Essay Competition Guide 2023

Essay
Competition
Full Guide | 2023-2024
www.immerse.education
Contents
What is the Immerse Education Essay Competition? Pages 2-3
Why Should I Enter? Pages 4-5
Quick Facts Pages 6
How Do I Choose a Question? Pages 8
Essay Questions 13-15 Pages 9-10
Essay Questions 15-18 Pages 12
Essay Questions 16-18 Pages 13-15
Essay Specifications Pages 16
Referencing Guide Pages 17-21
Essay Writing Workbook Pages 22
Mark Scheme Pages 23-24
More Resources & FAQ's Pages 24
1 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

What Is The Immerse
Education Essay
Competition?
The Immerse Education Essay Competition is a writing competition open to students aged
13-18, running twice per year. The competition is open to participants around the world
and of any nationality and receives thousands of entries.
For each round, ten students are awarded a 100% scholarship to study on an Immerse
summer programme at the university colleges of Cambridge University, Oxford University,
the University of Sydney or University College London.

Immerse offer a wide range of programmes to choose from including courses for the
creatively minded such as Fine Arts, Creative Writing and Game Design; and for those who
are technically inclined with Coding and Nanotechnology; as well as Science and
Mathematical based courses such as Earth Sciences, Mathematics, Medicine, Chemistry
and more. To see a full list of Immerse residential programmes, visit our website at:
https://www.immerse.education/
The Immerse Education Essay Competition is designed to challenge students to think

critically, build knowledge and enhance literacy skills. Entrants can access our free
printable Essay Writing Workbook which includes a range of tasks designed to help
students plan and write an outstanding essay.

Why Should I Enter The
Competition?
For students who enter the Immerse Education Essay Competition, you stand the
chance of winning a fully paid scholarship to attend one of our transformative
programmes in world-renowned locations.
We also like to reward hard work where it has been demonstrated, which is why we
also offer partial scholarships from 10%-50% to students who submit strong essays.
To know what we're looking for in a winning essay, take a look at our Mark Scheme
on pages 23-24.
Other benefits of entering the competition include:
01: Grow your academic writing skills

Essay writing is a big part of university and college life. Knowing how to convey your
ideas and opinions clearly and coherently can often be the difference between an
assessment that gets a C or an A. By participating in the Immerse Education Essay
Competition, you'll be challenging your academic writing skills as well as your ability
to research topics independently, reference your reading and enhance your subject
knowledge.
02: Build your knowledge

A necessary part of writing a good essay is knowledge-building which comes from
independent research. Throughout the process of writing your essay, you'll start to
build a stronger understanding of your chosen topic while also identifying any gaps in
your knowledge. Once finished, you can use your completed essay as a sample of
your understanding of the subject and academic writing skills for university
applications.

03: Be more prepared for university study
The competition aims to challenge you in a similar way that university essays do, engaging
your independent learning skills, academic writing and your skills in working towards a
deadline. The skills you develop as you write your essay will benefit you for school now
and for university study later down the line.
04: Shout about your achievements

We like to celebrate hard work, which is why all participants who receive an award for
their submission will get an official Immerse Education Essay Competition Award
certificate confirming their participation in the competition and their outcome. You can
shout about your achievement by sharing your virtual award on social media - a great
way to demonstrate your academic success!
05: Win a transformative experience

And of course, entering the competition means that you're in with the chance of winning
an unforgettable experience to study amongst like-minded peers from all around the
world in world-renowned locations. During your time with Immerse, you'll continue to
extend your knowledge and skillset as you study under expert Oxbridge and UCL tutors
and gain the full experience of university life.

How do I choose an essay
question?
All essays must answer either one of our pre-set questions (see pages 9-15), or a
question you have created yourself for one of our available subjects. For a full list of
essay questions and subjects per age group see pages 9-15.
When choosing your essay question, it's important that you choose a topic and
question that strikes your interest. Writing an academic essay can be challenging,
however, if you choose a topic you're already interested in, you'll find the process a
lot easier.
We recommend choosing a question from the subject you would most like to study. If
you're not sure, write down the questions you're most interested in before narrowing
down your choice to just one.
Open Question
Can't find a question that strikes your interest? You can create your own question!
Build a question based on an available subject for your age group and write your
essay in response to it.

13-15 Essay Questions
Below is a list of essay questions to be used by students aged 13-15 in the summer of
2024.
Architecture
How does the built environment impact and reflect culture?
Business Management
What makes a good leader?
Coding
How is coding shaping our world?
Computer Science
How do algorithms shape the online information we see?
Creative Writing
What do good writers do?
Earth Sciences
How does geography affect cultures, jobs and livelihoods?

13-15 Questions
Economics
Why do economic systems change? Open Question
Can't find a question that strikes
Encryption & Cybersecurity your interest? You can create your
How do hackers impact users online? own question! Build a question
based on an available subject for
Engineering your age group and write your
How do engineers solve problems? essay in response to it.
Film Studies
What determines a great film adaptation?
International Relations
How do nations become powerful and wealthy?
Law
Does law affect culture?
Medicine
What is bias and how can it affect patient care?
Physics
How can physics help us to understand everyday life?
Philosophy
Are humans superior to animals?
Politics & Debate

What is the purpose of a government?
Psychology
How does our mind affect the way we behave?
Veterinary Studies
How has veterinary medicine evolved over time?
3D Animation
How has 3D animation changed throughout history?

These questions are suitable for students aged between 13-18.
Architecture & Design

How does design influence our lives?
Creative Writing & Film

What new dimensions of storytelling does film provide in
comparison to prose?
Business Management
What makes a good leader?
Engineering
What is the connection between structure and function?
Fine Art
How important is art in society?
Game Design
What defines a great game?
Law
Does law dictate what is ethically right or wrong?
Medicine
What are the protected characteristics in healthcare and how do these impact
patient care?
Open Question
Can't find a question that strikes your interest? You can create your own question!
Build a question based on an available subject for your age group and write your
essay in response to it.

Below is a list of essay questions to be used by students aged 16-18 in the summer of
2024.
Architecture
What influences an architect’s vision?
Artificial Intelligence
Is artificial intelligence a benefit or detriment to society?
Biology
How does the condition of an environment affect its ecosystems?
Business Management
What do all great leaders have in common?
Chemistry
How do the structures of organisms enable life's functions?
Coding
How is computer programming useful in real life?
Computer Science
What human problems will computers solve in the near future?

16-18 Questions
Creative Writing
How do language, tone and voice impact the effect on a reader in prose?
Earth Sciences
How can we investigate the world around us to make more sense of it?
Economics
What are the effects of inflation on people’s lives?
Encryption & Cybersecurity

What ethical dilemmas do cybersecurity professionals face in the industry?
Engineering
What is the connection between structure and function?
English Literature
What is the literary canon and who determines it?
Female Future Leaders

How important is it to have strong female leadership?
Film Studies
What new dimensions of storytelling does film provide in comparison to prose?
History
What events in the past have we yet to learn from?
International Relations
How do nations obtain power and wealth?
Law
Does law dictate what is ethically right or wrong?
Mathematics
How is mathematics used to quantify and compare situations, events and
phenomena?

16-18 Questions
Medicine
What are the protected characteristics in healthcare and how do these impact
patient care?
Nanotechnology
How can nanotechnology help or harm us?
Philosophy
What is the meaning of life? Compare and contrast theories from at least two
well-known philosophers.
Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

Choose a current issue that shapes the society you live in. Describe the issue
in detail and explore how government policies and economic changes may
improve the problem.
Physics
How important are the laws of physics in understanding the universe we live
in?
Politics & Debate

Compare and contrast two types of governments. Is one better than the
other? Explain your answer in detail.
Psychology
How does psychology inform our understanding of human behaviour and
development?
Veterinary Studies
How does veterinary medicine shape our relationships with animals?
3D Animation
Compare and contrast two different types of 3D animated films. Describe
the tools used and the affects on the audience.
Open Question
Have a topic you’re passionate about? Create your own question using one of
the available subjects for your age group and write your essay response to it.

Immerse Futures Questions
Below is a list of additional essay questions that can be used by students aged 16-18
interested in the following subjects.
Medicine
How will wearable technology reshape the capability to care for patients
remotely?
Can robots ever replace surgeons?
What will the role of hospitals be in 25 years from now?
Law
In what ways do you believe AI is going to revolutionize law?

In years to come, could court determinations be made by AI-based
systems?
Could justice be delivered online?
Engineering
Can engineering ever be completely sustainable?

How does engineering contribute to modern world innovations?
AR vs. VR: What is the difference and which will have the greatest
impact on the future?

Essay
Specifications
Entrants should ensure they have read these specifications prior to submission as
failure to comply with these specifications may result in disqualification.
Your answers should be no more than 500 words +/- 10% (excluding references,
headings and title text )
Only one entry is allowed per person.
Essays should be submitted directly via the competition entry form.
Essays received by email will not be considered.

Referencing
Guide
What Is Referencing?
When constructing your essay, you should show your research through your sources. It is
important to use books and other texts to support your arguments and that these are
recorded through referencing.
References act as a record that you have used another person’s words or ideas. All points
taken from other authors should be referenced accordingly. Bibliographies list the texts and
other sources that you have used for your work.
References and bibliographies allow the reader to identify the exact sources of what you
have written, and ensure that you have not plagiarised in your work.
References are used throughout the work (for example, a book, article, image, etc,). It
shows readers where specific pieces of information came from and how readers can find
them themselves. It acknowledges or gives credit to the author who actually created the
content being used.

The opposite of a citation is plagiarism, or not giving credit to others for their ideas,
concepts, or images. Plagiarism is considered taking the work of others and presenting it as
one’s own. Source citations give work credibility. In other words, it shows the information is
not simply made up.
Oxford Referencing Style
In this essay, we would like you to use the Oxford referencing style. This consists of two
elements: footnote citations and a bibliography at the end of the document. It is important
that you follow the guidelines laid out in this document exactly, to ensure good academic
practice and consistency throughout your work.

How to Use Oxford References
When creating footnotes, you will need to indicate a reference by putting a superscript
number directly following the source material - this number is called the note identifier.
This is followed up through a footnote citation at the bottom of the page.
The note identifier, also referred to as the in-text citation, and the footnote should have the
same number, to ensure that the reader knows which source the identifier is referring to.
Citations should be listed in chronological order.
Bibliography
Your bibliography should include the names of the authors, title and the date of publication,
the name of publisher and the place of publication. All sources referenced in your
footnotes should be included in your bibliography, as well as any other sources that
informed your work which you didn’t necessarily quote or paraphrase. Your bibliography
should be organised alphabetically by author, then by title. Films referred to in the text
should be included in the list, alphabetically by title.
Oxford Referencing Example
Below is an example of the Oxford referencing system. It is a two part system that has a
reference as a footnote at the bottom of the relevant page as well as a list of references,
also known as a bibliography, at the end of the essay. Example:
According to a recent study, food waste recycling could be

contributing to the increase in antibiotic resistance.
The information provided here is not something that you, the writer, knew before you read
the study, it is therefore important to show exactly where you found this information and
who is responsible for the research. An example of a footnote refernece is:
M. Furukawa., N. Misawa. and J. Moore, “Recycling of domestic food waste”, British

Food Journal 120:11 (2018): 2710

Bibliography example:
Furukawa, M., Misawa, N. and Moore, J., “Recycling of domestic food waste”,
British Food Journal 120:11 (2018): 2710-2715
The first part of the reference provides the names of the authors, the second part is the
title of the article. The next part, in italics, is the name of the journal, then the volume
number and issue number. The section in brackets shows the year that this was published.
Finally, the page number where this information can be found is provided in the footnote,
and the page range of the article is provided in the bibliography.
Referencing Different Formats
Different sources will require different referencing formats. Examples of how to cite this
information within your bibliography are shown below.
Article Solé, Yolanda. “Valores aspectuales en español.” Hispanic

Linguistics 4 (1990): 57–85.
Chapter Murphy, Robert. “A Revenger’s Tragedy—Get Carter.” British

Crime Cinema. Eds. Steve Chibnall, and Robert Murphy.
London: Routledge, 1999: 123-133.
Magazine Wilson, Edward O. “Back from Chaos.” Atlantic Monthly Mar.

Article 1998: 41–62

Book Naremore, James. More Than Night: Film Noir in its Contexts.
Berkeley: California UP, 1998.
Film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Dir. Chris Columbus.
UK-US. 2001
Webpage The Walt Whitman Hypertext Archive. Ed. Kenneth M. Price and
Ed Folsom. 1997–1998. 27 Apr. 2003.
[https://whitmanarchive.org/ last accessed: 1st May 2020]

Essay Writing
Workbook
Writing an essay is a challenging feat, which is why we want to make the process as pain-
free as possible. You can download our free printable Essay Writing Workbook here. This
workbook is designed to help you write your essay in the most effective way possible with
short, interactive tasks that will help you to:
Understand your essay question
Understand your task and how it will be marked by examiners
Use a clear and logical essay writing structure
Answer the question using evidence to support your claims
Build your vocabulary

Conduct research effectively
Self-assess your essay throughout the process in order to determine how
well you have answered the question
Download the Workbook

Mark Scheme
When you enter the competition, you're likely going to be wondering how your essay will
be marked by the examiners. The following five areas are what you will be marked on.
Communicating ideas effectively - worth 30%
Word choice & structure - worth 20%
Critical analysis - worth 20%
Using evidence and inference - worth 20%
Spelling, punctuation and grammar - worth 10%
A high-quality essay will have met the criteria in the following ways.
COMMUNICATING IDEAS EFFECTIVELY
Ideas are clearly, effectively and imaginatively communicated
Careful selection of tone, adapted where necessary, along with, style and register for
the form and purpose of the essay
The submission shows a clear understanding of its audience
Has organised information and ideas effectively, using structural and grammatical
features to support coherence and cohesion of texts
WORD CHOICE & STRUCTURE
Used a relevant range of vocabulary
Used a range of sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect
Accurate spelling and punctuation
Used relevant and consistent topical terminology

Mark Scheme
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Effectively explained, commented on and analysed the essay question
Shared insightful knowledge and a deep understanding of the topic at hand
Demonstrates a thorough understanding and a range of perspectives
The response is free from personal bias
The answer represents a personal and informed response.
USING EVIDENCE AND INFERENCES
Effectively identified and interpreted explicit and implicit information
Used reputable sources of evidence
Referenced sources correctly using the right format
Relevant ideas have been selected and synthesised using evidence from different
sources to support the claims made
Used in-text citations correctly
Created an accurate reference list as per the referencing guide
SPELLING, PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR
This submission is free from spelling, punctuation and grammar errors.
Demonstrated a firm grasp of the conventions of standard English throughout

their writing
To see the full Immerse Education Essay Competition Rubric, click here.

More Resources
Don't forget to take a look at our other helpful resources to help you on your journey
to writing a scholarship-winning essay.
How to Write an Academic Essay: 9 Amazing

Steps
100 Essay Writing Tips Past Winners and Their

Essays
How to Write Better: Tips How to Cite the Oxford

by People Who Know English Dictionary

Frequently
Asked
Questions
Got more questions? Visit our FAQ's page
following the link below to find answer to
more common essay competition questions.
Essay Competition FAQ's

Share Your
Participation
Let us know you're participating in the Immerse Education Essay Competition along
with thousands of other participants. Share the hashtag #immerseessaycomp and see
who else is joining!
#immerseessaycomp
Follow us on our social platforms to gain more helpful essay-writing tips, useful
subject insight and competition updates!
Immerse_Edu @immerseeducation @Immerse_Edu
immerse-education Immerse_Education immersedu

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Essay

Why Should I Enter? Pages 4-5

Quick Facts Pages 6

How Do I Choose a Question? Pages 8

Essay Questions 13-15 Pages 9-10

Essay Questions 15-18 Pages 12

Essay Questions 16-18 Pages 13-15

Essay Specifications Pages 16

Referencing Guide Pages 17-21

Essay Writing Workbook Pages 22

Mark Scheme Pages 23-24

More Resources & FAQ's Pages 24

1 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

2 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

The Immerse Education Essay Competition is designed to challenge students to think

3 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Other benefits of entering the competition include:

01: Grow your academic writing skills

02: Build your knowledge

4 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

04: Shout about your achievements

05: Win a transformative experience

5 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

8 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

9 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Politics & Debate

10 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Architecture & Design

Creative Writing & Film

12 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

13 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Encryption & Cybersecurity

Female Future Leaders

14 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

Politics & Debate

15 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

In what ways do you believe AI is going to revolutionize law?

Can engineering ever be completely sustainable?

16 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Only one entry is allowed per person.

Essays should be submitted directly via the competition entry form.

Essays received by email will not be considered.

17 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

18 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Oxford Referencing Style

19 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Oxford Referencing Example

According to a recent study, food waste recycling could be

M. Furukawa., N. Misawa. and J. Moore, “Recycling of domestic food waste”, British

20 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Referencing Different Formats

Article Solé, Yolanda. “Valores aspectuales en español.” Hispanic

Chapter Murphy, Robert. “A Revenger’s Tragedy—Get Carter.” British

Magazine Wilson, Edward O. “Back from Chaos.” Atlantic Monthly Mar.

21 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

22 Essay Competition Guide | 2023-2024 |

Understand your essay question

Understand your task and how it will be marked by examiners

Use a clear and logical essay writing structure

Answer the question using evidence to support your claims

Build your vocabulary

Download the Workbook