It sounds from what you say that you are a fairly strong candidate. I am not familiar with the CPE to which you refer, but your other scores seem fine. Your chosen university subjects are naturally related, and so you should treat them as such. A good line to take is that you recognise that economics and politics are historically branches of philosophy - economics studies the economic arrangements that maximise economic welfare, while politics studies the governmental system that maximises human happiness - welfare and human happiness are both essential features of philosophy.

I would suggest that you start off with something like what follows:

I have been excited by political argument since the ??? Election, and so my decision to read for a Politics-related degree is an obvious one. Through my formal study and private research I became fascinated by decision-making processes and by conflicting philosophies about the role of governments and their relationship with citizens, in both British and European contexts. I found myself dipping into books beyond the syllabus, several with a philosophical flavour, such as  ???  I have concluded that a course in the social sciences, with politics at its core, offers exactly what I want by way of university study. I am drawn to the flexibility and breadth offered in my chosen courses, and particularly to their cross-curricular themes. Contemporary issues such as ?? and ?? are addressed in a highly analytical way, and I relish the opportunity to develop further my understanding of the modern State, as well as of controversial issues such as apathy in elections, protests against globalisation, approaches to criminal behaviour and debates about the Lisbon Treaty.

In practice, you need say very little about your gap year. Leave that, if necessary, to your referee.

I am happy to review a draft of your Personal Statement. It must be extremely carefully set out, with use made, where appropriate, of sub-headings, underlining and italics, so that it really stands out, and thus demands to be read. It is a mistake to believe that the longer the statement the better; some of the most effective submissions do not exceed 300 words, and very carefully chosen words at that. UCAS advises that 53 lines of text and 72 characters per line will fit into the box, using Courier New font at 12pt.

The most effective Personal Statements are likely to offer about three separate paragraphs, and with a little space left between them. The principal aim (and by a mile) is to get across your enthusiasm for selecting your chosen subject(s). This means that most, probably two-thirds, of the statement will identify and reflect upon your academic interests. As a hard and fast rule specific examples are always far more convincing than very general statements; what selectors and interviewers want to know is what steps you have taken to foster and to develop that interest, and not simply in lessons. You should therefore start by outlining clearly the reasons for selecting the subject, since it is essential that you justify your choice of course. Explain exactly what it is that excites you about it, and make explicit reference to very specific examples of topics, issues, personal research, reading outside the exam specification, practical work, projects, coursework or fieldwork. Link your subject choices with examples of personal experiences that triggered or reinforced your interest, though do not fall into the familiar trap of beginning with ‘ever since I was a child’.  All applicants should make reference to at least one book that has influenced, inspired or excited them, though do not present the selectors with a long reading list of authors and titles.

In the case of joint honours degrees you will need to do this for each of the subjects, trying where possible to identify links between them. If you are not studying your proposed subject at school, explain clearly what has attracted you to it, indicate any research into it that you have done, and try to show how it might link with one or more of your current exam subjects.  You will therefore need to write a short explanation of how the subjects are linked –in other words, identify one or more common themes.  You need to get across the idea that you are applying to university with a view to broadening or deepening your academic experience (and the skills that accompany it). It is often a good idea to explain how much you are looking forward to making a systematic study of a range of theories, interpretations and approaches that you recognise will often be in conflict, and that you are not looking for definitive answers to what are invariably complex questions.

You might go on to provide details of your academic achievements, such as scholarships, performance in examinations, prizes awarded and any participation in external competitions.  Any relevant work experience should also be mentioned here, placing the stress on how you benefited and what exactly you learned. Any activity that is enabling you to develop one or more of your skills is particularly worth mentioning in this context. Indeed, you should include in your statement any information that demonstrates that you have acquired (and are using) particular life and study skills, including any associated with information technology, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, communication, and service to the wider community. Wherever possible, indicate how your various skills might be honed and exploited in your course, and in university life in general.

In the final section of your statement you have an opportunity to describe your personal strengths, qualities and interests, and thus to impress the interviewers and selectors with your likely contribution to university and college life. Wherever the opportunity arises, make sure that your interests and achievements match those that are specified in the Entry Profile. As a general principle, you should always try to get across what you have learned from involvement in your chosen activities, making particular reference to the skills that they have enabled you to develop. It is therefore a good idea to explain how and why you have become more resourceful, or creative, or inquiring, or ambitious, or aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. It is also important here that you get over the fact that you have seized the more rewarding opportunities that have come your way, and that you are looking forward to developing at least some of them at university, or to taking up new ones. Include examples of activities and interests that demonstrate your leadership or teamwork capacity, your enterprise or originality, your sensitivity to the needs of others and contribution to a community, or your determination to stick at a task. Select three or four prominent (and preferably contrasting) activities which bring out these qualities; they certainly do not have to be confined to school-based activities, and might well encompass sporting, musical, artistic or dramatic talents and achievements. Voluntary or charity work, team membership, direction of a play, responsibilities at school, performing in concerts or organising a rock group, and fascinating or unusual hobbies are simply a few of the possibilities. You can therefore use references to your extra-curricular activities to highlight your motivation and your ability to rise to a challenge. Try to offer evidence that you have plenty of energy and stamina, that you can work independently, that you can manage time effectively, and that you have a clear sense of priorities. Resist the obvious temptation to include long lists of sporting teams you have played in (since the age of seven!), foreign countries you have visited and activities in which your participation is no better than marginal or occasional.

The most common errors made by applicants are to write too much and to devote a disproportionate amount of space to non-academic considerations. Lists should be avoided at all costs, as should any content that is misleading, fictitious or trivial. The appearance of the ‘dabbler’s charter’ is a route to suicide – in other words, sentences such as ‘I enjoy reading, travel, debating, sport, rock music, shopping, etc.’. Pretentious language and quotations from books or learned authorities do not impress either. Avoid generalizations, platitudes, repetition and extensive quotations. Do not exaggerate, or make a meal of a particular interest or activity, and do not come across as smug and conceited, since this will give the strong impression that you feel you have little more to learn. Do provide evidence that you are a social animal and will therefore fit in at university, but do this via the outlining of the activities in which you are involved; under no circumstances declare that ‘I like socialising’, since this has been known to create unfortunate impressions of heavy drinking and party-going!

Remember that the aim of the statement is to establish that you are an interesting individual in your own right, with your own priorities, values and agenda, and therefore someone who will clearly benefit both from the course and from university life; this should be summarised in a short, though decisive concluding sentence. Something along the following lines might encapsulate what you have been attempting to say – ‘I greatly look forward to the challenge of a demanding degree choice, and am confident that I have the academic ability, determination and personal qualities to make a success of it’.

I hope this is helpful.