John Locke Essay Competition · 2026 questions
John Locke Philosophy Essay Questions
Philosophy is the most entered category and the one where a well-read student is most easily out-argued by a clearer one. The judges are academics; they are not impressed by a survey of five thinkers. They want one position, defended against its best objection, in plain English.
The 2026 questions below are the official set. The 2027 questions are expected in late January 2027 and this page will carry them within 48 hours of release.
The 2026 Philosophy questions, one by one
Quoted verbatim from the John Locke Institute. For each: what the examiners are testing, where strong students lose marks, the argument lines that hold up over 2,000 words, and what to read before you write.
What it is really asking
Whether the moral worth of an act lives in the act, the motive, or the agent. It is a Kant-versus-consequences question wearing plain clothes.
The trap
Answering "sometimes" without saying what makes the difference. The examiners want a criterion, not a shrug.
Lines of argument that can carry 2,000 words
- Kant: an act has moral worth only when done from duty, so the right act from a bad motive is not wrong but is worthless. Then test that against a doctor who saves lives for money.
- Consequentialist: only outcomes matter, so motives are irrelevant to rightness but relevant to praise. Separate the two questions and the essay writes itself.
- Virtue ethics: the wrong reasons reveal a character that will get the next case wrong. Rightness is retrospective; character is predictive.
Read first
- Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant (Section I, the shopkeeper and the sympathetic person)
- Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill (Chapter 2 on motive and the morality of the action)
- Modern Moral Philosophy, G. E. M. Anscombe (the 1958 essay that revived virtue ethics)
What the judges reward in Philosophy
The official criteria are knowledge and understanding, competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. In this category that means:
- 1A thesis in the first paragraph that a reader could disagree with.
- 2One serious objection, stated in its strongest form, and answered rather than acknowledged.
- 3Thought experiments used to test a claim, not to decorate it.
- 4Primary texts cited from the text itself, with page or section references, rather than from summaries.
No published winning essay yet
Philosophy was introduced in 2026, so the Institute has not yet published a winning essay in this category. The closest models are the published Economics, Politics-adjacent and Philosophy winners, which we take apart paragraph by paragraph in our guide to the published essays.
Past winning essays, analysedHow to prepare for the 2027 Philosophy questions before they are released
- 1
Choose the question whose best objection you can already state. That is the one you can defend.
- 2
Read two primary texts fully before reading any commentary; the judges can tell.
- 3
Draft the objection paragraph first. If it is weak, your thesis is too safe.
- 4
Cut every sentence that explains what a philosopher "believed" without using it.
John Locke Essay Competition prep for Philosophy
John Locke Basics
12 group sessions plus 6 hours of 1-on-1 mentorship, from question choice to a submission-ready draft. 38 of our 41 students were shortlisted in 2026.
Questions about the Philosophy category
No. Most Philosophy entrants have never taken a philosophy class; the category tests argument, not coursework. What matters is reading two or three primary texts closely, choosing a defensible position, and answering the strongest objection to it. Our John Locke Basics course teaches that method in twelve group sessions and then works on your draft one to one.
The other nine categories
John Locke guides
The complete guide
Eligibility, rules, dates, judging and prizes in one place.
John Locke Essay Competition prep
All four programmes, compared, with the 2026 results and the 2027 timeline.
Deadline and timeline 2027
Every date, confirmed or expected, on one page.
The interview after shortlisting
What the Institute says, what students report, how to prepare.
Past winning essays, analysed
The seven published prize essays, paragraph by paragraph.
Is it prestigious, and worth entering?
What a shortlist, commendation or prize is worth in admissions.
Free essay planner
Question deconstruction, argument map and self-audit sheet.
2027 dates and changes tracker
What is confirmed, what is expected, and every 2026 rule change.
The competition from Dubai and the UAE
How the calendar sits against UAE school terms and exam seasons.