Upper Fourth Kathleen Wilkes Essay Competition
17 April 2024 - Academic
This year saw the third running of the annual UIV Kathleen Wilkes Essay Competition, which was named after notable philosopher, educationalist and Wycombe Abbey Senior Kathleen Wilkes (C102, Pitt, 1963). This year saw a record number of entries, with 42 pupils submitting essays of up to 1500 words based on one of six questions posed:
- What will be the greatest invention in the next 100 years?
- What has been the most significant historical event of the 21st century?
- What is the point of education?
- Is AI going to be our saviour or a threat to humanity?
- ‘The creation of music is a scientific process’. Discuss.
- Should students be allowed to go on strike for action against Climate Change?
We were delighted to gain the services of Wycombe Abbey Senior Sophie Lucas (C252, Rubens, 2007), a leading Fine Art Consultant and Oxford Graduate, to judge the competition. She said, ‘I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this collection of thought-provoking essays and was very impressed by the girls’ skilful approach to such weighty topics. They explored subjects, such as AI, social media, education and COVID-19, with rigour, nuance and creativity.’
Special mentions went to Kaitlyn for her particularly lively turn of phrase in her essay questioning the point of education and Michelle for her imaginative approach when grappling with the abstract concepts of music and science.
An honourable mention went to Natalie for her persuasive approach to positioning 3D bioprinting as the greatest invention of the next 100 years. With a strong opening paragraph highlighting humans’ ‘selfish’ nature, she then explored the categories of safety, ethics, and affordability to form a well-reasoned argument.
The runner-up was Cynthia for her thoughtful discussion of whether students should be allowed to strike for action against climate change. The essay was well-written, with a clear structure and a good use of relevant case studies.
The winner was Christabel for her essay debating whether AI will be a saviour or a threat to humanity. Sophie was impressed by her mature approach to the essay structure, clear phrasing and excellent use of academic language. She supported her exploration of this highly complicated question with thorough research and a meticulous bibliography.
Read Christabel’s winning essay
Mr Luke Wildgoose
Head of Upper School
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