The All Souls Fellows Exam is widely considered to be one of the toughest exams in the world. For almost a century, only a few of the brightest young graduates from Oxford have been handpicked to attempt this exam each year, with only one successful candidate usually emerging. The exam consisted of several papers, including the notorious one-word essay question. To complete this task, candidates would receive an envelope containing a card with a single word, for example, morality or innocence. They would then be required to write coherently about the subject for three hours.
The task of writing the one-word essay has stumped some of the most brilliant minds in history, including Lord Dacre and Hilaire Belloc. However, philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin and Judge Richard Wilberforce both successfully conquered this challenge. Those who excel and succeed in four other papers are admitted to Oxford University’s graduate-only college, All Souls. The coveted title of All Souls Fellow thrusts these young academics into the limelight and opens up countless opportunities. Fellowship lasts for seven years and includes a stipend of £14,783 per year.
The one-word essay has become so iconic that large crowds have been known to gather outside the exam hall to discover the title. Previous titles have included water, miracles, and bias. However, after much consideration, the college’s dons have voted to scrap the one-word essay question, hoping to better assess the qualities needed for admission. In place of this, candidates will face a mix of general and subject papers such as English literature, law, and classics.
Sir John Vickers, the head of All Souls and a former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, noted that the essay had "not proved so useful" in recent years. The exam’s remaining four exams are seen as better able to test exceptional analytical ability, breadth and depth of knowledge, independent-mindedness, and clarity of thought and expression. Despite this decision, some academics lament that the one-word question was an opportunity to test candidates’ creativity while forcing them to align with scholarly rigour.