We’re delighted to announce the winners of the latest set of Pre-GCSE Inspire competitions for 2021! In Class 6, Books, Literature & Leisure, we looked again at evolution through a cultural lens, exploring how books and novels have evolved through different formats, styles and practices that reflect the societies producing them. We then turned to the topic of leisure and free time, looking at how these have evolved in society over time.
There were two competitions for this class. For the first competition, we looked at the oldest book in the St John’s College library collection, dating back to the 9th century, and our Year 10s were asked to try to decipher the calligraphy used by the medieval scribes. Prizes were awarded not solely for accuracy, but for some of the interesting observations that you made about the text. The second competition focused on the concept of the ‘digital economy’, and the way that it affects young people’s lives today. We received some really fascinating and insightful entries to this question, with some of our winning entries exploring not only the positives but also the downsides of the digital economy in the world today.
Remember, submissions are still open for the next set of competitions from Class 7 – the deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 24th February, so you have plenty of time to work on your entries over the half-term holiday, and be in with a chance of winning an Amazon voucher!
Congratulations to the winners of Class 6 competitions:
- Aisha
- Basmala
- Jenisha
- Thomas
Each of you have won an Amazon voucher. This will be sent to the email address you provided in your competition cover sheet; please get in touch with us at inspire@sjc.ox.ac.uk if you haven’t received yours by the end of the week.
Competition 11: Carolingian Minuscule
St Johns’ oldest book is this late 9th-century Brittany Gospel, written in a style of handwriting (script) called “Carolingian minuscule”. This most important of all scripts was created during the educational reform initiated by Emperor Charlemagne (748-814) as a uniform standard to supersede all “national” scripts. Even today’s basic letter forms (except for our round ‘s’) echo this script.
Can you identify individual letters or even entire words? Try to transcribe the selection below using today’s alphabet, and discuss anything you find interesting or noteworthy about this transcription.
Can you identify individual letters or even entire words? Try to transcribe the selection below using today’s alphabet, and discuss anything you find interesting or noteworthy about this transcription.
First place: Jenisha, Ealing
Second place: Thomas, Ealing
Finalists:
- Adchaya, Ealing
- Lucas, Ealing
Competition 12: Leisure and technological change
What are the various ways in which the digital economy affects your life? How would you assess the overall impact of the digital economy on your schoolwork? Write a 300-word essay in which you consider these questions.
First place: Aisha, Ealing
Second place: Basmala, Ealing
Finalists:
- Harkiran, Ealing
- Ahmad, Ealing
- Raya, Ealing