Essay Competition Pack 2027
Preparation for the John Locke Global Essay Prize, the RES Young Economist of the Year and the Marshall Society Essay Competition, built to stay inside each competition’s rules on outside help.
- Designed by a Cambridge economist
- A guide to each competition
- Updated as the 2027 questions are published
Dates to know (2027 questions not yet published; based on 2026)
- John Locke Global Essay PrizeQuestions early February; register by end of March; essays due end of MayFirst
- RES Young Economist of the YearOpens late March; closes end of JuneSpring
- Marshall Society Essay CompetitionOpens in the summer; closes end of AugustSummer
Choose the right question
Most entries fall down before a word is written, on the wrong question or no clear answer. A question-choice framework, with ten practice questions to rehearse on.
Plan an argument
Worked planning examples in the style of each competition, written on our own practice questions, so the student sees how a strong answer is built.
Judge their own draft
A structured self-review in five passes, with a scoring screen built on each competition’s published criteria, plus a reviewer sheet a teacher can use where the rules allow it.
The rules come first
Each competition judges the essay as the student’s own work, and the John Locke Institute and the Marshall Society say they check for plagiarism and AI. So we never read, edit or comment on the essay, and no AI touches it. Everything in the pack is preparation; the essay is theirs. Worked examples use our own practice questions, never the competitions’ questions, and past winning essays are never reproduced.
Why it helps an application
A strong entry gives an economics applicant something few others have: a finished, argued piece of their own thinking to write about in the personal statement and to talk about at interview.
Choose your preparation
For students in Year 12, the Year 12 Early Starter includes this pack, plus reading, TMUA and interview foundations.
Essay Competition Pack 2027
John Locke, RES Young Economist and Marshall Society.
- A guide to each competition: eligibility, dates, word limits, referencing and what judges reward
- The rules on help, competition by competition
- A question-choice framework and ten practice questions
- Worked planning examples
- A structured self-review and a reviewer sheet
- Updates as the 2027 questions are published
Year 12 Early Starter
The full Year 12 preparation, with this pack included.
- Everything in the Essay Competition Pack
- Guided reading path with a reading log
- TMUA foundations: 57 questions
- Interview foundations: 40 questions
One payment; nothing renews. The pack opens straight after payment, on the student’s own account. If the student is under 18, a parent or guardian should make the purchase. Already bought? Sign in.
Who we are. Econ Coaching was founded by a first-class Cambridge Economics graduate who sat the Cambridge Economics interview and has prepared applicants for six years. About us
Questions
Who is it for?
Students preparing for any of the three competitions. The John Locke prize is open worldwide to under-19s; the RES competition is for students in the UK in Years 10 to 13 (or the Scottish and Northern Irish equivalents); the Marshall Society competition is open to anyone who has not started a degree.
Does the student need to study A-level Economics?
No. The guides explain the economics they need, and the RES competition does not require it.
Will you check the essay?
No, by design. The competitions require the essay to be the student’s own work. The pack gives them a structured way to review their own draft, and a sheet a teacher can use where the rules allow.
Can they use AI?
We advise against it for all three. RES bans it; the Marshall Society requires any use to be declared and checks for it; the John Locke Institute allows limited use but warns it can only count against an entry.
What happens when the 2027 questions come out?
Each competition’s 2027 questions and any rule changes are added to the pack as they are published.
Who buys it?
Parents and guardians usually buy it for the student, who uses it on their own account. If the student is under 18, a parent or guardian should make the purchase.
Applying this year? See interview preparation and TMUA and TARA preparation.