Is Oxford easier to get into than Cambridge for Modern Languages

Any advice guys? Thanks

The answer to your thread title would be 'it depends on the candidate'.

I'd apply to Cambridge unless you believe there is a significant chance of you not getting an A*, but that's a decision only you can make.

Would it therefore be wise to wait for my as results, and see how high the ums marks are before making a decision? If I somehow achieved full marks in one subject then an a* next year wouldn't be too much pressure


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I'm thinking of applying for modern languages at either Oxford or Cambridge. My personal preference would be Cambridge, due to the emphasis on language over literature, however I'm aware that Cambridge state A*AA for entry, whereas Oxford state AAA. Has anybody had an offer from Cambridge, and can you confirm that it was on A*AA or is this more to ward people off a possibly more attractive sounding course. An offer on an A* would put a great lot of pressure on, and so I'm thinking of applying to Oxford to avoid this, but then if I did manage an A* at a level, I'd be gutted. Any advice guys? Thanks

Would it therefore be wise to wait for my as results, and see how high the ums marks are before making a decision? If I somehow achieved full marks in one subject then an a* next year wouldn't be too much pressure


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The two are probably about the same difficulty to receive an offer from in principle, however once you've got your grades then they will *not* be:

Someone with great (> 7 A*s) GCSEs and AAAA at AS-level at an 80% average would be perfect on paper for Oxford, but shoddy for Cambridge.

Someone with relatively poor (2-3 A*s) GCSEs and AAAA at AS-level at an 100% average would be shoddy for Oxford but could stand a very good chance at Cambridge.

Cambridge will be more difficult than Oxford to get into (as in, meet the offer) as the A* (which is often demanded in a specific subject, in this case a language) is obviously more difficult.

Oxford's course is completely different to Cambridge's. Oxford's is very literature, history and culture based, with the option of doing just one language. With Cambridge, you have to do two languages, but there's a lot more flexibility and the option to switch to different courses.

This is just from briefly looking over the course descriptions for you, and from general knowledge of Cambridge admissions from when I was there, so look into it yourself.

You see I think I fit the Oxford pattern in this way, I achieved 8 A*s 1A 1B at gcse, and am not too sure if I can make the 90's for ums. Everything points to Oxford except perhaps the fact that I may not enjoy the course as much, but then again I may love it, as we don't start literature until next year, just the idea isn't very appealing. I'm swaying towards Oxford at the moment, at Oriel college, but it's difficult
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I'm thinking of applying for modern languages at either Oxford or Cambridge. My personal preference would be Cambridge, due to the emphasis on language over literature, however I'm aware that Cambridge state A*AA for entry, whereas Oxford state AAA. Has anybody had an offer from Cambridge, and can you confirm that it was on A*AA or is this more to ward people off a possibly more attractive sounding course. An offer on an A* would put a great lot of pressure on, and so I'm thinking of applying to Oxford to avoid this, but then if I did manage an A* at a level, I'd be gutted. Any advice guys? Thanks

It really depends on your grade profile i.e. your AS UMS and GCSE grades, however Oxford has an entrance test based on complex grammar and translation which you have to sit before interview which they use to weed a lot of people out, whereas Cambridge don't have a test (some colleges make you write a short essay and/or submit some essays you've already written that are good) so you are more likely to get an interview and shine from there. Really, I'd just apply for the one that you prefer! I have got an offer for MML at Cambridge to start this October and yes the offer is A*AA. However most successful applicants usually end up getting 1 or more A*s (I think my predictions are A*A*A*A ) - you might surprise yourself! Wait til you get your AS grades and then you'll know

The Oxford MLAT looks really easy to be honest. In comparison, I know that at Cambridge you could have to submit essays in your language and in English, then sit admissions tests which test you on formal comprehension and more complex essay writing. Other colleges might give you a text to read and then translate/analyse which in my opinion is much harder both generally and in linguistic difficulty.

That said, it seems like the MLAT is more of a filter to see who could cope on the course, rather than a tough selection criterion.

You see I think I fit the Oxford pattern in this way, I achieved 8 A*s 1A 1B at gcse, and am not too sure if I can make the 90's for ums. Everything points to Oxford except perhaps the fact that I may not enjoy the course as much, but then again I may love it, as we don't start literature until next year, just the idea isn't very appealing. I'm swaying towards Oxford at the moment, at Oriel college, but it's difficult

Yes the MLAT is not meant to be that hard, it's just to verify that the fundamental grammatical skills are there, targeting specific grammar points which a student with an A at AS might still not know. I know at several colleges you are asked to translate (either after preparation or on the spot) the passage/poem you are given in the interview, which I guess is similar to the Cambridge exercise but only done orally.

At Oxford submitted essays in the foreign language(s) and in English are compulsory.

To be honest I don't think there's much difference in the actual competitiveness/difficulty of getting an offer - the main factor is whether the OP personally feels he can get an A* or not if he gets an offer. (Though OP if you get to this stage at either institution, statistically you are pretty damn likely to get at least one A*)

I would also like to add for the benefit of any potential applicant who might be put off by the literature focus at Oxford that after first year there are many optional language papers available such as Advanced Translation and linguistics papers, so it doesn't have to be all literature. (Indeed I am doing more language/linguistics papers than literature for Finals)

I agree, they're both of the same difficulty to get an offer from, but not to meet the offer. I expanded on this in my earlier post ^ regarding how it could be more difficult to get an offer from one than the other once you have your AS results.

The problem with the Cambridge A* is that increasingly, they ask for it in a specific subject, and an A* in a language is very very difficult. I believe that Oxford trialled the language A* and were promptly met with criticism from a number of leading schools due to the difficulty of it, after which they went back to AAA.

Yes, it's one thing to get an A*, it's another thing to have to get one...
I've actually noticed that getting an A* in a language A level seems uncommonly difficult. A lot of my year went to elite grammars/top public schools and whenever it's come up it would seem that a ridiculously high proportion of the year would A*s in Maths/English/Science A levels but that for some reason it's always a much lower proportion for languages. I'm assuming that says something about the difficulty of the course and not the quality of the teachers!

I'm in EXACTLY the same situation as you, in that I like the Cambridge course but I doubt I'll hit the whole 90% UMS across the board thing (at least in German, I only started in Year 10). It might be worth going to the MFL open day at Oxford and Cambridge to help you decide, or at least whether the Oxford course appeals to you. (I'm going to the Oxford one in a couple of weeks, hopefully I'll like it)

And just out of curiosity, which languages are you thinking of?

I agree, they're both of the same difficulty to get an offer from, but not to meet the offer. I expanded on this in my earlier post ^ regarding how it could be more difficult to get an offer from one than the other once you have your AS results.

The problem with the Cambridge A* is that increasingly, they ask for it in a specific subject, and an A* in a language is very very difficult. I believe that Oxford trialled the language A* and were promptly met with criticism from a number of leading schools due to the difficulty of it, after which they went back to AAA.

It's a really difficult one isn't it mate? I'm thinking of French and Spanish at Oriel college Oxford. I love the area, the look and size and facilities of the college, and I suppose I will be able to adapt to the course. I may have a look at going to the mfl days but I live in Yorkshire, and already going to the general open days in June with college.


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