Oxford English Applicants 2021

Hi! I successfully applied last year Let me know if you have any questions! I'm at Pembroke College by the way.

Hi!
For the interview, would you say that we just need to confidently know the literature we mentioned on our personal statement. Or, do you think it’s worth reading one or two other works by the mentioned author? For example, I wrote about Mrs Dalloway in my personal statement, so should I read one or two more books that she wrote and know them confidently?

Thank you!

You 100% need to know the books you spoke about in your personal statement! They will tend to ask you questions about them, to make sure that you've actually read it.

If you wanted to read some other of Woolf's novels, it would be interesting, but not necessarily a bonus. As a general rule of thumb, the tutors are far more interested in the quality and nuance of your ideas. For instance on my personal statement I wrote about: Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice as well as mentioning a few romantic poems.

In the two interviews I had relating to my personal statement, they asked pretty much exclusively about Beowulf and what I thought about it, so the depth of my knowledge was crucial, although admittedly I did make some links to a few other epics.

There isn't a singular 'golden key' to Oxford interview success though!

If you have a look around on Twitter and instagram, there are a fair few current students offering 'tutoring' sessions to applicants.

Hope this helps

Hi! I successfully applied last year Let me know if you have any questions! I'm at Pembroke College by the way.

Joining this thread for advice! I’m not expecting to get in at all but it’s always worth a shot! What are you all thinking of submitting for your written work?

Hi everyone! I am reapplying for english this year because I thought it was worth a shot doing an essay from one of my mocks in yr13 for written work. I got 59/60 on elat last year (was definitely interview that let me down) and my main advice is do loads of practice!

Wow! That’s an incredible mark for the ELAT! The test is definitely what I’m most worried about. How did you prepare last year for it?

thanks! I did about 8 practice papers (haven't left myself any for this year haha) and just found a kind of rhythm/way of approaching texts that worked most of the time (wouldn't say formula as that's the wrong approach but you get what I mean )

Oh wow, I feel so underprepared now I’m still deciding on my written work, I only really have practice essays and class essays so I think it’s going to have to be one of those. I’m definitely most nervous about the interview, presuming I even get that far! Abbie2323, how was your experience last year? I know you can’t say specific questions, but what sort of things were you asked about?

Oh wow, I feel so underprepared now I’m still deciding on my written work, I only really have practice essays and class essays so I think it’s going to have to be one of those. I’m definitely most nervous about the interview, presuming I even get that far! Abbie2323, how was your experience last year? I know you can’t say specific questions, but what sort of things were you asked about?

I’m definitely most nervous about the interview, presuming I even get that far! Abbie2323, how was your experience last year? I know you can’t say specific questions, but what sort of things were you asked about?

Hi everyone,
For the ELAT, are you finding a big connection for your comparison and then linking your points to it? For example, the theme is "poverty" and then I'll specifically focus on how the writers create "entrapment", and find points to support how poverty causes entrapment. Or, are you just finding general connections based on the theme of poverty? I'm sorry if what I'm saying doesn't make much sense.

Year 12 over here. I'm thinking of applying next year for English, so I have a few questions that I hope nobody minds me asking here. My biggest question is about the personal statement- I understand that analysing texts and making links is crucial, but how long should this analysis be, considering the character limit? Also, other than mentioning texts you've read and forming opinions, what else would you suggest including on your personal statement (e.g. mentioning a relevant summer school, watching lectures, etc? I'm considering attending a summer school this year for English, but I'm wondering if not getting into it will be a disadvantage when it comes to an application)?

I'm also wondering about the ELAT, specifically about when you started preparing for it and if you got your A-Level English teachers to have a look at them for feedback.

Thank you! Also, good luck to OP and other applicants here with the rest of your application process