Is it worth applying?

Am I likely to get into Oxford English if I have an 8 in English lit and a 7 in English lang? I did worse than I was predicted and I’m supposing that Oxford would want a 9 in the subject that you are going to be studying.

Reply 1

bhs009

Original post

by Anonymous

I think your A-Level predicted grades, personal statement, interview and any entrance test you might need [sorry i don't know if you do] are more important, but an 8 is an A* and a 7 is an A, so that should be good!

Reply 2

xyz1234567

It rather depends whether this is a good result at your school. If you go to an average or below average school where your GCSEs are in the top few, having those grades in your chosen subject will be considered differently from if you are at a selective school where half the cohort are getting straight 9s. Oxford views GCSEs contextually and will also take into account any extenuating circumstances that your referee declares.

There is no entrance test for English any more, so this does put more weight on the (contextualised) GCSEs, but the written work you submit is also important.

Reply 3

joannadion

Original post

by Anonymous

Honestly, GCSEs are just a small part of what they consider. They also look at A-level predicted grades, teachers' references, your personal statement and the written work you would submit with your application. They also then contextualise that in relation to what kind of school you go to and the average grades of that school. Here's the undergraduate admissions report, where they explain how the selection process works for interviews etc. https://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/UG-Admissions_English_Report_2024_25.pdf
There's also more information on the english faculty website :smile: