Oxford ELAT Retired: English Applicants Sit No Admissions Test

The Oxford English Literature Admissions Test, known as the ELAT, is no longer set for candidates applying to study English, and Oxford's admissions tests page confirms that no admissions test applies to the course. The test, once introduced for English applicants and historically taken by all candidates ahead of shortlisting, has been retired as Oxford moved away from a subject-specific written test for English applicants.

In its place, Oxford now assesses English applicants on submitted written work, predicted grades and academic reference, and performance at interview for those shortlisted, a pattern that applies to single honours English and, for joint honours combinations with Classics, History or a Modern Language, may still involve a test in the other subject depending on that subject's own requirements.

What was the Oxford ELAT, and why does Oxford now set no test for English?

The ELAT was a 90-minute admissions test in which candidates compared two unseen literary extracts in a single analytical essay, sat by all applicants to Oxford English ahead of shortlisting and, for a period, also used by Cambridge for its own English admissions, before Cambridge moved to college-level assessment. Because it was set and marked centrally, it gave Oxford tutors a common, standardised piece of evidence to place alongside GCSE results, predicted grades and the personal statement.

Its suspension matters because applicants preparing for Oxford English no longer have that test to aim their preparation at, meaning written work and interview now carry proportionately more weight in how tutors judge close reading and independent argument.

Is the Oxford ELAT running for current applicants?

No: the Faculty of English states that applicants to the single honours English course do not sit an admissions test; Oxford no longer requires the ELAT. The Faculty describes this as a decision not to set a test for single honours English applicants while it works through a review of the test's future form.

For joint honours applicants combining English with Classics, History or a Modern Language, no admissions test is currently sat for either half of the course: Oxford has also stopped using the Classics Admissions Test and the Modern Languages Admissions Test. Even so, the Faculty directs applicants to that subject's own admissions pages to confirm current requirements.

Why did the Faculty of English retire the ELAT?

The Faculty of English discontinued the Oxford ELAT, and its published statement says it remains committed in principle to the value of a standardised test, adding that it has been working through a process to establish how a future version of the test could give all candidates the best opportunity to demonstrate the critical skills and thinking the Faculty looks for. The Faculty says that once that process concludes, it hopes to be in a position to reintroduce the test, though no return date has been given.

Oxford no longer sets the ELAT for English applicants, and the Faculty has given no return date for it, so applicants preparing now should work from the current requirements: written work, predicted grades and interview. The Faculty's own statement page is the place to check for any update.

What does Oxford use to assess English applicants instead?

With the test suspended, Oxford's Faculty of English draws on three main pieces of evidence: submitted written work, academic record including predicted grades, and interview for those shortlisted. The Faculty does not set GCSE grade or subject requirements, asking only that applicants are predicted the necessary A-level (or equivalent) grades and are studying English Literature at that level; General Studies and creative-writing A-levels are not accepted towards an offer.

The written work requirement is a single analytical essay in English Literature, marked by a teacher and not revised after marking, of no more than 2,000 words and submitted with a completed cover sheet; an excerpt from a longer piece of work is acceptable provided it represents the applicant's best writing. Tutors read this essay for attention to literary qualities such as language, style and form, sensitivity to the text, a coherent argument, precise use of concepts and evidence, relevance to the task set, and independence of thought.

Shortlisted candidates are typically interviewed twice, by at least two tutors, often at more than one college so that no single college's shortlisting decision determines the outcome. Interviews commonly discuss the submitted written work and the applicant's wider reading, and often include an exercise in which the candidate is asked to discuss a piece of previously unseen literature with the interviewer.

• Written work: one analytical essay, teacher-marked, unrevised, maximum 2,000 words, with cover sheet
• Academic record: predicted A-level (or equivalent) grades in English Literature; no set GCSE requirements
• Interview: typically two interviews by at least two tutors, often at more than one college

How should applicants prepare written work and interview?

Because the written work is a normal piece of marked coursework and not a document produced for the application, preparation centres on choosing the strongest existing essay instead of writing a new one, checking it fits the 2,000-word limit and cover sheet requirements, and making sure it was marked by a teacher and left unrevised afterwards as the Faculty specifies.

Interview preparation tends to focus on being able to talk in detail about the submitted essay and its ideas, reading beyond the school syllabus with enough depth to discuss texts in specific detail, not in vague generalities, and practising the kind of close, unseen-text discussion the Faculty describes, where an interviewer introduces an unfamiliar poem, prose passage or scene and asks the candidate to respond to it in conversation. Tutors are assessing capacity for independent literary thought and flexibility in response to a new idea; a rehearsed answer carries little weight.

How does this compare with Cambridge English admissions?

Cambridge admits to English at college level, not through a faculty-wide process, so requirements vary by college though the overall pattern is broadly consistent. The standard offer is A*AA (or IB 41 to 42 points with 776 at Higher Level), with an A-level or IB Higher Level in English Literature, or in English Literature and Language, required to apply.

Cambridge's central admissions guidance confirms that there is no admissions assessment for most colleges offering English, with Gonville & Caius the stated exception, which sets its own assessment for shortlisted candidates; applicants should check their chosen or assigned college's own pages, since colleges may set college-specific requirements for written work or testing. Where an assessment is used, it takes place after shortlisting, alongside interview and written work, not in place of them.

Cambridge applicants submit two pieces of written work as part of the application, a different format from Oxford's single essay, with individual colleges giving further detail on preferred length and subject matter on their own admissions pages.

• Standard offer: A*AA, or IB 41-42 with 776 at Higher Level
• Required subject: A-level/IB Higher Level English Literature, or English Literature and Language
• Admissions assessment: not used by most colleges; Gonville & Caius sets its own
• Written work: two pieces submitted, per college guidance

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