LNAT Essay Questions: Structure, Practice Questions and a Model Answer

LNAT essay questions ask for an argued answer to a broad question about society, politics, ethics, education or law, written in 40 minutes from a choice of three. The LNAT recommends a maximum of 750 words and says its ideal essay is 500 to 600 words long. The essay does not count towards the LNAT score, and the universities that receive it decide how to use it, so its value lies in what it shows admissions tutors about how a candidate argues. Below are what the LNAT says it looks for, a structure that works in 40 minutes, ten original practice questions and an original model essay with commentary.

What the LNAT essay section involves

Section B comes after the multiple-choice section, and candidates cannot return to the multiple-choice questions once they reach it. The essay is typed into the test software, and each university that the candidate applies to receives the essay along with the Section A score.

Oxford, for example, gives the essay a mark of its own and uses it in shortlisting for interview, as the LNAT scores page explains.

What the LNAT says it looks for

The LNAT's hints and tips set out a clear view of a good essay:

• A defended position. The LNAT says it is interested in whether a candidate can defend a position, which need not be their own, and it warns against sitting on the fence.
• Stated assumptions. Data is not needed, and an argument built on assumptions can be as good as one built on facts, provided the assumptions are stated.
• Economy of expression. An essay much shorter than 500 words is too short to evaluate properly, and a very long one is also at a disadvantage.
• Plain style. The LNAT advises against fancy words and an elaborate style.

The test format page adds that the essay should show the ability "to argue economically and to come to a conclusion".

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A structure that works in 40 minutes

A clear plan is worth the time it takes. The split below leaves enough time to write about 550 words at a steady pace and to read the essay through before the end.

The introduction should answer the question in its first two or three sentences. Each body paragraph should open with the point it makes, and the strongest objection deserves a real answer, since dealing with it well is often what separates a strong essay from a competent one. The conclusion restates the position in light of the argument and adds nothing new.

Ten original LNAT-style essay questions

The questions below were written for this guide in the style of the LNAT and cover the range of subjects the test draws on. The LNAT publishes its own sample essay questions, three with sample answers, and its practice tests include more.

1. Should a person be punished for a crime they tried to commit but failed to complete?
2. "Children should be taught to question authority." Do you agree?
3. Should there be any limits on what comedians can joke about?
4. Is it ever right for a government to break an election promise?
5. Should parents be held legally responsible for the behaviour of their teenage children?
6. "A city's richest residents should pay to use its roads at busy times." Discuss.
7. Should exams be replaced by teacher assessment?
8. Is a long prison sentence ever the best response to a serious crime?
9. Should social media companies be treated as publishers of what their users post?
10. "Every adult should spend a year in national service." Make the best case you can for or against this proposal.

Practising with unfamiliar questions is useful in itself. A student who can plan a clear answer on a subject they have never thought about is well prepared for the test, since the three questions on the day are unknown in advance.

An original model answer

The essay below answers the first question in about 500 words, within the LNAT's ideal range.

Should a person be punished for a crime they tried to commit but failed to complete?

"

A person who tries to commit a crime and fails has, in one sense, done no harm. The intended victim is unhurt and the property is still in its owner's hands. It might seem to follow that there is nothing to punish. I will argue that this is mistaken, and that a failed attempt should be punished, although usually with a lighter sentence than the completed crime.
I will assume that punishment has three main purposes: to express society's condemnation of wrongdoing, to protect the public from people who are dangerous, and to deter others. On each of these, the failed attempt deserves a response.
First, condemnation. What we blame people for is what they chose to do. Two people who each fire a gun at a stranger have made the same choice, and if one misses because the target stumbles, the difference in outcome is down to luck. It would be odd to say that the first person is a murderer and the second is blameless, when the only thing separating them is something neither controlled.
Second, protection. A person who has tried and failed to commit a serious crime has shown that they are willing to do it. If the law can do nothing until a second, successful attempt, the public is left at risk from someone who has already shown what they intend.
Third, deterrence. If failure carried no penalty, a would-be criminal would lose nothing by trying. Punishing attempts gives everyone a reason not to begin.
The strongest objection is that punishing attempts means punishing people for their thoughts. Intentions are hard to prove, and a law that punishes what people meant to do risks convicting those who only talked or fantasised about crime. This objection has real force, and it shows where the line should be drawn. The law should punish an attempt only when the person has gone beyond planning and taken real steps towards the crime, such as buying a weapon and travelling to the victim's house. At that point the intention is shown by conduct that others can observe, and the risk of punishing mere thoughts falls away.
A second objection is that, if luck is irrelevant to blame, the failed attempt should receive the same sentence as the completed crime. There is some logic in this, and yet the harm actually caused still matters. Victims and their families suffer from completed crimes in a way that a failed attempt does not cause, and a justice system that ignored this would lose public confidence. A lower maximum sentence for attempts reflects the harm that did not happen while still marking the wrong that was done.
A person who tries and fails to commit a crime has made the same choice as one who succeeds, is just as dangerous and needs to be deterred. Provided the law requires real steps towards the crime, punishing attempts does not punish thought, and a lower sentence than for the completed offence fairly reflects the harm that luck prevented.

Commentary. The opening paragraph states the position in its last sentence. The second paragraph states an assumption, as the LNAT recommends, and uses it to organise the essay. Each body paragraph makes one point, and the essay gives two full paragraphs to objections, using the first to refine the position and the second to defend the claim about sentencing. The conclusion restates the argument without adding to it.

Common mistakes in LNAT essays

• Listing both sides without a judgement. The LNAT counts this as fence-sitting. Concluding that each side is right on a different point is acceptable, provided the essay says which point.
• Writing too much. Essays well beyond 600 words usually lose focus, and the LNAT says a very long essay is at a disadvantage.
• Relying on facts that may be wrong. A stated assumption is safer than an uncertain statistic.
• Answering a different question. Questions are often narrower than they first appear, so the plan should check that every paragraph answers the question as set.

Related guides

• LNAT guide: format, scoring and which universities require it
• LNAT practice tests
• LNAT scores
• How to prepare for the LNAT
• Oxford law entry requirements, LNAT and interviews
• Applying for law at Cambridge
• Super-curricular activities for law

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