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2026-27 application · Published November 11, 2026 · Last checked November 2026 · Reviewed every summer when schools release new essays

London Business School MBA essays 2026-27: every prompt, word limit and recommendation question

The London Business School application for the August 2027 intake has two essays: 500 words on your post-MBA goals and how your experience and the LBS programme will help, and 200 words on what makes you unique. There’s also an optional 500-word essay. There’s no video, and you need one reference. Round 2 closes January 6, 2027.

London Business School 2026-27 application at a glance
PartLimit or format
Essay 1: goals500 words
Essay 2: what makes you unique200 words
Optional essayUp to 500 words
Employment gapsA separate sheet
ReapplyingApply in a later cycle
Recommendations1 required
By Angela Guido, founder of MBA Protocol: Chicago Booth MBA, former BCG consultant and recruiter, MBA coach full-time since 2008, and bestselling author of Interview Hero.

What are the London Business School essays for 2026-27?

The London Business School application for the August 2027 intake has two essays: 500 words on your post-MBA goals and how your experience and the LBS programme will help, and 200 words on what makes you unique. The written prompts and limits: Essay 1: goals (500 words); Essay 2: what makes you unique (200 words). Here is each prompt, what it’s really asking and how to answer it.

Source: LBS application, August 2027 intake, checked October 2026 for our essay question bank.

Essay 1: goals

500 words

“What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these?” · LBS application, August 2027 intake

What they’re asking

A credible plan, and why LBS is the right bridge.

What works

A specific first role, the experience you’re building on, and named LBS courses, clubs or projects that close the gap.

Watch out

Goals that could sit in any school’s application, or praise of London with no link to your plan.

Essay 2: what makes you unique

200 words

“What makes you unique?” · LBS application, August 2027 intake

What they’re asking

Who you are beyond the job, and what you’d add to the class.

What works

One specific trait or experience, shown through a short story.

Watch out

A list of achievements already on your CV.

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What else is in the London Business School application?

Besides the essays, the London Business School application includes: Optional essay (Up to 500 words); Employment gaps (A separate sheet); Reapplying (Apply in a later cycle).

Optional essay

Up to 500 words

For any other information the admissions committee should know about you and your application.

Employment gaps

A separate sheet

LBS asks you to explain gaps in your work history outside the essays.

Reapplying

Apply in a later cycle

Show what has changed since last time. The Reapplication Strategy Pack reviews last year’s application with you, $797 per school.

How many recommendations does London Business School require, and what are recommenders asked?

Recommendations for London Business School: 1 required. It uses its own recommendation form, not GMAC’s Common Letter.

How many
1 required
Who to ask
A professional referee, ideally a current or former supervisor. LBS accepts extra letters only from LBS students or alumni.
The form
LBS’s own form, about 4,000 characters per answer.
Rating grid
Nine qualities rated out of five against your peers, including initiative, problem solving, teamwork and spoken and written English, plus an overall recommendation.

Our tip: LBS asks your referee where you’ll be in ten years. Share your goals essay with them so their answer and yours point the same way.

What makes any recommendation strong

London Business School’s questions are its own, but the same principles apply.

  • Ask the right person. Choose someone who genuinely likes you, is enthusiastic about your potential and wants you to get in, even if it means losing you. A lukewarm letter from a senior boss can sink a strong application.
  • Don’t write it for them. You can’t see yourself from their seat or sound like them. You can tell them the three or four qualities you’d like them to highlight.
  • Examples over adjectives. “Dedicated to excellence” proves nothing. One specific story per strength does, and so does a real account of how you took hard feedback.
  • Keep it about you. Long passages about the recommender’s title or the company, internal jargon and over-the-top claims all weaken a letter.

Send your recommender How to write an awesome recommendation, Angela’s step-by-step guide for recommenders. It includes a paragraph-by-paragraph outline and the mistakes that sink letters.

What your recommender is asked

  • How and how long they’ve known you
  • Your key strengths and talents
  • Your key weaknesses or areas to improve
  • How your performance, potential and personal qualities compare with others in similar roles
  • What you might be doing in ten years, and why
  • How you might benefit from the programme

Described in our words. Source: LBS application, and from the recommender form as reported by Clear Admit’s 2026-27 recommendation questions, checked October 2026.

How we’d approach the London Business School application

According to MBA Protocol, with only two short essays, every sentence in the LBS application has to work. The best goals essays we see name a real London or LBS resource and say exactly how the applicant will use it.

London Business School essay and recommendation questions

How many essays does London Business School require for 2026-27?

The London Business School application for the August 2027 intake has two essays: 500 words on your post-MBA goals and how your experience and the LBS programme will help, and 200 words on what makes you unique. The written prompts and limits: Essay 1: goals (500 words); Essay 2: what makes you unique (200 words). Also in the application: Optional essay; Employment gaps; Reapplying.

How many recommendations does London Business School require?

1 required. A professional referee, ideally a current or former supervisor. LBS accepts extra letters only from LBS students or alumni.

Does London Business School use the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation?

No. LBS’s own form, about 4,000 characters per answer.

What does London Business School ask recommenders?

Your recommender is asked: how and how long they’ve known you; your key strengths and talents; your key weaknesses or areas to improve; how your performance, potential and personal qualities compare with others in similar roles; what you might be doing in ten years, and why; how you might benefit from the programme.

When is the next London Business School deadline?

Round 2 closes January 6, 2027. Every round and decision date is on our London Business School deadlines page.

The bottom line on the London Business School essays

The London Business School application for the August 2027 intake has two essays: 500 words on your post-MBA goals and how your experience and the LBS programme will help, and 200 words on what makes you unique. Recommendations: 1 required. Round 2 closes January 6, 2027. Every prompt above comes with what it’s really asking, so start with the one that matters most to you and give your recommenders at least a month.

Keep planning

Our London Business School guideWhat it takes to get inLondon Business School deadlinesEvery round and decision dateLondon Business School interview guideReal interview reportsEvery school’s deadlines50 MBA programs on one page

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