Competitions · Humanities and writing · LSE Economics Essay Competition
The LSE Economics Essay Competition.
Five questions, each set by a different professor, and the awards are decided within each question - so you are competing against the people who chose the same one, not against everybody.
Read this first
This is not the LSE Economics Challenge.
The same society runs two competitions with almost the same name. They test entirely different things and run on different calendars.
This one is an essay
One essay of up to 1,500 words, answering one of five questions set by professors. Submitted online, judged on the writing.
The Challenge is a multiple-choice paper
Fifty questions in ninety minutes across macroeconomics, microeconomics and quantitative foundations, sat online or at a test centre in January.
And they fall at opposite ends of the year
The essay competition closes at the start of September. The Challenge is sat in mid-January. A student can do both.
Same society, though
Both are run by the LSESU Economics Society, the largest academic society at LSE with more than 800 members and the only one officially supported by the economics department.
At a glance
What the competition is.
The essay competition is run by the LSESU Economics Society together with other leading economics organisations - in one recent year the Centre for Economic Performance, among the most established economics research institutes in the United Kingdom. Its stated aim is getting school students to think critically about social problems.
- Who can enter
- School students worldwide, with grades 9 to 12 recommended. Individual entry
- No qualifying rounds
- Choose a question, write the essay, submit it. There is no team, no preliminary and no progression
- Length
- 1,500 words maximum, excluding references
- Choice
- One of five questions set by professors. One submission only
- Originality
- Plagiarism and AI-generated content are prohibited. All essays are run through AI detection and similarity checking before judging, and a breach means disqualification
- Referencing
- Harvard style recommended
- Typography
- 11 to 12 point, Times New Roman or Arial, 1.5 line spacing, with page numbers
- File type
- Filename
- Student name in capitals, then the question number - for example PETER SMITH+QUESTION 1
- Deadline
- 1 September, 23:59 UK time. There is one deadline and no extension
- Results
- October
The five questions
Set by professors, and awarded per question.
The structure matters more than the topics, because it changes the field you are actually competing in.
Each question has its own setter
Five questions, each written by a different academic, spanning the areas that economics faculty are currently arguing about - recent papers have included the labour-market consequences of artificial intelligence and how to limit inequality in pay and hours.
And its own podium
Awards are decided within each question. The top three essays on your question are recognised, and the best one takes that question’s top award.
Which is worth thinking about strategically
The most obviously appealing question attracts the most entries. A question that genuinely interests the student, in a smaller field, is often the better choice.
You may only submit once
One essay, one question. There is no entering two questions to improve the odds.
The awards
Three named tiers, with a certificate signed at each level.
The certificates are the point here as much as the money - each tier carries a different signature.
| Award | Who gets it | What it carries |
|---|---|---|
| High Distinction | The top 5 to 10% overall | A certificate signed by the president of the LSESU Economics Society, and eligibility for an official Cambridge economics programme for strong performers |
| Prompt Podium | The top three essays on each question | A certificate co-signed by the society president and the professor who set that question |
| Prompt Winner | The best essay on each question | The certificate above, plus prize money |
Prize amounts of £50 and £100 appear in the published award list, along with a certificate co-signed by the society president and the head of the LSE economics department. The amounts do not align cleanly with the three named tiers in the material we have, so confirm with the organiser which award carries which sum.
The originality rule
The strictest AI policy of the four.
Three of the four economics essay competitions here address AI. This one screens for it, and the consequence is immediate.
AI-generated content is prohibited outright
Not declared - prohibited. This differs from the Marshall Society, which permits assistance provided it is declared.
Every essay is screened before judging
The committee runs AI detection and similarity checking across all submissions before any judging takes place.
And a breach ends the entry
Any essay found in breach is disqualified from consideration. There is no partial penalty.
Cite properly, and think for yourself
The organisers frame this positively: they want independent thinking and the student’s own view, with correct citation of anything borrowed.
Preparation
How Hanlin prepares an LSE essay entry.
Fifteen hundred words, one question, one deadline. There is nothing to manage except the writing.
Choosing the question deliberately
Five questions, awards within each. Reading all five and picking the one where the student has a real view - rather than the one that sounds most impressive - is worth more than a week of drafting.
Writing to 1,500 words with references outside
References do not count, so cite generously. The 1,500 words are for argument.
Following the format exactly
PDF, 11 to 12 point, Times New Roman or Arial, 1.5 spacing, page numbers, Harvard referencing, and the filename in the specified form. None of this is difficult and all of it is checkable.
And finishing well before 1 September
A single deadline with no extension, at the end of the summer holiday. Essays written in the last week of August are written at the worst possible time.
Why Hanlin
Preparation for LSE Economics Essay Competition at Hanlin is taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
Programme formats
Five ways this is taught.
Group size is the whole difference between these. It decides how much of the tutor's attention a student gets and how far the course can bend to them, so it is worth choosing rather than accepting.
| Format | Group size | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| One-to-one | One student | Content, pace and emphasis set by what this student actually needs rather than by a syllabus. The only format that can be rebuilt mid-course. |
| Small group | Three to eight | Opens at three. Frequent discussion, and the tutor can slow down or move on according to what the group has absorbed. Most students chasing a higher award are taught in this one. |
| Class | Eight to twelve | Taught by the subject lead or a medal coach. Less back-and-forth, so it suits a student who will say when something is unclear. |
| Large class | Ten to twenty | For students in the middle of the placement range, and a way to try a competition before committing. Students often move to a small group or to one-to-one afterwards. |
| Past-paper class | No cap | Past papers worked through in sequence in the weeks before the sitting. Free to students already enrolled. |
Course length for LSE Economics Essay Competition is set after a placement paper. The gap between where a student is and what the paper asks for is what the course has to close, and that gap is not the same for two students in the same year group.
How it runs
Six steps, four people on your side.
The same process for every student, so that nothing depends on one tutor remembering to do it.
Step 1Pre-course assessment
A placement paper before anything is booked, so the course tier is chosen on evidence rather than on a year group.
Step 2Tutor matching
A subject tutor is matched to the result, and their full background is provided before you agree to it.
Step 3Plan and group
A study group opens with four people on one student: the tutor, a planner, a supervisor and an academic manager.
Step 4Scheduled teaching
The teaching office sets the timetable around the competition date and school term, and teaching begins.
Step 5After-class reports
What was covered, and how the student handled it, reported after every lesson.
Step 6Homework follow-up
The teaching assistant and the form teacher both check that homework is done, which is where most preparation quietly fails.
Free resource pack
Past questions and writing pack
The same material our own LSE Economics Essay Competition students work from. Scan the code, say what you need, and an advisor sends it.
Tell an advisor which competition and year group, and the material comes back the same day. Free, and you do not have to enrol in anything. If we do not already hold what you need, we will go and find it.
- PDFEvery past question the competition has set
- PDFShortlisted and published essays, to calibrate the standard
- PDFStructure, referencing and word-count guide
- PDFEntry checklist and the dates for the current cycle
Teaching team
Who would teach it.
Three of the twenty-two tutors on the published Hanlin roster - the ones whose subject this is.
Zhang
Master's in engineering management from NYU and a double degree in finance and supply-chain management from Syracuse. Nearly nine years overseas and in finance, including at a well-known venture firm - experience that feeds scenario-based teaching. College Board-accredited.
Bai
Master's in social entrepreneurship from Hult International Business School in San Francisco and a business administration degree from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, with an exchange at Texas A&M's Mays Business School. Accredited by the College Board, Cambridge International and the IBO, a certified intermediate economist, and a judge at the 2020 Diamond Challenge global final and the 2021 NEC China final.
Jiang
Master's in business analytics from the Schulich School of Business, a finance and business economics degree from York University and a software engineering degree from the Harbin Institute of Technology. Years in North America, university teaching before returning, and long experience across the whole economics curriculum.
Where it is taught
Hanlin learning centres.
Teaching runs from Hanlin's own centres in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hangzhou, and online for students elsewhere.
Talk to an advisor
Everything Hanlin does for LSE Economics Essay Competition, in one conversation.
Entry, planning, coaching and the past papers. An advisor will tell you which of these a student actually needs, including when the answer is none of them.
Competition entry and planning
Which competitions suit this student, in what order, and by when - then we handle the registration, including the ones that can only be entered through a school or a centre.
Competition coaching
Taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
International curriculum tutoring
IB, AP, A-Level, IGCSE and the US high school curriculum, taught alongside school and timed around the exam calendar.
Competition past papers, free
A large library of past papers, mark schemes and syllabus breakdowns across every competition on this site. No charge and no enrolment.
Scan to add an advisor
Say which competition or course you are asking about. Replies in Chinese or English.
Or call +86 21 6352 6630FAQ
The LSE essay competition, briefly answered.
What students and families ask before entering.
Is this the same as the LSE Economics Challenge?
No. The Challenge is a fifty-question multiple-choice paper sat in January. This is an essay competition closing at the start of September. Both are run by the LSESU Economics Society.
Who can enter?
School students worldwide, with grades 9 to 12 recommended. Entry is individual, with no teams and no qualifying rounds.
How long can the essay be?
1,500 words maximum, excluding references.
How many questions do I answer?
One, chosen from five set by professors. Only one submission is permitted.
Can I use AI?
No. AI-generated content and plagiarism are both prohibited. Every essay is run through AI detection and similarity checking before judging, and a breach means disqualification.
What format is required?
A PDF in 11 to 12 point Times New Roman or Arial, 1.5 line spacing, with page numbers and Harvard referencing. The file must be named with the student’s name in capitals followed by the question number.
What if I miss the deadline?
There is a single deadline of 1 September at 23:59 UK time, and late submissions are not accepted.
What awards are given?
High Distinction for the top 5 to 10%, carrying a certificate signed by the society president and eligibility for a Cambridge economics programme; Prompt Podium for the top three on each question, with a certificate co-signed by the setting professor; and Prompt Winner for the best essay on each question, which also carries prize money.
When are results announced?
In October.
Who sets the questions?
Professors, with each of the five questions set by a different academic. The competition is run with other leading economics organisations - in one recent year the Centre for Economic Performance.
Related
The other economics competitions.
Including the one with almost the same name.
LSE essay enquiries
Five questions, and you compete against the people who chose yours.
Awards are decided within each question, so which of the five a student picks changes the field as much as the subject. Tell us what interests them and an advisor will help choose the question and plan the essay before September.