It is firstly important to understand what the TSA essay is testing, and why Oxford asks its candidates for certain courses to write essays of this type. The university is interested in seeing a candidate’s ability to do the following:
- Pay close, detailed attention to the wording of a question
- Provide good, well-argued points in support of their argument
- To anticipate objections to their argument, and either meet or at least acknowledge their potency
Additionally, the short time and space limit is designed so that candidates have to be selective: experience suggests that unlimited space simply produces a tendency to write a lot, rather than to write high-quality material. This should all inform how you approach the essay.