Cambridge Archaeology Admissions Assessment

I'm not an archeologist, I do History and Politics at Cambridge, but I did the History Admissions Assessment, and approached it largely like an A-Level essay.

I just did a quick Google of the Archeology assessment, and the structure is similar. I got two extract and was essentially asked how they differ what a historian could tell from these extracts about the time period. I wrote an introduction outlining the main points that were raised and summarising the perspectives of each extract. I then did 2 big paragraphs comparing two themes (I would have done 3 but got carried away with the first one...). I then wrote a conclusion, which focused in particular on what the two sources and the nature of their disagreement could tell us about the time.

At the end of the day it's an essay, so the best thing to do is to approach it how you've always approached essays at school. They're not looking for any particular structure, they just want clear presentation of ideas so they can easily see how you think about the extract.

Please do get in touch if you have any further questions about your application process, I'd be very happy to help.

What college are you thinking of applying for?

Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate you taking the time to give me such a detailed response - you'll definitely be my go-to person for any other Cambridge related queries 😂 I am thinking of applying to Newnham. Which college do you go to and would you recommend it?

Aha not a problem, there were so many people who helped me out with my statement and interview prep, so I'm very happy to do what I can.

I did a gap year so I haven't actually started yet, I am going to Clare College in October. It's about mid-sized in a good location, and the history tutors are really interesting. I basically came up with a shortlist of three or four colleges I quite liked, and combed through the websites looking at which academics I thought seemed most interesting etc. Ultimately everyone ends up loving their college anyway from what I've heard. I'll let you know how I get on at Clare!

Hello 👋 I am looking to apply to Cambridge for an archaeology BA. I've looked at past admissions assessments but would appreciate any general advice on how to structure my answers to questions e.g. like a history a level essay? Thank you

Hey, I'm in the same boat rn, also feeling a bit confused about the assessment. If you wanna pm me we could maybe share some answers and see if we have any advice/feedback for each other. If not good luck with your application

I think I'm fairly happy with how it went. Did you answer questions for the first or second extract? Also, what prep did you do, and do you think it helped? I think the practice papers were fairly reflective of what it ended up being, which I was pleased about as I'd based all my prep on those. (I doubt they would take offence to saying any of that!)

I did the first one I think. What about you?
I mostly did the past papers too. I think I did about 6 full practice ones, then today and yesterday I practiced planning a few more. I’m really glad we had 90 minutes for the final thing though. I did most of my practices in 60 and was really struggling with the time. What college are you applying to?

I’ve never been to Peterhouse, but it does look really nice. I’m applying to Fitzwilliam, mostly cause I’ve been there twice and everyone is really lovely. Good luck for your interview