Age 11 essays – NCDS members in the media

NCDS study members, Steve, Sally, Claire, Jackie, Paul and Nigel spoke to CLS about the essays they wrote when they were age 11, and how their lives have unfolded since then.

Their stories were featured in The Times, Daily Mail and Daily Express.

In 1969, more than 10,000 11-year-olds, taking part in the National Child Development Study (NCDS), were asked to write an essay imagining what their lives would be like at 25.

In 2018, these children, and the study turned 60 years old. We contacted a number of the study members to share their essay with them and to see how their lives have unfolded.  For most, this was the first time they had seen their essay since they wrote it some 50 years ago.

National Child Development Study: At 11, these kids tried to predict their future. Did they get it right? – The Times – 30 April 2018

‘I wanted to be a nurse — then realised girls can be doctors!’ In 1969, thousands of children were asked by scientists to predict their futures. Fifty years on, what did life deal them? – Mail Online – 8 May 2018

How life compares to our childhood dreams – Daily Express – 14 May 2018