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MMLL and Classics tripos CAMBRIDGE

Can I do Latin post A level with Spanish ab initio and study abroad at Cambridge as only one language is required to be post a level?
Or if someone is currently doing something like this at Cambridge please reach out, I really need your help!

https://www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/classics

https://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/student-information/undergraduate-students/classics-in-other-triposes

information from these websites that seem to suggest I can:

The usual rules apply that students must offer one language at the post A Level option (Option B) and may offer one language as an ab initio language (Option A).

Part IA

Option A Spanish Papers (ab initio)
SP A1: Use of Spanish
SP A2: Translation from Spanish and Oral A
SP A3: Introduction to Hispanic literature
Part IB

Option A modern language with Option B Classical Latin

Candidates who in Part IA offered Option A in a modern language and Option B in Classical Latin shall offer the following in Part IB:

B1 and B2 in the modern language
One paper from Schedule IB relating to that modern language
GL16 Latin literature
One further paper chosen from:
Any scheduled paper appearing in Schedule IB of the MML Tripos
GL13 Passages for translation from Latin authors
GL17 Greek and Roman history
GL18 Greek and Roman philosophy
GL19 Green and Roman art and archaeology
GL20 Greek and Roman philology and linguistics
Candidates may optionally offer, in addition to the above, GL22 Latin prose and/or verse.
Original post by polchan
Can I do Latin post A level with Spanish ab initio and study abroad at Cambridge as only one language is required to be post a level?
Or if someone is currently doing something like this at Cambridge please reach out, I really need your help!

Yes, you can :smile:

Where you go on your year abroad isn't dependent on which language you study post-A Level - you're more than welcme to go to a country which speaks your ab initio language. For example, I had a friend who did post-A French and ab initio Russian who spent her year abroad only in Russia.

Hope this helps!
Reply 2
Thank you so much for your help! wait really? so I don't need one European language post a level? because I wasn't sure if latin counted as I am not doing any MML A levels currently. I have emailed the main Cambridge admissions but the lady there says that my European language has to be post a level implying that my latin post a level doesn't count, however the websites I have been looking at seem to suggest that it is possible to do an option a language ab initio ie Spanish with option b post a level latin and the website also says for this mmll and classics tripos only one language post a level is needed. So this has all been quite confusing and I am not quite sure what to do. 🥲
Original post by Peterhouse Admissions
Yes, you can :smile:

Where you go on your year abroad isn't dependent on which language you study post-A Level - you're more than welcme to go to a country which speaks your ab initio language. For example, I had a friend who did post-A French and ab initio Russian who spent her year abroad only in Russia.

Hope this helps!
Original post by polchan
Thank you so much for your help! wait really? so I don't need one European language post a level? because I wasn't sure if latin counted as I am not doing any MML A levels currently. I have emailed the main Cambridge admissions but the lady there says that my European language has to be post a level implying that my latin post a level doesn't count, however the websites I have been looking at seem to suggest that it is possible to do an option a language ab initio ie Spanish with option b post a level latin and the website also says for this mmll and classics tripos only one language post a level is needed. So this has all been quite confusing and I am not quite sure what to do. 🥲

Hi! You can definitely do Latin post A-Level in combination with Spanish ab initio. :smile: That's the short answer! I've run through roughly what you can expect from the course structure below after the first year (where it's a lot less prescribed) - language courses can vary quite a lot between universities. I did French plus ab initio Spanish myself - an ab initio language is a really great opportunity to learn a new language much more quickly than school. Note: exact paper choices available can change year to year - this is just the current options.

Second Year
If you do Spanish ab initio, then B1 and B2 are Use of Spanish, Translation & Oral - which is the language papers first years with A-Level Spanish do (so in your second year, you join classes with first years with the A-Level).

You would then *have* to offer one of the following papers:
SP 3 - Medieval Iberia, early modern Spain and Latin America
SP 4 - Modern Spanish culture and history
SP 5 - Latin-American culture and history
SP 11 - The Hispanic languages (linguistics-related)

But you could also (in theory) do CS1 - Romance Languages (linguistics) or CS 6 on European Film, GR 3 - Introduction to Modern Greek, SP6 - Introduction to Catalan or PG 3 - Introduction to Portuguese (you can only do one of the intro to X language papers though). You could also offer any of these CS (comparative studies) or intro papers in your fourth year.

You have to do GL16 - Latin Literature. Then your final paper could be another one of the above, or one of the classics papers listed. GL22 (translation into Latin) you can add on as an extra if you wish but you don't have to.

Third & Fourth Year
You'd spend your year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, and then you would do MML papers in your fourth year. Alongside the language papers C1 and C2 + oral exam (and the Year Abroad Project during your YA), you then do three papers - two of these can be 'borrowed' from other faculties including Classics, so you could insert that back into your course there, or ditch it altogether if you so wished.
Reply 4
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Hi! You can definitely do Latin post A-Level in combination with Spanish ab initio. :smile: That's the short answer! I've run through roughly what you can expect from the course structure below after the first year (where it's a lot less prescribed) - language courses can vary quite a lot between universities. I did French plus ab initio Spanish myself - an ab initio language is a really great opportunity to learn a new language much more quickly than school. Note: exact paper choices available can change year to year - this is just the current options.

Second Year
If you do Spanish ab initio, then B1 and B2 are Use of Spanish, Translation & Oral - which is the language papers first years with A-Level Spanish do (so in your second year, you join classes with first years with the A-Level).

You would then *have* to offer one of the following papers:
SP 3 - Medieval Iberia, early modern Spain and Latin America
SP 4 - Modern Spanish culture and history
SP 5 - Latin-American culture and history
SP 11 - The Hispanic languages (linguistics-related)

But you could also (in theory) do CS1 - Romance Languages (linguistics) or CS 6 on European Film, GR 3 - Introduction to Modern Greek, SP6 - Introduction to Catalan or PG 3 - Introduction to Portuguese (you can only do one of the intro to X language papers though). You could also offer any of these CS (comparative studies) or intro papers in your fourth year.

You have to do GL16 - Latin Literature. Then your final paper could be another one of the above, or one of the classics papers listed. GL22 (translation into Latin) you can add on as an extra if you wish but you don't have to.

Third & Fourth Year
You'd spend your year abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, and then you would do MML papers in your fourth year. Alongside the language papers C1 and C2 + oral exam (and the Year Abroad Project during your YA), you then do three papers - two of these can be 'borrowed' from other faculties including Classics, so you could insert that back into your course there, or ditch it altogether if you so wished.

Hi, thank you so so much for your help! Does this mean I would apply for MMLL? What would the interview and admission stipulate though as my European language would be ab initio, would they test me on Latin as it’s my post a-level subject? Still not quite sure what to do about the lady at the main Cambridge admissions as she was very adamant that my European language had to be post a level. Still waiting on the reply from the admissions of my preferred college so maybe there is hope there! But again, thank you so much for your help :smile:
Original post by polchan
Hi, thank you so so much for your help! Does this mean I would apply for MMLL? What would the interview and admission stipulate though as my European language would be ab initio, would they test me on Latin as it’s my post a-level subject? Still not quite sure what to do about the lady at the main Cambridge admissions as she was very adamant that my European language had to be post a level. Still waiting on the reply from the admissions of my preferred college so maybe there is hope there! But again, thank you so much for your help :smile:


Yes, you would apply for the MMLL course rather than Classics.

You would need to sit both the MML admissions assessment and the Classics admissions assessment. You can find information here on those.

If invited to interview you should expect to have an interview relating to Classics and an interview relating to Spanish - this *could* vary slightly by college so I'd just double check that one with your chosen college, but it is typical to have an interview for each language.

I will send you a quick DM also!
Reply 6
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Yes, you would apply for the MMLL course rather than Classics.

You would need to sit both the MML admissions assessment and the Classics admissions assessment. You can find information here on those.

If invited to interview you should expect to have an interview relating to Classics and an interview relating to Spanish - this *could* vary slightly by college so I'd just double check that one with your chosen college, but it is typical to have an interview for each language.

I will send you a quick DM also!


Hiya, thank you for giving me so much information and responding so quickly! I have just seen your dm and it is very helpful and I want to reply and tell you who I have spoken to at CAO but since i have only just joined TSR today I am not able to send you any private messages. I could wait for a few days until it gives me the option to or if you wouldn’t mind giving me your email address via dm (as i can see dms just not reply to them) i could talk to you via email? If not i could just reply on here but i am aware it is a public thread.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by polchan
Hiya, thank you for giving me so much information and responding so quickly! I have just seen your dm and it is very helpful and I want to reply and tell you who I have spoken to at CAO but since i have only just joined TSR today I am not able to send you any private messages. I could wait for a few days until it gives me the option to or if you wouldn’t mind giving me your email address via dm (as i can see dms just not reply to them) i could talk to you via email? If not i could just reply on here but i am aware it is a public thread.


Email sent. :smile:
Reply 8
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Email sent. :smile:

Thank you! I have just sent you an email now :smile:

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