Essay-writing guide

The judges of the Sir Martin Gilbert History Prize competition will use the following criteria when assessing your entry:

Clarity of structure and organisation

Writing style, clarity and concision

Strength and persuasiveness of argument

Use of primary and secondary source material

Evidence of independent thought and intellectual curiosity

This essay-writing guide will go through each of the above in turn, to explain what is meant.

Clarity of structure and organisation

It can be difficult to know how to structure your essay. One way to start is to do a spider diagram of all the points you want to make. Then take a step back and try and work out what order would be the most logical to bring the reader along with you. Assign each point a number and then play about with thinking about the order. Once you have worked out the best order, your essay will flow and the writing should come more easily. This approach can really help your essay feel more organised and structured.

Writing style, clarity and concision

The word limit for this essay is 2,000 words, so you will have to ensure you are concise and to the point. We would rather see a few points made well and clearly, than lots of half-formed, poorly-explained ideas.

Set the tone of your essay from the very first sentence and make sure you finish strongly. Introductions and conclusions are arguably the most important parts of an essay, as they are the reader’s first encounter with your argument and the last thing they will read. As a result, they can also be the hardest bits, so it is worth spending extra time to ensure they are clear, effective and convincing. Often your argument will evolve as you write your essay, so you may find it easier to leave the introduction and conclusion until you have finished writing the body of your essay.

Strength and persuasiveness of argument

What is the overarching argument you would like to make in your essay? What individual points will you use to develop that argument and how are you supporting your claims? Make sure that you have a clear line of argument, then use evidence to back it up. Explain how your evidence supports your argument and help persuade the judges to see things from your perspective. We don’t need to agree with everything you say, but it does need to be compelling and stand up to scrutiny. The key to this is evidence, or sources.

Use of primary and secondary source material

We have provided a source pack to give you a bit of a head start, but you are welcome to use sources that you find independently. Archives and libraries are a great place to start if you would like to do some hunting. What we would like to see is that you understand the sources you are using – that you use them in the right context to support your stance. Explain how the source furthers your argument and spend a sentence or two to engage with and unpick the source. Secondary source material is also very helpful, though similarly we don’t want you to just drop in names or pepper your essay with quotes unless they add something to your argument and you engage with what others have said. You do not have to agree with secondary sources, but make it clear why you do or don’t!

Evidence of independent thought and intellectual curiosity

Hopefully our essay question has got you thinking and reading. We would love you to showcase the research you have done to prepare for this competition, but don’t be afraid to show us your own thoughts and ideas. We want to hear what you think, and we want to see you engaging critically with the question and with sources. The criteria we will be using to judge your essay are what mark out the very best historians – the people who bring something interesting and grounded and insightful to the table. Show us what you can do!

And finally… Relax and do your best! If you are struggling to get started, why not treat this like an exam question and set aside a couple of hours to write it. You can always revisit your essay later and see if it needs any improvements. Always remember to read through your essay at least once, ideally with fresh eyes a day or more after you finish writing it. Simple errors and typos can distract your reader – make sure you smooth the way so that they can focus on your excellent ideas.