What are you looking for in the written work for the application?

A piece of academic writing (written in English) is required for your application.

Examples of this include an excerpt from a published paper (that you have first authored), a grant proposal, an academic essay, or a writing sample from a recent qualification. Your written work will be assessed for a comprehensive understanding of the subject area, including problems and developments in the subject, ability to construct and defend an argument, aptitude for analysis and expression, and ability to present a reasoned case in proficient academic English. 

The word count must be ≤1000 words (not including bibliography, brief footnotes, captions, titles, or legends that are applied to images, tables, or charts). Extracts from the requisite length from longer work are also permitted if prefaced by a brief note (2-3 sentences) that puts it in context (not included in the word count).  Longer work that is truncated to meet the word count but is not understandable as a stand-alone piece of work is not likely to be marked favourably.