Top grades in your Masters degree (minimum requirement is Merit or equivalent, but we prefer Distinction)
Top grade in your Masters Dissertation (or equivalent research-based piece of work) because this may show your research attitude and skills
A well-developed research proposal of at least 6-7 pages where you identify the motivation of your study, place it within relevant literature highlighting the current gap and potential research questions, state your intended methodology and show understanding of the data (if any) necessary to accomplish your study and relevant sources (which will also reveal the feasibility of your study)
A reasonable intended timeline, reflecting issues you may encounter in the study as presented above (for example, if you have to collect primary data, the time spent on data collection will be much longer than the one you would spend if you intend to use secondary data sources)

English requirements for applicants whose first language is not English, with the expectation of obtaining either an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.0 (with no element below 6.0), a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) online test score of 100 (and no less than 20 in Listening, Writing and Reading and no less than 21 in Speaking), or a Test of English for Educational Purposes (TEEP) at the University of Reading with a score of 7.0 (with no element less than 6.0).