An exciting opportunity to win a share of prize money totalling £550 has been launched by Ipswich School as part of Ipswich’s celebrations of the birth of Thomas Wolsey 550 years ago.
The essay competition is open to pupils in years 7 to 13 at any high school in Suffolk and North Essex, and asks entrants to write an essay inspired by Thomas Wolsey and his passion for education.
Ipswich School Headmaster Nicholas Weaver said: “Thomas Wolsey’s belief in the power of education can be found in his writing, and also in the actions he took in Ipswich, where he wanted to found a school to rival Eton College.”
He added: “We are challenging young people to consider the lessons we can learn from his rise to power, and also how the education he received enabled his advancement in society.”
This essay competition is being run by Ipswich School to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the birth of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Ipswich’s most famous son, who was a champion of education.
Wolsey was the son of a butcher, an ordinary tradesman. He rose to be the most powerful person in Henry VIII’s administration. What lessons can we learn from his astonishing rise to power and what can we learn about his own education as an enabler of his advancement? Use these themes to answer the question below.
ESSAY TITLES
For students in Years 12 or 13:
“How can academic study be better used as a gateway to social mobility and the leveling up of opportunity?” 750 word limit
For students in Years 7 – 11:
Wolsey wrote: “Pleasure should mingle with study so that the child may think learning an amusement, rather than a toil.”
Write 400 to 500 words on the following title: ‘Learning is an amusement and not a toil when…’ 500 word limit
EVALUATION CRITERIA
We will judge your essay on the strength and organisation of your arguments, and on the clarity and quality of your writing. We advise that your essay follows a standard structure: introduction, main arguments and then conclusion.
PRIZES
Years 12-13: £100 / £60 / £30 / £20
Years 7-11: £70 / £40 / £20 / £10
Plus £100 will be given to the School Library of the winning Year 12-13 and Year 7-11 entries, making £550 total prize money.
ELIGIBILITY
Any pupil in Years 7-13 in any school in Suffolk or North Essex is eligible to submit an entry.
HOW TO ENTER
All entries must be typed and be in either Microsoft Word or pdf format.
Entries should be submitted as an attachment by email to Wolsey550@ipswich.school
Please put your name and school year as the email subject title, e.g. Ellie Brown Year 8
Above the text of your essay, please include:
- Your name
- Your school
- Your school year
The deadline for entries is Monday 8 January 2024
WINNERS AND PRESENTATION
Winners will be notified by Friday 2 February 2024
The presentation of prizes will take place at Ipswich School on Sunday 2 March 2024
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Please ensure that the work is entirely your own, and that you have not used Artificial Intelligence in the construction of your essay.
By entering the competition, you agree to Ipswich School publishing your essay if it is one of the winning entries.
