How universities mark the LNAT essay (Section B guide)

Not by LNAT. LNAT says the essay "is not marked by the test centre and does not contribute to your LNAT score".

Your score out of 42 comes from Section A alone.

Instead, your essay goes unmarked to each of your universities, and each one decides what to do with it.

They fall into four groups:

1. Mark it and use the mark: Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and, according to its Freedom of Information replies, Bristol.

2. Read it without a mark: Durham, which judges every essay against six published qualities, and, according to a 2022 Freedom of Information reply, SOAS.

3. Mostly set it aside: LSE, which uses only the multiple-choice score for most applicants.

4. Say nothing either way: KCL, Glasgow, IE University, SUSS and O.P. Jindal.

You never see a mark for it either. LNAT only sends you your score out of 42, and universities keep their essay marks for their own use, though some give feedback on request.

The 750-word figure is advice. LNAT's online sample test says no marks are deducted for too many or too few words, and that the quality of your argument matters more than length.

LNAT's 2010 practice papers offer five questions. The live test, and LNAT's current online sample test, give you three.

Here is what each LNAT university says, or has released under Freedom of Information, about the essay:

If you are applying to more than one LNAT university, write for the strictest reader. One essay goes to all of them, so the version that would satisfy Oxford or UCL is the one to write.

Oxford marks the LNAT essay centrally, through its Law Faculty. Since the 2020-21 admissions round it has used comparative judgement, with software called No More Marking.

Trained markers (graduate students, stipendiary lecturers and junior research fellows) see two anonymised essays at a time and choose the better one. Each essay is judged several times, and the software turns the results into a mark.

Oxford's internal manual says markers "must" compare essays on all three of its criteria.

It released them in reply to a Freedom of Information request in 2021:

1. Application. Close attention to the question asked, and focused treatment of the issues all the way through.

2. Reasoning ability. Well-drawn distinctions, a keen eye for relevance, awareness of more than one possible line of argument, and some independent judgement.

3. Communication. Clear, fluent writing, with a structure that suits the argument.

Marks sit on Oxford's own scale, which in practice runs from about 50 to 75. They bunch tightly: for 2026 entry, all applicants averaged 62.4 and offer-holders 65.2.

For 2026 entry the essay made up 10% of the shortlisting rank for candidates with contextualised GCSEs, and half of it for those without. That is a small share, but within a score band it moved the odds a lot.

Among applicants scoring 32 or more for 2025 entry, an essay mark of 66 or above went with a 64% offer rate, against 16% for 62 or below. Our Oxford LNAT guide has the full figures.

Cambridge says the essay "will be marked centrally at Cambridge", and that it uses both sections of the LNAT to decide who to interview and who to admit.

In October 2025 Cambridge released its three essay criteria under Freedom of Information.

They closely match Oxford's:

1. Relevance. Close attention to the question, and clear identification of the issues it raises.

2. Reasoning. A strong argument that uses examples well, draws clear distinctions and shows awareness of more than one line of argument.

3. Communication. A strong structure and clear expression.

Cambridge does not state its scale, but its released data runs from 1 to 10. For the 2025 apply year, applicants averaged 5.50 and offer-holders 7.59, from Cambridge's own admissions dashboard.

UCL is the most direct of all:

"The Admissions Tutor will mark your LNAT essay", and it "carries considerable weight in the selection process".

There is a catch. UCL only marks the essay once you meet its academic requirements and have a competitive multiple-choice score, so Section A gets you to the point where the essay counts.

UCL's advice page says tutors assess the essay for four things:

1. Comprehensiveness and accuracy

2. Clarity of argument and expression

3. Integration of a range of arguments

4. Insight into the theoretical issues

In its Freedom of Information replies, UCL gives the essay a mark from 1 to 5, in half marks. Its offer-holders averaged about 3.5 each year from 2018 to 2022, and in UCL's 2020-21 data only 2 of 540 offer-holders scored 5.

Durham reads it against six qualities

Durham says both the multiple-choice score and the essay are "always considered" by its admissions selectors. It gives no mark: its Freedom of Information replies from 2019 to 2026 all say the essay is not graded.

Durham's course page lists what its selectors look for:

1. Focus on the specific question.

2. Clarity of expression and fluency of prose.

3. A logical progression and structure.

4. Reference to relevant evidence.

5. The ability to recognise and address counter-arguments.

6. A concise and effective conclusion.

The essay can also count against you. Durham lists "LNAT essay" among its reasons for unsuccessful applications, where it was "not as strong as those of successful applicants".

Bristol marks it and combines it with your score

Bristol's 2027 admissions statement says the essay is "read and assessed by University of Bristol staff". It looks for the ability to make and sustain a persuasive argument, and a strong command of language.

Bristol publishes no weights today. Its Freedom of Information replies from 2016 to 2022 describe an essay marked out of 100 and worth 40% of a combined LNAT mark, with the multiple-choice score worth 60%.

Those figures are years old, so treat them as how Bristol worked then. Its current statement says applications are primarily assessed on academic qualifications.

LSE uses only the multiple-choice score for most applicants, and says the essay "is not considered for most applicants". It reserves the right to read essays, in particular from applicants with non-traditional qualifications.

KCL does not say how it uses the essay. A 2022 Freedom of Information reply said essay scores are kept by the faculty rather than in a central database.

Glasgow says universities are "free to use the essay as they wish", but does not say what it does itself.

SOAS said in a 2022 Freedom of Information reply that an admissions tutor reads the essay without grading it. A solid essay matters most, it said, when an applicant has missed the required score by a few points.

IE University and O.P. Jindal describe only the multiple-choice score on their pages, and SUSS does not mention the essay.

Put Oxford's, Cambridge's, UCL's and Durham's criteria side by side and the same three demands come out of all of them:

LNAT's own advice points the same way.

Its hints page is blunt about four things:

1. Take a position. "Don't sit on the fence." Weigh the other side, then commit to a conclusion.

2. Your opinion is not the point. LNAT says it is "not very interested in your opinions", only in whether you can defend a position.

3. You need no special knowledge. LNAT does not care whether you have data on the topic, but you should say what your assumptions are.

4. Keep it plain. "Don't try to impress with fancy words or elaborate style."

Durham's "relevant evidence" and LNAT's point that you need no data fit together. Support each claim with a reason, an example or a stated assumption; facts help, but they are not what is marked.

This section is our advice. LNAT gives no official timings; this plan is built from the criteria above and LNAT's own hints.

LNAT points out that about 600 words take only a few minutes to type, so 40 minutes leaves plenty of time to think.

Use it:

Choosing one of the three questions

The best question to pick is the one where you can see both sides clearly, and a reason to prefer one. Knowing a lot about a topic helps less than having an argument about it.

Watch for two-part questions such as "Should private cars be rationed? If so, how?"

Both halves need an answer, or you miss part of the task.

A structure that meets every criterion

1. Opening: answer the question in a sentence or two, and say what key word or assumption your answer depends on.

2. Two or three reasons: one paragraph each, with a reason, an example or a stated assumption behind every claim.

3. The best objection: put the strongest case against you fairly, then explain why it does not change your answer, or how it limits it.

4. Conclusion: restate your answer in the light of the argument. Add nothing new.

To practice, LNAT's sample essays page has nine official questions and three model answers, a good place to start. Write a timed essay on each before you sit the test.

These are the faults we built into the test essays we use to check GhostPrep's essay marking.

Each maps onto a published criterion:

1. Answering a neighbouring question. A fluent essay on a related topic still misses the one asked. Oxford's low-mark description starts with "poor attention to the question".

2. Softening the key word. Treating "profoundly" or "just as" in a question as if it said something milder. The strongest essays test that word directly.

3. A list instead of an argument. Points for, then points against, with no weighing between them. LNAT's preparation guide says simply: "Don't make a list".

4. No position until the last line. A view that only appears in the conclusion, or an ending that says "it depends", reads as sitting on the fence.

5. A counter-argument named but not answered. "Some would say" followed by nothing. Durham asks you to recognise and address counter-arguments.

6. Assertion in place of reasons. Claims stated as obvious, with no example or assumption behind them.

7. Drifting into a side issue. Oxford and Cambridge both list "a preponderance of irrelevant points" as a sign of a weak essay.

8. A new idea in the conclusion. The conclusion should draw the argument together. Durham asks for one that is concise and effective.

9. Running out of time. An essay that stops mid-paragraph has no conclusion, which Durham's criteria and LNAT's own description of the essay both expect.

10. Polish without argument. Fine prose that never commits. Communication is one criterion of three, so style cannot carry an essay on its own.

Some things matter less than students fear. An unpopular view, argued well, is fine, and so is not knowing any facts about the topic.

A few typing slips are unlikely to sink a clear argument.

Universities that mark essays find most of them middling. In Oxford's 2019 round, when colleges still marked them, only about 1 essay in 100 reached 70, and most UCL offer-holders score 3 or 3.5 out of 5.

A clear, well-argued essay stands out.

Every fact on this page comes from these sources, checked on 15 October 2026: