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Announcing this year's Essay Competition

09 February 2018

Edgbaston High School provides a wide range of opportunities for stretch and challenge with the aim of encouraging girls to further their learning in class, as well as to improve their knowledge beyond the standard curriculum.

All students in Senior School are invited to take part in our annual Essay Competition. This year’s competition takes the theme of the forthcoming Language and Literature Day which will be held on Wednesday 14 February. Applicants are asked to consider one question from their relevant Key Stage:

Key Stage 3

The role of reading in my life.
A book that has affected the way I see the world.
Every year new words are added to the dictionary. Where do these new words come from?
Learning a language helps you to become more understanding of other cultures. Discuss
What are the benefits of learning another language?
According to the CBI, almost two-thirds of businesses in the U.K. complain of a lack of foreign language skills. How can we improve language learning in the U.K.?
How does learning another language impact on our understanding of the world?

Key Stage 4

Books can change the world. Discuss.
Does language shape society or is it the other way around?
Every year new words are added to the dictionary. Where do these new words come from?
Learning a language helps you to become more understanding of other cultures. Discuss
What are the benefits of learning another language?
According to the CBI, almost two-thirds of businesses in the U.K. complain of a lack of foreign language skills. How can we improve language learning in the U.K.?
How does learning another language impact on our understanding of the world?

Key Stage 5

'But that's not what I meant!' Does authorial intention really matter to modern readers of literature?
'We accept change in every aspect of human experience; why should language escape this universal law?' Ferdinand de Saussure. Should we resist changes in the English language, or are they inevitable?
'As our attitudes to gender and power change, we must create new ways to communicate.' Discuss.
Compare the presentation of women in three media sources of your choice.
The British are a nation of monoglots. Discuss.
Britain lags behind many other countries in foreign language learning. Discuss the reasons for this.

Conditions of entry:

All essay submissions must be typed.
Max. of 1500 words.
All submissions must be received by Friday 20 April.
Please submit entries electronically to Mrs Rees (reess@edgbastonhigh.co.uk).
Prizes will be awarded to the winner and runner up in each age category.

We look forward to reading the essays!

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