Law Prize, which meant she received a Commendation.

The John Locke Institute is an independent educational organisation that works to embolden the best and brightest students to become more academically ambitious and more intellectually adventurous. The Institute’s goal is to inspire students to aim high and to help to equip them with the skills they need to achieve their goals.

Well done, Siyu – this is an incredible achievement, particularly given that English is your second language!