My PhD sop was restricted to 600 words. This scared the life out of me as i write too much (I am learning not to!). In the end I included my research experience (from my Masters), why I believed the research deserved to be done, why I should be the one to do it. I also commented upon why the uni and faculty would be suitable for my research and specific supervision. As opposed to my Masters sop, in which I included everything, and it was about three times as long!
Good luck!