Shortlisting and Selection Criteria

Overview

The admissions procedures for English Language and Literature are designed to select those students best fitted, by current ability and future potential, to benefit from the intensive, tutorial-based learning methods of the Oxford degree. The following gives detailed information about the admissions process and the assessment criteria which are used in the shortlisting and selection of candidates. In the case of candidates for the Joint Schools with English, these procedures and criteria are applied in assessment for the English side of the course. (For additional Joint Schools selection criteria, see here.)

As a first step, all candidates are required to submit a UCAS form and one piece of recent written work. They are also required to sit the English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT). On the basis of evidence from the UCAS form, the written work and their performance in the ELAT, candidates will be placed in one of ten bands. Those placed in the bottom 40% of all applicants are unlikely to be called for interview, as we consider that an interview is unlikely to compensate for weaknesses elsewhere in the application. It is important to remember that shortlisting takes place in a highly competitive environment; virtually all candidates are predicted 'A' grades in all of their A2 examinations (or equivalent qualifications), so a strong academic record in itself does not guarantee an interview. Candidates called for interview will have an application which includes: an excellent or promising academic record; a strong reference; good written work; and an ELAT paper of a high standard. Available contextual information on candidates is also taken into account at this stage.

Once shortlisting is complete, the Faculty will operate a procedure of reallocation between colleges, moving some candidates to colleges other than the one to which they originally applied. This is undertaken in full consultation with the tutors in each college, and is done in order to make the Admissions process as fair as possible, giving all candidates a balanced chance of gaining a place in the University as a whole.

The interview is the final stage of selection. It is Faculty policy for shortlisted candidates to receive at least two interviews; often these will be arranged to allow candidates to demonstrate different skills, such as close reading of an unseen passage, or extensive discussion of wider reading. Candidates may well be interviewed by more than one college during their stay in Oxford; as with pre-interview reallocation, this is to ensure that the best candidates gain places in the University regardless of the competition in particular colleges.

In conclusion, those responsible for Admissions will carefully examine all available information at every stage: qualifications achieved and predicted, school or college reports, personal statements, written work, ELAT test results, and performance in interviews. They will also consult with their colleagues across the University, in order to ensure that competition is fair across all colleges. The aim of the whole is to establish each candidate’s potential for effective learning in a tutorial-based system, and for achieving good examination results in the Faculty of English.

English language requirements

UCAS Form

The UCAS form will be assessed by at least two English tutors on the basis of previous examination results, qualifications predicted, the school or other institutional reference, and the candidate's personal statement (including evidence of independent reading). Candidates should note that once the subject requirements for English have been met, any other subjects at A-level are acceptable for Admissions purposes, with the exception of General Studies.

Criteria for Written Work

The written work will also be assessed by at least two English tutors. This should be a marked essay produced in the normal course of school or college work, and should not have been rewritten after marking. Preferably it should be an analytical discussion of a topic or topics in the field of English literature; an English language topic is permissible, but candidates should carefully consider the criteria below, and submit the work which they believe can best demonstrate these qualities. It should not be a short timed essay or critical commentary on particular passages of text (practical criticism exercises), or a piece of creative writing. It should not exceed 2,000 words, but candidates are welcome to submit an excerpt from a longer piece if they believe it to represent their best work. The tutors will take into account the circumstances under which the work was written (for example, the time allowed for the exercise, the level of the exercise, and the resources made available to candidates) and will assess it using the following criteria:

• Literary sensibility

• Sensitivity to the creative use of language

• Evidence of careful and critical reading

• An analytical approach

• Coherence of argument and articulacy of expression

• Precision, in the handling of concepts and in the evidence presented to support points

• Relevance to the question

• Originality.

Criteria for the ELAT

The ELAT is a 90-minute test, in which candidates write an essay comparing either two or three unseen passages of literature. It is designed to assess how far candidates have developed their ability in the key skill of close reading and, with this, the ability to shape and articulate an informed response to unfamiliar literary material. The test is not marked by the University of Oxford, but by an external examining body. All candidates (except those for the History and English Joint School) are required to take the test. The ELAT is only one of the elements used to decide whether to invite candidates for interview. Further information about the test, including specimen papers, is available here.

Criteria for Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by at least two English tutors, and will usually have two interviews. In order to make sure that candidates' chances of gaining a place are not affected by their initial choice of college, many candidates will be interviewed at more than one college. Some candidates will also be reallocated before interview from colleges that have a very high ratio of applicants to places, in order to ensure fairness across the University. Interviews are tailored to individual candidates, but are likely to engage with submitted written work and with wider reading interests, and often include an exercise in which candidates are invited to discuss a piece of previously unseen literature. Assessment of performance at interview will be made according to the following criteria:

• Love of literature

• Capacity to exchange and build on ideas

• Capacity to read widely and with discrimination

• Clarity of thought and expression

• Analytical ability

• Flexibility

• Enthusiasm and Commitment.

English Language Proficiency Test:

Candidates with a first language other than English will also need to demonstrate a high level of competence in English. As a guide, the English Faculty would normally be looking for a minimum of 7.5 in the IELTS in listening, reading, speaking and writing, and a minimum of 650 in the TOEFL (275 in the computer-based TOEFL test). Candidates should note that this is a more rigorous criterion than the standard University requirement.