The Writing Resource Library
The planning sheets, citation references, and research directories we use with our own competition students — for the John Locke Essay Prize, the Harvard International Review contest, The Concord Review, and the LSESU Economics Essay Competition. Every resource is free, on the page, and printable.
Planners & templates
Fill-in planning sheets we use with our own students. Each one is built for a specific competition — print it, plan on paper, then draft.
John Locke
John Locke Planner
PrintableA printable planning sheet for the John Locke Global Essay Prize: question deconstruction, a layered argument map, a 2,000-word budget, and a self-audit against the judging criteria.
Open and printHarvard International Review
HIR Blueprint
PrintableA printable worksheet for the Harvard International Review contest: word budgets for an 800–1,200-word article, a lede workshop, an AP style quick reference, and a Defense Day prep sheet.
Open and printThe Concord Review
Concord Prospectus
PrintableA printable one-page research prospectus for The Concord Review — topic, question, sources, and feasibility — plus a 12-month milestone planner mapped to the quarterly deadlines.
Open and printLSESU Economics
LSESU Planner
PrintableA printable planning sheet for the LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition: a 1,500-word structure mapped to the official judging rubric, plus formatting and Harvard referencing rules.
Open and printCheat sheets & references
Compact references for the mechanical parts of competition writing — the things you look up mid-draft.
Directories & guides
Curated directories and longer guides for research-heavy work: where to find sources and how to read them well.
The Concord Review
Archives Directory
An annotated directory of free digitised archives for historical research — what each collection holds, what it is best for, and how to search it well.
Open the resourceGeneral
Knowledge Pool Guide
A guide for students and parents on systematic knowledge acquisition: critical reading, source assessment, and reading routines that feed essays and interviews.
Open the resourceGo Deeper
Deep-dive guides
These templates work best alongside our long-form competition guides — each one explains the judging, the timelines, and the standards behind the worksheets.
Want the coaching behind the templates?
93% of our students were shortlisted for the 2026 John Locke Essay Prize. The Writing Scholars Program pairs these materials with small-group teaching and one-on-one supervision.