Writing Sample for MSt/MPhil in History?

[FrancisMagin]

Hi Everyone!

I'm currently studying in China, with a focus on British history. I'm hoping to apply for MSt/MPhil in Early Modern History in the UK.

My grades are good (GPA: 3.86/4.0; IELTS: 8.5 overall, 7.5 in writing) but I think I need some help with my writing sample. I was a visiting student in Edinburgh last year, where I got two 1st and one higher 2nd out of three courses. My essay was good enough to impress my tutor to give me the highest mark in class, and I was prepared to use it as my sample. It is well-written, building on a rich historiography and careful analysis of primary sources. But I am afraid it has a slight tendency to slide into literature review. The topic is already well-researched and maybe too broad for a 2000-word sample. Neither my approach nor my conclusion is new. The sources I use have been repeatedly cited, albeit leading to different conclusions in the past.

So my questions are:

• What do you think makes a good writing sample (for a Master's programme, as I would assume the requirements are different from DPhil)?
• Should it show original ideas (or new areas of research)? Or is it enough to offer my own analysis while agreeing with existent opinions?
• Does a broad and well-researched topic meet those criteria? Or do I need a smaller and perhaps relevantly novel target?

Also, I have been doing some archival work for a Cambridge PhD candidate's dissertation. Her project is sponsored by a Cambridge research group, but I do not have direct contact with her supervisor. Does that count as research experience?

Thank you for you time!