English Language And Literature @ Exeter, Oxford in 2019

Interview format

ELAT; 4x interviews.

Interview content

Varied set of questions including personal statement, wider reading and analysis of a text.

Best preparation

Interview practice with teachers and outside of school.

Final thoughts

Read widely; enjoy the experience and have a few interesting points up your sleeves.

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: 4
Time between interviews: Can't remember, but was very varied!
Length of interviews: Very varied! My shortest was 10 minutes, my longest was 45 minutes. (Average time was probably 30 mins)
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Discussed my personal statement, was asked to analyse poetry, spoke about what I'd been reading currently, and also general thematic questions. 

How did you prepare for your interviews?

One on ones with teachers every week, to practice interview skills. I also attended some practice interviews with companies outside of school, to get feedback from people that weren't my teachers. Would recommend practicing as much as possible!

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Lots and lots and lots of practice papers! (You can find old ELATs online). I also did extra after school Oxbridge sessions with the English teachers at my school, to practice analysing passages etc

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Do as much reading as possible!! The more you read the more prepared you will be. Don't stress - enjoy the experience - talking to academics is exciting! Have a few nuggets up your sleeve that you can whip out at any time during the interview (e.g. quotes from writers, specific lines from poems, or any interesting interesting opinions from literary critics etc).