English @ Robinson, Cambridge in 2021

Interview format

English Literature Admissions Test, 2x interviews

Interview content

Analysis and interpretation of unseen texts; Questions about A-levels, A few personal statement questions

Best preparation

Re-read personal statement and books that were mentioned in personal statement; Completed a mock interview; Considered other A-levels

Test preparation

Completed practice papers; Read exemplar responses

Final thoughts

Getting to interview is a big deal on its own; if you've gotten this far, you have the academics for sure!

Remember this advice isn't official. There is no guarantee it will reflect your experience because university applications can change between years. Check the official Cambridge and Oxford websites for more accurate information on this year's application format and the required tests.

Also, someone else's experience may not reflect your own. Most interviews are more like conversations than tests and like, any conversation, they are quite interactive.

Interview Format

Test taken: English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 10 minutes
Length of interviews: 20 minutes
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In both interviews I got given an unseen text and had about 5 mins to make notes, and then spent another 5-10 minutes discussing the texts - what was interesting about them, what I thought the purpose was, when I thought it had been written. Sometimes I got guided by my interviewer asking me to pick out specific parts of the text, but it was mostly me leading the analysis.

It then moved onto a more general portion of the interview - this was pretty different to what I'd expected, because I got asked very few specific questions about my personal statement and my essays, and instead got asked more about how my other A Levels had helped my study of English.

I didn't get asked any of the typical "scary" Oxbridge questions, and nor did I get the general "why English" or "why Cambridge". I definitely relaxed more into it as I went - I felt very comfortable with my first interviewer in particular, and overall I think I'd go as far as saying I enjoyed my interviews by the end of them. It felt more like a discussion than an interrogation, and it was fun just getting to talk about a subject I love for 40 minutes.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

Had a mock interview at my school - was really helpful for getting rid of nerves and getting me used to talking to a stranger about my subject.

Reread my personal statement/submitted work about 6 times, so I was familiar with the content I could be asked about - neither really came up in my interview but I think it did wonders for calming my nerves.

I re-read some of the books I'd listed on my personal statement and went over my notes for topics I'd just done across all my A-level subjects - this was really useful because I did get asked about how my other subjects related to English.

I think the most helpful thing I did (and wish I'd done more of!) was try to think about how my other A Levels linked into English, and why it was relevant.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Practice papers, Reading exemplar responses on the ELAT website

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Looking back, interviews really do feel a lot like a supervision - it really is just a chance to prove you fit that teaching style, and if you don't, then that isn't a reflection on you. Your interviewers want to like you and want you to do well; they asked you to interview for a reason.

Remind yourself that getting to interview is a big deal on its own; if you've gotten this far, you have the academics for sure. I know I tied myself up in knots after my interview because I thought that I'd been given "easier" questions because my interviewers thought I was doing badly, and that wasn't the case at all. AVOID thestudentroom, and don't compare your interview or application to others!!