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2 September 2013

A-level essay competition: Has Britain robbed its children?

The New Statesman and Intergenerational Foundation are launching an essay competition.

By New Statesman

If you’re studying for A Levels and think you can answer our essay question “Has Britain robbed its children?”, enter our competition by 1 October 2013 and you could have your essay published online by the New Statesman and Intergenerational Foundation and win £250 of book vouchers for your school library. Get your skates on though, as short-listed and winning essays will be announced in time for university entry interview dates.

Today more than 1 million young people are not in education, employment or training. Those that do go on to higher education will be paying more fees than any previous generation, leaving university with average debts of more than £40,000 each. How times have changed – not so long ago the government of the day paid students to go to university!

Affordable housing, access to education and fairly paid jobs are considered the basics of a well-balanced society, so why are our young people facing such huge barriers to achieving any of these? Have politicians on all sides of the political divide let down the younger generation? Have we as a society become addicted to short-term gain over long-term sustainability? Can the welfare state afford the costs of an ageing population? Have we overspent as a nation? Are voters to blame? Or are the poor prospects for young people due to a combination of all these factors? The Intergenerational Foundation seeks to restore the fairness between generations that has been lost in recent decades, and to offer policy solutions to make this happen.

The Brief

Write a 1,000-1,500 word essay answering the question “Has Britain Robbed Its Youth?” Go here for details on how to enter. Terms and conditions apply. You are encouraged to focus on one of the themes outlined in the fact sheets compiled by IF for the competition, which can be found here.

Good Luck!

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THANK YOU

To enter send your essay to essaycomp@if.org.uk by midnight 1 October 2013.

You will need to head your entry with:

  • Your full name
  • Date of birth
  • School/College attended
  • Student email address
  • Form Tutor’s name
  • Form Tutor’s email address
  • School/college name
  • School/college postal address (including road, town and county)
  • Postcode
  • Essay title
  • Word count

Don’t forget to:

  • Number your pages
  • Type your essay
  • Format with double-line spacing
  • Provide references as specified in the terms and conditions
  • Save a copy for your records

An automatic email confirmation will be sent. Terms and Conditions apply.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU