Summer Writing Challenge 2026

If you are one of my current or former students, you will be aware of the importance I attach to good writing. Clarity, precision, coherence, and above all else, style, are the elements which lift prose from being a collection of words, to becoming a convincing argument. The world in which we live is removing many opportunities for us to practice, develop and refine this skill. Artificial Intelligence in the form of ChatGPT and the like is doing the thinking for us, meaning that we may reach a destination but we don’t know how we got there. It is not dissimilar to taking a taxi around London: useful when you need to be somewhere fast, but rather defeating the point if you're supposed to be running the marathon.

Writing is not simply the finished product, and often the drafting, planning, and researching is more important than the final article. This is where your brain is working out what you think, why you think it, where the problems are in your ideas and how to overcome them. Of course excellent writing also gives the writer an advantage beyond the benefits of the process: a clear argument is more convincing, precise language gives objectors nowhere to go. These skills are likely to become rarer as more and more people outsource their writing to technology, which means those who retain them will be more in demand.

But we are swimming against the tide. There are fewer and fewer opportunities to write in schools, there are increasing demands that writing be made “easier” rather than helping students to do the hard work. This means serious students, students who are ambitious about their academic progress, need to take matters into their own hands. This is where my Summer Writing Challenge comes in.

The Summer Writing Challenge is an opportunity for any students to write thoughtfully and at length about a topic that interests them. Although I have specified five essay titles, students are welcome to submit their own if they prefer. The challenge is to produce an excellent, structured, thoughtful, well-researched essay of around 1500-4000 words. However, process is, as we have already acknowledged, as important as the final outcome and thus students are encouraged to do the following:

1.      Write by hand first responses to the question. This should be paragraphed but is not supposed to be a finished piece of writing. It will include questions raised, or information required. Writing by hand is vital: it avoids the temptation of the internet for ideas and for writing style. It also gives your brain the opportunity to really think deeply about the topic in a way that can’t be replicated with type. You will probably only write around 500 words for this.

2.      Plan your structure: ensure you have a clear thesis statement to start, then a collection of clearly identifiable points which carry your essay to a conclusion.

3.      Research. Start with physical books if at all possible but if you are going to use the internet, think carefully about what you are looking up. Avoid AI – instead, if you are looking for basic information on a concept or a person, use websites such as Britannica. Make a note of every source you use.

4.      Write your essay. You can type it if you wish but you must submit your notes and plan along side it (these can be photos). You will receive an acknowledgement within 24hrs and feedback within 7 days.

Every student who completes an essay will be invited to join an online forum to discuss their ideas with other students. This is not compulsory but is encouraged as it will allow students to get used to defending and refining their ideas under scrutiny.

This is, importantly, a completely free challenge. Anyone is welcome to submit an essay and will receive feedback and an invitation to a discussion forum. To find out more and to register, go to the Beyond Exams which has all the details of how to register and submit your work.

If you are interested, but not sure where to start, drop me an email at nicola@englishandhistorytutor.com and I will give you some tips.

Happy Writing!