English @ Peterhouse, Cambridge in 2022

Interview format

English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT), 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: discussion of pre-reading, English A-level texts and personal statement Interview 2: discussion of links between subject and other A-levels, and more about areas of interest

Best preparation

Reading around things mentioned in personal statement, and practice talking about them

Test preparation

Practice papers and looking at advice and examples

Final thoughts

It's ok to find things difficult; speak naturally rather than aiming for perfection

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: a few hours
Length of interviews: 30 mins
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

My first interview was based on some pre-reading I was given before the interview, my English A level texts (focusing on specific moments which might be hard to interpret) and topics I'd included in my personal statement.

In my second interview, I was asked to think about links between my subject and the other A levels I was taking, as well as more about my areas of interest. I was a bit tense/nervous but the interviewers did give me some pointers to prompt me.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I read more around the things I'd mentioned on my personal statement and thought about the reasons I enjoyed my subject and what I was most interested in. I also did a couple of mock interviews with my subject teacher and a family friend who also taught my subject, which helped me get used to talking through my ideas.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

I did practice papers and got my teacher to mark them, and looked at advice and examples from both Oxford and Cambridge (since their admissions tests were very similar).

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Try not to get too fixed on one idea of what your interview will be like; different interviewers have very different styles. Remember it's ok to find things difficult, just come up with what you can and see where you go with it - your interviewers will help you to develop your thoughts or point you in another direction if necessary! When they challenge you, be prepared to respond to this either by defending your argument or acknowledging you may not have taken something into account and modifying it. Above all, speak naturally rather than aiming for the 'perfect answer' as there really is no such thing!