Good writing is the ultimate form of achieving perfection in communication.  To succeed in today’s competitive world, one must be equipped with excellent spoken and written communication skills.

To encourage creativity and leadership skills through essay writing, the MDIS School of Language and Education (SLE) organised an essay competition for its Professional Certificate in English (PCIE) and immersion students on 1 July 2019.  With an intent to encourage good writing skills with an emphasis on critical thinking, creativity, language and unique personal styles, the students were tasked to work on the topic: Critical Evaluation of the Changes in the Singapore Education System.

The competition was open to all pursuing the Certificate in English (level 2), Professional Certificate in English (level 3) or Pre-degree MDIS students.  To inspire writers to exhibit their creative and critical thinking skills, Immersion Students from around the region were also welcomed to participate.

The minimum word count was 250 words and essays below the minimum word count were automatically disqualified.  All entries were to be written entirely in English.  The competition attracted students from other MDIS Schools, including, the MDIS School of Psychology.  All essays were to be typewritten on A4-size paper and submitted with references.

To ensure the success of the inaugural essay competition, all SLE lecturers were assigned to register a minimum of five (5) students from each of their classes.  Lecturers also went the extra mile in guiding and mentoring their students with their essays during their break time.

Six finalists were shortlisted from 30 submissions received, and they were notified to deliver a presentation of their essays, on 19 July 2019 using power point slides.  Cash prizes and certificates were awarded to all six finalists of the competition. A certificate of participation was also presented to all participants.  Overall, the competition encouraged students to give off their best, and it is hoped that the competition had aroused the interest of students to read and be more engaged in academic writing.