2 x 20 min interviews, ELAT
Discussed pre-reading text; Woolf’s diary; 17th-century poem, personal statement
Mock interview, read widely
I did not. Just read poetry and engage in your English lessons - the core skills are the same.
If you're in the interview and you're confused or need clarification then just tell them, don't bluff.
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.
Test taken: English Literature Admissions Test (
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 3 1/2 hours
Length of interviews: 20 minutes.
Online interview: No
In both for the first 10 mins or so we discussed the text I had just been given to read in the pre-reading time. My first interview was more modern - we discussed an extract from Woolf's diary and her use of simile, the uncertainty in interpretation. In my second interview, we discussed a 17th-century poem I'd been given to read. I found one quatrain difficult to decipher because of the weird syntax. Don't bluff if you don't know. Just tell them, they don't care. They just teach you, because that's their job, and you listen and build on those ideas. In both interviews, the other ten minutes were spent on my personal statement, mostly odd questions that I wouldn't have anticipated. It just became sort of a friendly discussion. I was asked to link my statement to my A level studies and encouraged to make links between the pre-reading text and my wider knowledge of poetry, of postmodernism. Keats came up at one point. The tutors at Hugh's are very friendly and nice. Even though I felt like an idiot after my second one I still enjoyed speaking to the tutors, and they're all engaging teachers. The rooms are calming (lots of books!), and the atmosphere can be relaxed and friendly if you allow yourself to leave your anxiety in your room. Don't worry about the fear of treading on toes or typical 'oxford elitism' at Hugh's. I accidentally told the tutors in one of my interviews that I thought most 'Oxford traditions' are incredibly ostentatious and pompous, and he agreed. Most people I spoke to really enjoyed it too and older students speak really well of the tutors and environment when you get there too.
My school was lucky enough to be able to do a
I did not. Just read poetry and engage in your English lessons - the core skills are the same.
What will be will be. Autumn term is unbelivably stressful, so try not to burn yourself out with worry about interviews. Try to enjoy it like a mini holiday away from the bustle of school etc. Use it as a time to catch up on work (I finished my English coursework and sent it off), watch Netflix, meet other people. A lot of my interview friends are going to be my classmates this year. If you're in the interview and you're confused or need clarification then just tell them, don't bluff. They are there to teach you - it's a mini-trial run of a class with you and they want to see if they would actually enjoy teaching you for 3 years. If you pass the trail run then congrats you're in, so just try to have fun with it, and be yourself. Most of the panicked preparation I tried to do didn't have any bearing on the interview so don't worry too much about that. I tried to read Finnegan's Wake in one week, and they didn't ask me about it- so please save yourself the stress! You'll be fine.