oxford essay requirements

How to write an Oxford application essay

Hello hello!

Not sure how many future Wellesley’s plan on applying to study abroad at Oxford (and the OIS already has great resources for this); thought I’d share my essays and how I structured/thought about them.

When you apply for Oxford, at least for the visiting program, you can apply for two out of the thirty-something colleges that make up the University. Granted, Wellesley only allows us to choose from seven or so of those thirty plus colleges, but that’s still plenty to choose from.

How I chose which two colleges to apply for: Arbitrarily. I literally googled “Oxford University Mountaineering Club” (because I knew I would want to get heavily involved with that club) and looked a the two climbing wall locations. Mansfield and St. Edmund were the two closest to these locations, ha.

Other specifications included: had to teach Economics, since that’s what I’m studying, and had to be a full year (I didn’t want any one-semester silliness–if I’m going to go to Oxford, I’m going to get the full experience!) and finally, I literally calculated the percentage of each college that is made up of visiting students and I think Mansfield and St. Edmund were pretty high; i.e. my chances of getting in were best there.

Okay so onto the essay structuring itself: First paragraph is basically “Why Oxford”

Oh and by the way, here’s what the essay prompt was. That’s kind of important:

“A personal statement which provides a brief account of your studies to date in your present university and an account of how a year of study at Mansfield College would fit into your educational plans. Your personal statement should also include a detailed description of the main subjects you would like to study as well as a description of the course work you have completed in the subject(s) at your home college or university.”

Okay first paragraph: “Why Oxford”

I am drawn to Oxford, and Mansfield College specifically, for a number of reasons. Oxford’s tutorial program requires a combination of dedication, hard work, and independence that I believe would challenge and enhance my intellectual ability, and is also a challenge I am excited to take on and am well prepared for. Oxford also has the geographic environment I am looking for, which is a place of natural beauty and greenery, with a large city easily accessible but not too close by (very similar to Wellesley). Mansfield College, specifically, offers courses in subjects I hope to pursue at Oxford, namely Economics and Management, and in which I already have demonstrated interest. Finally, being an avid rock climber, I have thoroughly researched Oxford’s Mountaineering Club, and Mansfield College is particularly close to both the Iffley Bouldering Wall and the Brookes Climbing Wall, two main locations for the OUMC.

Second paragraph is “why me/why I’m a good fit/why I can handle the program”:

The reason I say I am well prepared for Oxford’s tutorial program is because I am well acquainted with challenging, independent work, as well as heavily writing-based daily routines. The MIT Sloan School of Management course I took this semester, Power and Negotiation, was writing-intensive, met once a week, and was very much a self-learning process. I have also been developing my writing skills since age ten, when I began keeping a journal, and am now one of five weekly bloggers for the Wellesley Admissions Office. I am highly interested in improving my writing and independent work skills, and believe Oxford’s tutorial program perfectly aligns with those interests.

Paragraph three is “what courses I plan on taking (since they want to know) AND WHY and what courses I have already taken”:

Specifically, I plan to take Economics and Management courses at Mansfield, with the addition of one Human Sciences course. My previous coursework in Calculus, Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Macroeconomics, Statistics, and Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis have prepared me well for the Economics courses I plan to take at Mansfield, which are Economics of Developing Countries, Labour Economics and Industrial Relations, and Command and Transitional Economies. I am drawn to these specific primary tutorials because I am highly interested in the macro economy. I read the Wall Street Journal daily and follow the international impact of economic policies made not only in the U.S., but also in China, Japan, and the European Union. My previous coursework in Power and Negotiation introduced me to art of managing difficult interactions and developed my desire to take Strategic Management, Organisational Analysis, Behaviour and Leadership, and Behaviour and its Evolution: Animal and Human at Mansfield. Having held multiple leadership roles since high school and with plans to work in finance after graduation, I desire to enhance my interpersonal and management skills.

A quick note here: I don’t read the WSJ anymore. I was just reading it a lot at the time of this application because I was preparing for banking interviews for summer internships. So don’t feel like you have to be someone who reads a lot of publications all the time. It’s okay to stretch the truth.

Paragraph four is “conclusion and what other cultural aspects (of Oxford, or the UK in general) I find unique/I will look forward to experiencing”

Given my experience in writing-intensive and independent work, my demonstrated interest in Economics and Management, and my passion for climbing, I feel I am a particularly good fit for a year abroad at Mansfield College. In addition, I plan to take full advantage of the social and traditional events at Oxford, including the formal dinners and lectures. This winter break, I will be backpacking through Asia, and during my term breaks at Oxford, I hope to backpack through both the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Having demonstrated my ability to withstand a rigorous academic workload by taking challenging courses and maintaining very good grades at Wellesley, while participating in time-consuming extracurricular activities, I believe Oxford will supplement very well the educational experience I’ve established for myself at Wellesley. It would be a pleasure and a privilege to spend a year abroad at Mansfield College.

Voila! There’s an essay. One page, size 12, Times New Roman, single spaced, normal margins.

Below is my St. Edmund essay, slightly tweaked to personalize it to the school, but otherwise the same.

Hope this will be helpful to future Wellesley-Oxford-hopefuls!

Cheers and have a great rest of the week,

I am drawn to Oxford, and St. Edmund Hall specifically, for a number of reasons. The Oxford tutorial program requires a combination of dedication, hard work, and independence that I believe would challenge and enhance my intellectual ability, and is also a challenge I am excited to take on and am well prepared for. Oxford has the geographic environment I am looking for, which is a place of natural beauty and greenery, with a large city easily accessible but not too close by (very similar to Wellesley). St. Edmund Hall, specifically, offers courses in subjects I hope to pursue at Oxford, namely Economics and Management, and in which I have already demonstrated an interest. Finally, being an avid rock climber, I have thoroughly researched Oxford’s Mountaineering Club, and St. Edmund Hall is particularly close to both the Iffley Bouldering Wall and the Brookes Climbing Wall, two main locations for the OUMC.

In addition, I am drawn to both St. Edmund Hall’s recent partnership with the Oxford Chinese Economy Programme and the launch of the China Growth Centre in 2009. I am highly interested in China’s economy, as demonstrated by my History of Chinese Commerce and Business course this semester and my close reading of the Wall Street Journal (which has proven especially interesting lately considering the decisions of the People’s Bank of China to decrease benchmark rates.) Both the OXCEP and the CGC will allow me to pursue my growing interest in the Chinese economy while I’m abroad.

Finally, one of my extracurricular passions, rock climbing, will be thoroughly fulfilled if I am to attend Oxford, and St. Edmund Hall specifically. The OUMC is extensive, active, and very well equipped with resources. I am currently pioneering the founding of a climbing team at Wellesley, and have already networked with various climbing gyms, Wellesley administrators, and climbing equipment brands—one of which has already agreed to sponsor our fledgling team! St. Edmund Hall has a prime location (compared to the other colleges Wellesley has programs with) in relation to OUMC facilities. I would be honored to climb, compete, and go on trips with OUMC members, as well as learn from club leaders how to successfully lead the club.

Given my experience in writing-intensive and independent work, my demonstrated interest in Economics and Management, and my passion for climbing, I feel I am a particularly good fit for a year abroad at St. Edmund Hall. In addition, I plan to take full advantage of the social and traditional events at Oxford, including the formal dinners and lectures. This winter break, I will be backpacking through Asia, and during my term breaks at Oxford, I hope to backpack through both the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Having demonstrated my ability to withstand a rigorous academic workload by taking challenging courses and maintaining very good grades at Wellesley, while participating in time-consuming extracurricular activities, I believe Oxford will supplement very well the educational experience I’ve established for myself at Wellesley. It would be a pleasure and a privilege to spend a year abroad at St. Edmund Hall.

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What we look for

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 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. (Joint Schools have further selection criteria in addition.)

Oxford ELAT 2024

Please note that candidates applying in October 2024 to study English will not need to sit the Oxford ELAT. Read a statement on the admissions test here:  https://english.web.ox.ac.uk/about-oxford-english-literature-admissions-test-elat

1. UCAS Form

The UCAS form will be assessed by tutors on the basis of previous examination results, qualifications predicted, the school or other institutional reference, and the candidate's personal statement. Candidates are encouraged to give a detailed account of their academic interests and of the reading they may have undertaken independent of school or college work; the personal statement is an opportunity to demonstrate enthusiasm for and commitment to the study of literature, and to nominate particular literary interests which may be discussed at interview.

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.

2. Written Work

As part of your application, you must send us a sample of your written work. If you are at school or college, this essay should be:

• An analytical essay in the field of English Literature.
• Written in the normal course of your school or college work.
• Marked by a teacher – and not rewritten after marking.
• Not more than 2,000 words.

When you send us your work, please be sure to include this cover sheet . On the cover sheet you should describe the circumstances under which your work was produced. You and your teacher must both fill in this form. Tutors will take into account the information you give on your cover sheet when assessing your work.

You’re welcome to submit an excerpt from a longer piece if you think it represents your best work. If so, please add a note on the cover sheet to explain the context of the excerpt.

If you are a post-qualification or mature applicant, you can decide (although it is not necessary) to produce a new piece of work, as you may want to give a clearer reflection of your current abilities. We understand that this means it may not be possible to have this piece of work marked, so please use the cover sheet to detail the circumstances in which the work was produced.

What kind of work should I send?

You are welcome to send us any english literature work that meets the requirements listed above. this could be a timed essay, a critical commentary, or an excerpt of your course work or epq. work can be handwritten or typed – either is fine..

Your written work gives us an idea of how you think and write, so it is important that you submit a piece that you believe demonstrates the best of your ability.

Examples of the kind of work we would like to see include:

• An exploration of the language, style, form, characters, narrative, or themes of one or more texts.
• A comparison of two or three texts that share a similar theme or form.
• A critical commentary on one or two shorter texts (e.g. a poem, a scene from a play, an excerpt from a novel).

Whatever essay you choose to send, keep in mind that what we’re most interested in seeing is your engagement with the literary qualities of texts.

Please be sure to include the question/prompt to which you are responding when you submit your essay (there is a space for this on the cover sheet). If you are sending us a critical commentary, please also include a copy/scan of the text(s) you are analysing.

Please do not send us:

• English Language work
• Work in a subject other than English Literature
• A piece of creative writing

How will my written work be assessed?

Your work will be assessed by tutors according to the following criteria:.

• Attention to the literary aspects of chosen texts
• Sensitivity to the creative use of language
• Evidence of careful and critical reading
• An analytical approach
• Coherence and structure of argument and articulacy of expression
• Precision in the handling of concepts and in the evidence presented to support points
• Relevance to the question or prompt
• Independence of thought

Please keep the above criteria in mind when choosing which essay to send us.

When and how should I submit my written work?

The deadline for submitting written work is  10 november ..

The college to which you apply – or which you are assigned, should you make an open application – will request written work from you and provide details of how to send it to them. Please do not send written work to any English Faculty addresses (@ell.ox.ac.uk).

More information on  how to submit written work and specific requirements  can be found on the University of Oxford website.

I am a Joint Schools applicant. Do I need to send additional written work?

Joint schools applicants can find additional information on written work and selection criteria on the  joint school pages ., 4. interviews.

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, and may engage with submitted written work and with wider reading interests. They are likely to 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:

•       Evidence of independent reading
•       Capacity to exchange and build on ideas
•       Clarity of thought and expression
•       Analytical ability
•       Flexibility of thought
•       Evidence of independent thinking about literature
•       Readiness and commitment to read widely with discrimination

5. English Language Proficiency Test

Candidates with a first language other than English will also need a good level of competence in English. As a guide we would normally be looking for a minimum of around 7.5 in the IELTS in listening, reading, speaking and writing, or a minimum of 650 in the TOEFL (275 in the computer-based TOEFL test).

Supporting academic transition: a focus on academic essay writing

Practical suggestions for supporting first year students’ essay writing skills, based on feedback received from oxford students.

This guidance was written by postgraduate students participating in the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s Student Experience Internship Scheme 2021 , and is based on interviews they undertook with Oxford students .

Each interviewee was asked to reflect on an early academic experience at Oxford (or their expectations of Oxford), and invited to share what would have improved this experience. While these interviews clearly do not represent all Oxford students, the themes that emerged across these interviews form the basis of this guidance and are further supported by evidence from educational research.

Communicating expectations and providing clear guidelines 

My very first essay was an incredibly broad question, which was about the emergence of agriculture; it was something like ‘How and when did agriculture emerge?’. We were given a reading list that had maybe about 12 readings on it. There wasn't a lot of indication in terms of what we should read, or how much. We did have a few sub questions to think about, but there were a lot of questions and not really a lot of guidance given on how long the essay should be. So, we were just thrown into the deep end. - Undergraduate Student in Archaeology  

Some practical suggestions for supporting first year students’ essay writing skills:

• When setting essays, it is helpful to consider how the topics and questions you are assigning may be unclear or overwhelming for first year students, particularly if your students are accustomed to a more structured approach to assignments, and/or are less familiar with the conventions associated with writing in your academic discipline.  
• Consider providing your students with brief guides to academic writing in your discipline at the start of Michaelmas term. You can then signpost students to these in your feedback on their work throughout the year. This is a relatively efficient way to provide in-demand writing support at the start of term and can be shared with all students via email, Canvas and/or as hard copies at introductory meetings. Once produced, these writing support resources can be used for multiple cohorts, with only minimal editing required and are an effective way to communicate, and reiterate, your expectations. There are also general guides for academic writing that are available on the University’s Study skills and training webpages  https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/essay
• Essential content for introductions. 
• Basic pointers on structuring paragraphs and developing academic arguments. 
• Examples of different writing styles.
• Signposting to existing writing support, for example, ‘Essay and dissertation writing skills’  https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/essay .

For each piece of academic writing that you set your students, clarify your expectations about:

• How long the piece of writing should be.
• How you would like the writing to be structured and formatted.  
• What style of academic referencing conventions should be used. 
• How and when the essay should be submitted.
• You could also ask students to demonstrate how they have used any of your previous feedback to enhance their academic writing in subsequent work.

The Centre for Teaching and Learning has developed some practical teaching ideas for supporting students to understand what makes excellent examined work, and the criteria by which they will be assessed . The collection includes examples of teaching from academics around the university, as well as activities specifically designed for the Oxford context. 

Acknowledging challenges and developing students’ confidence  

Many students starting University as either under- or postgraduates, lack confidence in their academic writing abilities. For students’ first attempts at writing try to make sure you are clear in letting them know you are not expecting perfection!

Just receiving verbal confirmation that, you know, ‘don't worry, this is your first essay. We don't expect it to be amazing. This is just the starting point. Just give it a go’ is reassuring.  - Undergraduate student in Archaeology and Anthropology

• For more guidance on providing effective feedback, see the Oxford Teaching Ideas on making feedback inclusive and giving effective feedback . 

What I found after I started collaborating with my friend on the essay was that I'm more similar to my peers than I realise and everyone else is just as anxious and just as nervous as I am. In that sense, I wish I didn't kind of panic so much and that I wasn’t so isolated.  - Undergraduate student in English

Encouraging students to use the university libraries  

All new students are usually invited, and expected, to attend library inductions at their college and department/faculty libraries. For postgraduate students new to Oxford, additional guidance to the university’s libraries may be necessary, as they are more often expected to incorporate their own research into essays rather than working from a set of readings provided by their tutor/supervisor.  

• You could draw your students’ attention to the guidance provided by The Bodleian Libraries on using libraries, locating sources, and developing research skills through their Bodleian iSkills workshops .  

Providing opportunities for peer review

I thought that the structure of critiquing each other's essays, while it was a little bit daunting, was a very useful task for us to do, a useful skill for us to develop. Thinking as scholars, critiquing work, noticing the strengths and weaknesses in other people's essays, helps you notice the strengths and weaknesses in your own work as well.  - Undergraduate student in English

• Where appropriate, you may wish to provide students with the opportunity to read and critique one another’s writing. Academic peer networks take time to form organically, so by implementing them in your teaching, you can provide students with opportunities to learn the skills of providing constructive feedback and critique, as well as learning how to respond to feedback. For more information on utilising peer feedback, see the Oxford Teaching Idea on peer feedback .  

There are many resources for students that explain how to write academically in different disciplines. The following are some examples of Oxford-specific writing resources:  

• This guide from the Saïd Business School lays out in detail how students can plan, structure, and write their essays. 
• Dr Peter Judge has written a guide on writing essays for Medical and Life Science students .
• The MPLS Division provides guidance for Communication Skills , including writing.
• Academic writing at Master’s level: https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/postgrad-taught-skills .
• Study skills and training webpages: https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/essay .
• The Oxford Language Centre’s Academic English courses primarily address skills for international and postgraduate students and these run both before and during term. 

We encourage you to adapt and build upon the material in any medium or format to suit your individual teaching purposes (for non-commercial purposes only). If distributing your adapted material, we ask that you credit the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

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[email protected]

  @CTLOxford

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Introduction to Academic Writing and Language (English language admissions requirement)

A course to develop basic knowledge of english syntax and academic writing, course overview.

This course is designed for international students and other University members, with little or no experience in academic writing, who want to develop their basic  knowledge of English syntax and academic writing. It is also designed for those who feel they need to advance their competence in using academic language to perform satisfactorily in their written course work. 

The programme introduces a foundational understanding of the organisation of ideas in common types of academic texts, as well as the skills needed to communicate effectively to the reader. It also looks to develop their competence in the use of the grammar, vocabulary, expressions, style and conventions typically used in academic writing at Oxford. 

Learning outcomes

• Develop essential knowledge of the organisation of ideas in common academic texts (e.g. essays, reports, dissertations, publications) 
• Improve the organisation and expression of arguments, evidence and stance in writing 
• Develop essential skills to integrate ideas from the literature into the student’s writing  
• Use linking words and expressions to communicate effectively with the reader 
• Develop use of essential academic grammar, vocabulary and style 
• Avoid the grammatical, vocabulary and stylistic errors common to international students 
• Receive feedback on their academic writing and advice on how to continue to develop throughout their degree course 

Course structure

• Taught in weeks 2-8 of term
• Classes per week: 1
• Length of class: 2 hours
• Total hours of tuition per term: 14

Course fees

There are no course fees charged to students

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ACADEMIC ENGLISH

MODERN LANGUAGES

• Written work

What is written work?

• Do I need to send written work?

What should I send?

• How can I submit written work?

Many of our courses require applicants to send in a sample of their written work as part of their application. The tabs on this page will give you more details of what you need to send (if anything), how to send it, and the deadlines by which the work must be received.

The deadline for submitting written work is 10 November . Please note that the deadline for submitting Fine Art portfolios is earlier. 

If the course requires you to submit written work as part of your application and you are worried that you don’t have a suitable piece of work to submit, please contact the college you are applying to (or the college you are allocated to after you apply) to discuss what your options are.

Please read the information on each tab on this page carefully.

Please remember that most courses require you to complete an admissions test or tests, so make sure to check our ' Admissions tests' page  as well. 

If the course you are applying for requires written work please send work that demonstrates your analytical, reasoning, language and writing skills, as appropriate for your chosen degree course.

The written work may well form a springboard for discussion at your interview should you be shortlisted, so make sure to keep a copy for your own reference.

Do I need to send written work

Does the course you are applying for require you to send in written work?

This list will show you whether your course requires you to send in written work, but you must check the 'How to Apply' tab on each course page to view more details of what the course tutors want you to send.

Archaeology and Anthropology

Yes. View  Archaeology and Anthropology for details of what you need to send.

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Yes. Visit  Asian and Middle Eastern Studies  for details of what you need to send.

Biochemistry

None required.

Biomedical Sciences

Classical archaeology and ancient history.

Yes. View  Classical Archaeology and Ancient History for details of what you need to send.

Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Yes. Visit  Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for details of what you need to send.

Yes. View  Classics for details of what you need to send.

Classics and English

Yes. View  Classics and English for details of what you need to send.

Classics and Modern Languages

Yes. View  Classics and Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

Computer Science

Computer science and philosophy, earth sciences (geology), economics and management, engineering science, english and modern languages.

Yes. View  English and Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

English Language and Literature

Yes. View  English Language and Literature for details of what you need to send.

European and Middle Eastern Languages

Yes. View  European and Middle Eastern Languages for details of what you need to send.

Yes, you must submit a portfolio. View  Fine Art for details of what to send and the Ruskin School of Art website for information on how to submit your portfolio.

Yes. View  History for details of what you need to send.

History (Ancient and Modern)

Yes. View  History (Ancient and Modern) for details of what you need to send.

History and Economics

Yes. View  History and Economics for details of what you need to send.

History and English

Yes. View  History and English for details of what you need to send.

History and Modern Languages

Yes. View  History and Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

History and Politics

Yes. View  History and Politics for details of what you need to send.

History of Art

Yes. View  History of Art for details of what you need to send.

Human Sciences

Materials science, mathematics, mathematics and computer science, mathematics and philosophy, mathematics and statistics, medicine (six year course, a100), medicine (accelerated four year course, a101), modern languages.

Yes. View  Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Yes. View  Modern Languages and Linguistics for details of what you need to send.

Yes. View  Music for details.

Philosophy and Modern Languages

Yes. View  Philosophy and Modern Languages for details of what you need to send.

Philosophy and Theology

Yes. View  Philosophy and Theology for details of what you need to send.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

Physics and philosophy, psychology (experimental), psychology, philosophy, and linguistics (ppl), religion and asian and middle eastern studies.

Yes. View  Religion and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for details of what you need to send.

Theology and Religion

Yes. View  Theology and Religion for details of what you need to send.

The work you send in must be original and ideally have been produced during the course of your school or college work, marked by a teacher and not re-written or corrected in any way.

Please make sure to include details about the circumstances under which your work was produced on the cover sheet provided. Tell us under what conditions you wrote the essay, with what help, and in what timeframe. Tutors will take that information into account.

If you are a mature applicant you can decide (but it is not necessary) to produce a new piece of work, as you may want to give a clearer reflection of your current abilities. Again, we understand that this means it may not be possible to have it marked. Please use the space on the form to describe the circumstances in which the work was produced. 

It may be typed or handwritten – as long as it is legible – and photocopies are acceptable. We would expect each piece of written work to be no more than 2,000 words. 

You will need to complete a  written work cover sheet  for each piece of work that you submit.

Extended essays

Extended essays for the International Baccalaureate, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), or other pieces of work which exceed the 2,000 word limit are not acceptable as submitted written work.

However, you may like to submit an extract from an extended essay. Also, if you mention your essay in your personal statement, tutors may like to discuss this with you at interview if your application is shortlisted.

All written work must be in English (except where required for Modern Languages ). If your work is in another language please submit both the original work and your own translation into English.

How can I submit written work

After you have submitted your UCAS application (and usually before the end of October), the college considering your application will get in touch to tell you how to submit your written work. These instructions will include:

• how to send the work electronically (please do not send hard copies)
• information about file formats
• the details of whom to send your written work to for consideration

In addition to those specific instructions, please remember that:

• your written work must entirely your own and original
• ideally it will have been produced as part of your school work, marked and not re-written or corrected for this application
• all work must be in English (except where otherwise required for Modern Languages)
• each piece of written work should be no longer than 2,000 words
• each piece of written work must come with a completed cover sheet

If your application is shortlisted, we recommend that you re-read your written work before your interview, as tutors may ask you about it. 

When to submit

Written work must be submitted to arrive at the college no later than 10 November. 

Fine Art portfolios have an earlier deadline. View  Fine Art  for details of what to send and the  Ruskin School of Art website  for information on how to submit your portfolio.

Please  contact the college  that is considering your application if you are not sure what to send, or if you are concerned that you do not have suitable written work.

A step-by-step guide for applicants

• UCAS application
• Admissions tests

WRITTEN WORK COVER SHEET:

Download the cover sheet.

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Oxford Style Guide for College and University Students

Considered one of the best universities world over, the University of Oxford stands tall among its peers. Studying there predetermines a very prestigious career in the future — ten to one. The acceptance rates are rather low, so once you get on board, you should be proud of yourself. However, there is no room for complacency. You should perfect one thing at a time: there is plenty of different rules and writing standards you've likely never heard of. One of the requirements is to write in Oxford style in adherence to the corresponding manual. The University of Oxford is rather strict in this regard so that formatting is an integral element of the grading rubric that has a great impact on your final project’s score.

The main idea is to use superscript numbers and footnotes. This article shares the basic principles of formatting along with the examples that you may find useful.

Use Oxford Writing Style Properly

The University of Oxford Style Guide was published to introduce the documentary-note citation system. That aims to help students and local researchers organize their scientific work properly. It is very likely that you will be asked to format the papers using this style if you do subjects in:

• Anthropology
• Political science

Oxford men prefer citing in their papers in the style of Oxford as they’ve grown accustomed to it throughout the study. Further still, it keeps the document well-structured and logical. The law departments in the local schools may also ask to use Oxford style referencing in their works. McGill format is closely related to Oxford format, and that is why it happens so.

So, what are the essential elements of this format? Let’s find out:

• Header — A student or scientist can insert the page numbers at personal direction.
• Font and size — It is recommended to choose Times New Roman 12 or 14-point in size.
• Margins — Make sure you have 1-inch margins everywhere except for the top of the page as well as a couple of inches at the top. Double-spacing is preferred. That does not apply to bibliography list.
• Cover page (or Title page) — This is an opening section, and it looks different against other formats. Put the work’s title at the top of your first page skipping several lines to mention the specific type of your assignment. It could be a thesis proposal, critical analysis, dissertation, etc. Insert the full date enclosed by the total amount of words in your project, your name, and title of your school. We recommend downloading some templates or examples of the cover page to make it easier for you.

The History of the Civil War and Its Consequences for the Modern US Population

August 21, 2014

Lindsay Harris

University of Oxford

• Requirements — Add a full reference each time you insert another in-text quotation, direct or indirect. Acknowledge the credible, up-to-date sources like books and journals.
• References — List the cited sources or sources that contributed to your project somehow. Oxford references and footnotes are what constitute this type of essay format.
• In-text citation — According to the official manual, writers have to involve citations throughout the text to prove their words with examples. It is being done with the help of the “Insert” tab in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Thus, there is nothing complicated about the process. The citation should show up in both the footnote and references page (your bibliography).

Oxford citation style is a method used to cite a passage from or to name as the authority for a statement or an opinion in a paper. You will get specific techniques for that: by inserting footnotes during the writing, for example. These footnotes should lead your readership to a full list of references where cited sources are to find. This list appears at the bottom of the page to acknowledge the studies and findings of other scientists working on the same research question. Confusing at the first thought, this format seems to be reminiscent of MLA or APA. It is possible to get acquainted with it in no time all. Our guide is the capsule version of the entire manual which is rather a long read.

Examples of Oxford Footnotes

In the heart of this format, we have footnote referencing. You can easily come up with footnotes in your Word. It has all the necessary instruments to make your life easier. An “Insert tab” function was developed specifically for the formats that apply footnotes and endnotes just like in Chicago or Oxford style. Pick “Footer” out of all the available options ( either in Word or Google Docs) when you’re so far.

The full citations will show up akin to what you find below:

• Journal/print article with the writer: 1 B. Bells. Coming up with a Tasty Salmon Dish. Journal of Cooking, vol. 37, no. 7, 2008: pp. 145-171.
• Journal/print article written by unknown: 1 Things You Can Get from the Common Beans. Journal of Cooking, vol. 35, no. 4, 2007: pp. 264-269.
• Book with a single author: 2 A. Wesley. Adding Peppers to Meat Dishes, New York: Great Books Press, 2011, p. 31.
• Book with many writers: 2 J. Seifried, M. Bowling, and S. Fries. Introduction to Dishes Prepared in an Oven, New York: Great Books Press, 2012, p. 42.
• Book without any authors: 2 Mastering the Art of Preparing Hamburgers, New York: Great Books Press, 2013, pp. 33-44.
• Chapter alone: 3 M. Madyson. The Difference between Pork and Beef. In Cooking is Your Life, 33-52. New York: Great Books Press, 2012.
• Online article/post: 4 H. Oxford. Cooking as a separate Type of Hobby. Fun Cooking. 11-12-09. Full URL address (Accessed full date).

In Oxford writing style, you can add the superscript numbers on the page you’re working on: the length of the footer is predetermined by the number of sources quoted in the particular part of your paper.

For instance, you have a superscript number in bold, and the rest of the reference is not in bold (the main title should be italicized then). Remember to add a space after the superscript number.

Types of Oxford Citation

There is nothing left to say in this regard. In Oxford citation except the superscript number should follow the words of another author. No need to provide any other details — leave them for the footnotes.

You can decide which type of citation to use:

• Direct in-text citation: Copy-paste the sentence(s) or phrases of another author (the words should appear exactly the way they were used by him or her). Add a superscript number to define the source in the footnotes and bibliography.
• Indirect in-text citation: Paraphrase the words when citing from another author. Add quote in your document where it makes sense. Add a superscript number to define the source in the footnotes and bibliography. The example of the in-text citation in Oxford style would be:

The rapid drop in literacy rates lead to increased unemployment in the region.1

After reading the section about footnotes, you can guess that a corresponding Oxford footnotes example will look this way:

1. Robin Cottrell, Causes and effects of the Recent Drop in Literacy Rates (Oxford: University Press, 2015).

Oxford Referencing List

How to “Oxford reference”? What is the main difference between a footnote and a reference? Let’s find out. For the bibliography page, add the names of the writers, title, and publication date as well as the publisher and location. It is critical to mention all the sources used in the footnotes in the proper numerical order (in the order of their appearance). Add the sources that were not cited but still contribute to your research. There is no need, of course, to quote or paraphrase absolutely everything.

Develop a separate blank page for your references. It is possible to copy-paste the entries from your footnotes to speed up the process; make sure to edit some nuances before submitting the paper. The names of the contributors should appear differently.

The title of the bibliography page should be “Reference List.” The main difference between a footnote entry and reference page entry is that the author’s last name goes first instead of the first one. You should list the sources in alphabetical order by surname. For the articles and separate chapters of the books or journals, make sure to insert specific page ranges for your citations. The professor should be able to find the quotes you used in the original sources to tell whether you have mastered a subject.

Finally, here is an example of the bibliography entry held in Oxford referencing style: Cottrell, Robin, Causes, and effects of the Recent Drop in Literacy Rates (Oxford: University Press, 2015).

Applying Oxford style successfully involves a lot of moves to be made. As complicated as this first appears, the more understandable and clearer this task becomes when one looks closer — through the instrumentality of our instructions and effective recommendations. Approach the formatting stage diligently, and we hope you will deal with that easily!

• College Application

Oxford University: How to Get in

Featured Expert: Sophia Xian, Cornell University

The University of Oxford received up to 25,000 applications last year from students all over the world vying to be part of this illustrious institution. Given the number of applicants every year its essential that you know exactly how to get into Oxford to stand out from the crowd. The school’s acceptance rate is nowhere as low as another similarly-vaunted university, Harvard University , which only admits around 4% of applicants, so if you meet the requirements, have a stellar Oxford personal statement , and ace any of the required entrance exams, there is a chance you can get into one of the highest ranked universities in the world. 

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

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Article Contents 18 min read

Mission statement.

“The advancement of learning by teaching and research and its dissemination by every means.”

The first classes believed to have been given on the site where Oxford University is now were in the 1110s, so the university has had centuries to refine its mission to this simple sentence. The school’s reputation precedes itself so there is not much to add to the statement other than the fact that given the over 35 colleges that make up the school, students can find their own way to contribute to the school’s mission.

Want to learn 7 most important and easy ways to make your college essay stand out? Watch this video:

Admission Statistics

Percentage of Admitted UK Students: 79.4%

Percentage of Admitted EU Students: 3.8%

Percentage of International Students: 16.8%

Number of Applications: 23,819

Number of Admitted Students: 3,271

Acceptance Rate: 15.3%

Percentage of Admitted Students with AAA or Higher at A-Level: 60.8%

Minimum Grade Average: Three AAA at A-level courses

The triple AAA grade is the UK equivalent to a 90% average for students coming from universities in Ontario or a 3.0 GPA for any students from the US. The AAA grade must be attained for only a certain set of Oxford undergraduate programs, as each program has unique requirements, and the school does not have a set of general admission requirements, although it recommends students have an overall GPA of 3.0. In addition to the various grade requirements, many programs at Oxford also ask students to submit written work, such as a college letter of intent or something similar so you should read up on college essay tips to help you stand out.

Oxford Prerequisites

There are over 60 different undergraduate programs available at Oxford and each one has its own requirements and prerequisites. But the requirements needed for entry are, variously, a combination of the following:

• Minimum A or AAA grade in A-level courses
• Written tests (program-specific)
• Written work (personal statements, essays, research proposals; also, program-specific)

The school has an online program course listing, which lists every course’s particular requirement, which all vary across the various disciplines and subjects. For example, courses in liberal arts and humanities, such as Classics, History, and Philosophy all have specific entrance exams.

Classics applicants must take the Classics Admissions Test. History applicants must take the History Admissions Test; Philosophy applicants must take the Modern Language Assessment Test, and so on. The same applies to every program, but there are some, such as biology, chemistry, and music that do not require any entrance exams, except, they require applicants meet very different criteria, such as getting top grades in A-level chemistry and maths courses.

These entrance requirements apply equally to UK, EU and international students. International students must check the requirements of each course to ensure that they have met or are on track to meet the academic requirement with the equivalent grade given by their home country. The school provides a chart that international students can check to determine what their grades should be to be accepted into their particular program.

The Oxford personal statement is one of the universal admission requirements for the school, as every student, regardless of program or origin, must submit a personal statement. But this is also because the unified application service used in the UK for undergraduates, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), requires all applicants to submit a UCAS personal statement , as part of their online application; similar to how all allopathic medical school students in the US must write an AMCAS personal statement when submitting their applications.

The statement should be a focused explanation of why you want to attend Oxford, what about your field of study interests you, and what you have done outside of academia to reflect your passion for this subject ( extracurriculars for college), but also answer questions such as “ why should we accept you? ”, which is a common college essay topic .

Oxford Supplemental Essays

However, many programs ask for more than one piece of written work (STEM courses do not ask for written material beyond grades and entrance exams), so you need to be prepared to write at least two essays, depending on your program. What’s more, many programs have their own specific set of questions and prompts that you must respond to, so even if you read over all the college essay examples you can, you might still have to write a completely new essay according to a unique prompt or question.

For example, applicants to the Archaeology and Anthropology program must provide, along with their Oxford personal statement, two written pieces, which must be fulfilled by submitting an essay from their required course work, as well as a maximum 500-word essay answering the following question:

“What can we learn about people, either past or present, from their material culture?”

Here we’ll provide an Oxford personal statement example plus a few essays responding to the above prompt and more from other programs.

Oxford Personal Statement Sample

I’ll never forget the phrase that ignited my passion to attend Oxford. Despite all the renowned writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Oscar Wilde, who attended Oxford and have left an indelible mark on the world of literature, it was a writer from outside the traditional English canon that most inspired me. The statement is made by a character in V.S. Naipaul's novel, "The Mystic Masseur." In the book, the character claims that the Bodleian Library, nestled within the university, is the "center of the world."

That exclamation made me think it was the center of the world. At the age when I read it, I was not equipped to unpack or critique that statement, which I accepted blindly. Then, I was not able to intellectually spar with such a statement, which is problematic on so many levels, if viewed through the lenses I now have to interpret the world. Despite the fact that this powerful assertion resonated deeply with me, as it highlighted the significance and influence of knowledge and literature in shaping our understanding of the world, I intend to challenge the notion that this center lies solely within the realm of European literature.

Through my research and study, I hope to shed light on the vibrant written culture and traditions of different regions, from the vibrant storytelling of African authors to the poetic wisdom of Asian literature. My ultimate goal would be to share these insights and perspectives with other readers, inspiring them to embark on their own literary journeys and discover their personal "centers of the world" within their respective cultures.

By challenging the Eurocentric literary canon and amplifying marginalized voices, I aim to contribute to a more inclusive and diverse understanding of literature and its role in shaping our worldviews. In joining the English program at Oxford University, I am eager to engage in rigorous academic discourse, participate in seminars and tutorials, and collaborate with esteemed faculty and fellow students who share my passion for literature.

Oxford's academic environment, with its centuries-old traditions and emphasis on critical analysis, provides an ideal setting for me to expand my intellectual horizons and deepen my understanding of literature's transformative power. But the diversity and collection of curious, intellectually savvy minds here at Oxford is another important part of my project. Meeting people from all parts of the world is something that studying all the great English authors could never give me, and I plan to immerse myself in this new, multicultural community.

Through my studies, I aim to build a solid foundation in both canonical and non-canonical works, examining the intersections of culture, history, and literature. By exploring the multifaceted nature of literature, I hope to contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding representation, diversity, and the evolution of literary traditions. But I am most strongly committed to challenging the notion of a singular center and exploring non-European literary traditions, especially here at Oxford.

Another inescapable part of how to get into Oxford, the Oxford college admissions interview is something that all applicants must undergo to be admitted. Unlike colleges in the US and universities in Canada , Oxford interviews every undergraduate applicant, despite the high number of applicants every year. Every program has its own interview criteria and not every applicant is invited to an interview.

Tutors, aka professors, review all applications and shortlist those who they feel are best suited to the program. If you are not invited to an interview, this, unfortunately, signifies your application has been unsuccessful. If you are invited to interview, then, you should prepare by getting someone, such as a college admissions consulting firm to show you how to prepare for a college interview .

For the upcoming application cycle, interviews will be held virtually. Each program has its own interview schedule and quantity, as some programs may want to interview you twice, rather than once. The interview format also depends on the program, and college. Some programs may give you material before-hand (artwork, book title, photograph) that you must respond to during the interview. Others may ask you more direct college admissions interview questions such as “ tell me about yourself ” and “ what would you contribute to your future college campus community ”. 

Interviewers are typically tutors, or professors, from the program or college you applied to specifically. The interviews are open-book, as well, so your interviewers will have your complete application (personal statement, transcripts, college recommendation letters ) in front of them. However, another college or program may invite you to interview, if they feel your application is strong, so you may have many interviews to do, especially if you applied to more than one program or college. The school provides sample questions for each undergraduate program to help students prepare. Each program has a specific question, followed up by the type of response that would satisfy the interviewers given by a tutor from that particular program or college.

All applications to Oxford begin with the UCAS application. According to both Oxford and the UCAS timeline , you must apply for the upcoming year’s term so that means you have to start your application in the summer before you plan to attend. The entire process requires the following steps:

• Registering on UCAS
• Registering for and taking your entrance tests
• Completing your written work
• Submitting your full application

The final date to submit your completed application is October 16, but the final date to submit any relevant written work is on November 10, after which students are invited to interviews, throughout December. Students learn of their admittance to the program by January 9 of the year they plan to begin their studies. Admitted students are notified directly by the school and are then contacted by their respective college. Rejected students can request feedback from their college if they wish to re-apply next year.

Tuition and Funding Opportunities

Tuition for Home/UK Students: £9,250

Tuition for EU/Overseas Students: £28,950 and £44,240

Living Expenses for All Students: £1,290 and £1,840/month

The school charges different fees for home (UK) students versus those it charges to EU or international students, which is a common practice. However, some UK students may be eligible to have their tuition fully covered via financial assistance – typically a loan sponsored by the government. But there are many more options and funding opportunities both for UK and international students available at Oxford, both internally and externally.

1. Crankstart Scholarships

This scholarships program is only available to students residing within the UK longer than five years. It is also meant for students who come from households earning less than £32,500 annually and require financial assistance to complete their studies. There is no separate application form for this scholarship, as all students who meet the base criteria:

• Be a resident of the UK for longer than five years
• Be earning their first undergraduate degree in the UK
• Come from a household earning less than £32,500

Will automatically be awarded the bursary, which also includes other benefits, such as mentorship opportunities, career guidance, but responsibilities as well. Scholarship recipients must complete up to 25 hours of volunteer work every year for the duration of their time at Oxford.

2. Oxford Bursaries for UK Students

Oxford itself also helps students pay for school, as it regularly awards bursaries to students who fit certain criteria, namely, household income level. Similar to the FAFSA application in the US, UK students admitted to Oxford must complete a Financial Assessment Form and submit it to Oxford. The school will then award non-repayable bursaries to UK students based on their household income level. The bursaries range in value from £1,000 (for the least disadvantaged) to £4,000 (for the most disadvantaged).

3. Simon and June Li Undergraduate Scholarship

This scholarship was endowed by Simon and June Li expressly to help students from Middle Eastern, Central and Southeast Asian nations enrolled in their third or fourth year who are pursuing a degree in Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division. But new students may also apply. The scholarship covers tuition and living expenses for one student, and is renewable for the entire course of study, provided the winning student maintains their academic standing and regularly reports on their progress to the scholarship foundation.

4. Palgrave Brown Scholarship

This is a partial scholarship offered by Oxford to students from Eastern and Central European nations who require assistance to complete their studies at Oxford. There are no restrictions on the course of study and students can use the scholarships for the duration of their studies, if they remain in good academic standing and continue to demonstrate financial need. Only one scholarship is awarded per year and the amount (£13,365/year) is intended to cover living expenses and other costs associated with studies at Oxford.

List of Majors at Oxford

The number of degree programs available to undergraduates at Oxford is small compared to the hundreds of options available to students thinking about how to get into UCLA or how to get into Stanford University . There are only four undergraduate degree possibilities offered in a number of different majors, with the four degrees available being:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA)
• Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA)
• Bachelor of Theology (BTh)
• Bachelor of Education (BEd)

However, all humanities, arts and language bachelor degrees offered at Oxford last only three years, but STEM students have the option to take a fourth year to receive a Master’s degree, rather than a BA. So, students majoring in biology can opt to either graduate with a BA (three-years), or a Master (four-years). The four-year option does not exist for non-STEM subjects, such as history or English.

But, should you pursue a master’s or PhD at Oxford, the graduate arts and humanities programs at Oxford require an entirely separate application process, which means writing an Oxford PhD proposal or graduate school statement of purpose , which are some of the admission requirements for the Oxford graduate school. The following majors are only a small sample of what the school offers, so make sure to check the website for more options and details about all the relevant admission requirements.

1. Biomedical Science 

Acceptance Rate: 9%

Grade and Course Requirements: A* AA or higher in two A-level math, chemistry, biology, or physics courses

Admission Test: Biomedical Admissions Test

Degree Options: BA or MBio

Written Work: No

Students who graduated from this program at Oxford were lucky, as 80% of graduates were either still studying the subject or found paid work associated with the degree. The Biomedical Science degree program offers students interested in a career in medicine or healthcare a solid foundation to build their knowledge of medical and biological science. The courses emphasizes both classroom instruction, lab work and research experience, especially in the optional fourth-year, which will give students more exposure to research practices and opportunities.

Acceptance Rate: 16%

Grade and Course Requirements: A*AA or higher in biology and either chemistry, physics or mathematics

Admission Test: n/a

Degree Options: BA or MBiol

One of the few science programs that do not require an entrance exam, students entering this program must register for the four-year Master degree, but can choose to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in their third year. If they decide to progress to the final fourth year, they must achieve above-average academic standing and maintain it. The program is intended to prepare both students new to biology and those who are already familiar for further study into more specialized areas such as cell biology, molecular biology or ecology. Students who do decide to continue into the fourth year are required to complete a capstone research project and choose a faculty member to show them how to write a master’s thesis proposal.  

Oxford University is a “city university” in that it does not have a main campus or building, but is rather woven into the fabric of Oxford (the city) itself, meaning elements of the university, be they lecture halls, classrooms, colleges, research centers, student residences and cultural buildings, are spread throughout the city. The most famous buildings associated with Oxford, such as the Bodleian, Radcliffe Camera, and the Sheldonian Theatre are used both by university students and everyday residents of Oxford.

The 39 colleges associated with the school are organizational as they are not associated with any particular department or program, and play host to several different programs. Students do not usually choose their college, but belonging to a college is a key part of being admitted to Oxford and they can choose one on their application. However, the school may often assign a student to a particular college so that all incoming students are evenly spread out throughout the college system.

Faculty and Alumni

There have been over 70 Nobel laureates associated with the University of Oxford with the earliest being in 1927, and the most recent being in 2022. Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize winner, earned a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Bill Clinton completed a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford and is the only US president to have attended. Close to 30 British Prime Ministers have graduated from the school, along with the man credited with inventing the internet. Stephen Hawking, T.E. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Indira Gandhi, and Thomas Hobbes are all graduates, as well.

Contact Information

Oxford Undergraduate Admission

University of Oxford

University Offices

Wellington Square

United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 1865 270000

The mission of the University of Oxford is to spread knowledge and learning throughout the world by any means. 

The university has a specific UK-based grading system, but each program at Oxford has its own specific grade requirement. The base requirement suggested by Oxford is a single A* or higher in an A-level course, which is the equivalent to a 3.0 GPA in the US. 

Despite its elite pedigree and international reputation, it is not impossible for anyone to get into Oxford, if they meet the requirements of their course, which is standard for entering any undergraduate program. UK students do have an advantage, as many more UK students are admitted than EU or international students. But the overall acceptance rate of 15%, which is about the same as the University of Cambridge, but much higher than another elite and international institution, Harvard University. 

No, Oxford is not part of the Ivy League, as that is a designation for elite schools in the US. However, Oxford is often rated as one of the top five universities in the world, according to the Times of London Higher Education World University Rankings. While, according to the Times Good University Guide, it is the number 1 university in the world, for almost eleven years running. 

Oxford looks for several qualities in candidates but it is most focused on your academic ability and passion for your particular subject.  

Yes, the school, or individual programs, all interview prospective students to determine their suitability for their particular program. Only select applicants are invited for an interview, meaning if you are not sent an invitation to interview then your application has been terminated. 

The school does have a college waitlist for all undergraduate admissions. But there are other acceptance options as well. Some students may be directed to a preparatory program or Foundation course that will help them attain the academic scores and intellectual stamina to attend the full degree course. Others are offered conditional acceptances so they must improve an aspect of their application the school has found to be lacking or wait until their final grades have been released. Open offers are for applicants who have been accepted into their program, but have yet to be accepted into a college, which is a requirement of attending. 

No, the school will not recognize any test results from the US, but each program at Oxford has its own admittance test, which all applicants must pass for entry into the program. The BMAT and TSA are only two of the tests required, as each program uses one in accordance to its subject matter. 

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• Majors & Careers
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• Student Life

How To Get Into Oxford in 2024 [The Ultimate Guide]

The University of Oxford is one of the most prestigious schools in the world, making the admissions process highly selective for aspiring students. People from all around the globe prepare from a young age with hopes of getting admitted into the university.

With so many students to compete against, your application has little room for error. This article will provide you with everything you need to know about the University of Oxford and its admission process, from GPA and letters of recommendation to the interview . 

Before we dive into how to get into Oxford, let’s take a look at Oxford’s history. We’ll tell you about the accolades associated with the school and why it’s in such high demand for students.

Table of Contents

About the University of Oxford

Located in Oxford, England, the University of Oxford is one of the world’s leading universities. Oxford is known as a premier research institution that produces top-tier graduates and scholars from around the world.

The school was founded in 1096, making it one of the oldest universities operating today.

The university’s rich history makes it a legendary and iconic destination for some of the most skilled students and faculty in academia. In addition, the university’s alumni base is vast due to its established history as a renowned institution.

Oxford is made up of 39 different colleges and six permanent private halls that function as independent components of the school, controlling their own admission processes, guidelines, and programs.

Instruction styles include lectures, hands-on learning experiences, labs, and more.

To understand more about the University of Oxford, take a look at some of the institution’s core data points :

• Total # of applicants
• 2022: 23,819
• 2021: 24,338
• 2020: 23,414
• 2019: 23,026
• 2018: 21,516
• 2017: 19,953
• Diversity of applicants in 2021 (based on out-of-country applicants)
• UK students: 59.2%
• EU students: 8.8%
• Non-EU students: 32.1%
• Average time of admission results released
• Total number of degree programs offered
• Total # of programs (i.e., – Economics, Psychology) : 53
• Total # of degree types (i.e., – PhD, Masters): Four – bachelor’s, master’s, diplomas, doctorates
• Acceptance Rate
• Average GPA accepted: 3.8
• Average GRE accepted: 160+

The University of Oxford is very competitive. You’ll need to have a plan to make your application complete and memorable so that you stand out from the pack.

Let’s walk through key elements of the application process from start to finish.

What Is the Acceptance Rate for Oxford?

The University of Oxford’s acceptance rate is around 15% – 17.5% for undergraduate programs and 30% for graduate students. 

In the UK system, you’ll need a first-class undergraduate degree with honors to get into Oxford as a graduate student. But if you’re a US student, what are the Oxford GPA requirements? The minimum University of Oxford GPA is around 3.7 out of 4.0. So, a 3.0 or lower GPA for Oxford won’t cut it.

How Oxford University’s acceptance rate compares to other top institutions:

Oxford’s acceptance rate for international students is comparable to its general acceptance rate, which is reflected in its diverse student population. Around 45% of the university’s student body and 65% of its graduate students are from outside the UK, with students coming from more than 160 countries.

Source: Oxford University Student Statistics , December 2021

Oxford’s Undergraduate Application Requirements

If you’re wrapping up high school and want to apply to Oxford, you’ve come to the right place.

But first, you need to be aware of the requirements for Oxford University and subsequent deadlines. One scheduling mistake can make or break your application. 

Oxford, like most universities, requires various supporting documents and credentials with the application, including: 

• Strong grades

Applicants should have an “A” average in their International Baccalaureate, A-level, International Course Equivalents, or Scottish Higher classes.

• Personal statement

This formal essay introduces you to the review board. Share information about yourself, your aspirations, and past successes.

As you write, maintain inspiration about what motivates you. You might even have a specific prompt or sample questions to answer in your personal statement.

• Admissions test results

You will need to take an admissions test as a part of the application process. Each major receives a distinct test — just check Oxford’s admission test webpage to find out more information. 

All applicants must register for the admissions test by September 30 .

• Written work

Written work demonstrates your analytical, logical, and writing skills. You might include sample essays and assignments from your high school education or any other personal written materials. 

Only certain courses require written work, so check to see what you should include when you begin the application process.

Starting Your Undergraduate Application Process

Let’s face it: the application process is overwhelming. It’s stressful trying to perfect everything in time for various deadlines.

But like everything in life, your Oxford application can be done one step at a time.

The University of Oxford recommends breaking down your application process into three broad steps:

• Choose a course

Think about your aspirations after graduation and narrow courses down accordingly. If you’re thinking about business, ensure you take prerequisite math courses in your first year. Each course has a different application process. 

You can also apply to more than one course, but you’ll need more time to fill out an entirely different application.

• Think about funding

Worried about saving enough for tuition? Oxford has funding sources and scholarships for you to consider. Plus, UK students can apply for government funding through loans or living cost subsidies. 

• Prepare to apply 

Course? Check. Funding? Check. Now you’re almost set to apply. Consult your chosen course’s admission requirements and prepare your application accordingly. Now’s the time to dot every I and cross every T. 

And before you submit? Get a peer, teacher, or mentor to review your submission documents. They’ll likely have fresher eyes to catch a mistake. 

But have you already earned an undergraduate degree? Let’s take a look at Oxford’s graduate program and what you need for acceptance. 

Oxford’s Graduate Application Process

Much like the undergraduate application process, Oxford’s graduate process is extensive. Whether you’re going to graduate school for an Oxford MBA or a different degree, your application must meet every requirement. 

Oxford will automatically reject incomplete applications. 

Requirements for your application vary by course, but most Oxford graduate applications require the following components:

• Official transcript

Your previous institution can send official transcripts directly to Oxford. These transcripts demonstrate your success and grades for your undergraduate education. 

• CV or resume

Your CV or resume showcases your professional endeavors, providing a glimpse at your work history, awards, and accolades.

This is your opportunity to not only show your skills but also how you used them to achieve success and drive value for businesses or organizations.

As stated above, your personal statement is a chance to share your story, motivations, and career objectives. Your graduate program application personal statement should be no longer than 1,000 words.

• Letters of recommendation

Each applicant should provide three letters of recommendation from an academic. You might ask a former professor, dean, or faculty member for the letter. 

• Application fee

Most programs require an application fee. 

Luckily, the fee will be phased out by the 2024-2025 school year to make the application process more accessible for all students. In previous years, the application fee was £75.

However, you might be wondering how to pick the right Oxford graduate course for you. Let’s explore some ways to narrow it down.

Selecting Your Graduate Course

Oxford offers over 365 graduate courses from various disciplines to choose from.

The courses fall under five distinct departments:

• Humanities 
• Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences 
• Medical Sciences 
• Social Sciences 
• Continuing Education

The application process differs on a course-by-course basis. Review each individual course page to understand specific requirements. That way, you’ll be prepared when the deadline approaches.

Additionally, Oxford graduate students will be assigned an academic supervisor to oversee their journey through the graduate program.

How Do Students Apply to Oxford as an American?

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get into Oxford as an American:

• Lay the groundwork. With a highly competitive admissions process, preparation is key. You’ll need to demonstrate a strong academic record as well as excellence in extracurricular activities.
• Check the admissions requirements. Review requirements well before the application deadline.
• Gather your application materials. You’ll need to submit academic records, a personal statement, and letters of recommendation. Check specific course requirements to ensure you don’t miss anything. 
• Pull together your standardized test scores. All US applicants must submit either SAT or ACT scores. The Oxford University SAT score minimum is a minimum of 1400. Likewise, Oxford looks for applicants with three or four AP exam scores of 5.
• Submit the application form. All UK universities use the centralized UCAS application system. Visit the UCAS website to fill out and submit the form.
• Complete the admissions test. Many Oxford courses require applicants to complete an admissions test . The tests are specific to the area of study, such as the Mathematics Admission Test and the Fine Arts Practical .
• Attend the interview. This is the final step of the application process, and only certain applicants reach this stage. The students with the strongest applications are invited to attend an interview with Oxford staff, usually tutors of your chosen subject.

Tips For Getting into Oxford

There is no data on the specific Oxford acceptance rate for US students, but we can assume it’s comparable to the overall admissions rate, which is highly competitive. Like other world-renowned educational institutions, Oxford’s requirements are fairly tough.

Follow these helpful tips to stay organized and improve your chances for acceptance: 

• Work hard to get the best grades and test scores. Although academics aren’t everything, Oxford certainly will look at your GPA and SAT/ACT scores.
• Read widely. Stay up-to-date on industry literature and news for your chosen course. This will help you channel knowledge and passion into your application. 
• Don’t overlook the importance of the UCAS application form. Be clear and concise while highlighting your achievements and qualities. Proofread and double-check your application to catch any errors.
• Write a winning personal statement. Use your personal statement to convey your drive, goals, and passions for your chosen subject. Try to show your individual personality as much as possible, too. 
• Ask the right people for letters of recommendation. Choose people who attest to your academic history and personal qualities in letters of recommendation. 
• Prepare thoroughly for the admissions tests. Take admission test courses and chat with an academic advisor to prepare as much as possible. 
• Let your personality shine through in the interview. Your academic and extracurricular achievements have gotten you this far. Now, it’s time to connect with the admissions committee on a personal level.

Understanding Oxford’s Colleges

Oxford has 39 colleges and six permanent private halls, each with assigned faculty, specialized courses, and like-minded students.

These colleges make a large university feel smaller, providing tight-knit communities of learners and doers. This creates a culture and community for students to grow and develop together.

Oxford highlights its colleges as a way to provide students with three critical value points: community, facilities, and support. With a tight-knit community, the colleges foster valuable interactions between students and gather new perspectives.

The top-notch and varying facilities set Oxford colleges apart from one another. Oxford offers support to students through tutors, engaged faculty, financial aid, and other resources.

Let’s take a look at four of Oxford’s most noteworthy colleges: Kellogg, St. Catherine’s, St. Anne’s, and St. Hugh’s.

Kellogg College

Kellogg College was founded in 1990 in an attempt “to make graduate study more open and accessible.” Graduate students completed the first program through the new college during the graduation ceremonies in 1992.

Kellogg College is the largest graduate college at Oxford, with the most international students and areas of study.

Students at Kellogg College come from more than 90 countries, creating a memorable learning community with a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and unique individual experiences.

St. Catherine’s College

St. Catherine’s College is one of the newest colleges at Oxford for both undergraduate and graduate students at the university. The college’s mission is “the pursuit of academic excellence and the enhancement of creative thinking.”

Despite being a “new” college, its history dates back to 1868, when it was originally founded as the “Delegacy for Unattached Students.” The goal of this delegacy was to create a place that didn’t exclude people based on the high costs of college admissions.

The college was officially founded in 1962, and it is now nicknamed “St. Catz.”

St. Anne’s College

St. Anne’s College has over 800 students, making it one of the largest colleges at Oxford. This college encapsulates many disciplines, including the arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, physical, life, and medical sciences.

The college was founded in 1879 and has been distinguished as a comprehensive college at the University of Oxford since 1952.

St. Anne’s emphasizes “forward-looking and outward-facing” research, encouraging students to take a collaborative approach to making new discoveries.

St. Hugh’s College

St. Hugh’s College , another one of the university’s largest colleges, spans 14 acres of Oxford’s campus located in North Oxford. The college was originally founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth. More than 800 students attend the college every year.

The college offers all of Oxford’s graduate programs, graduating prominent alumni with backgrounds in the arts, law, and politics.

Getting into the University of Oxford isn’t easy — but it’s not impossible. Just follow each program’s guidelines and keep our tips in mind. From there, you’ll learn how to get into Oxford in no time. 

Take your time completing your application and ensure you include every required document. Curious about other colleges and programs? Learn about remote study options through our guides to the best online master’s degree programs and top online PhD programs .

How To Get into Oxford University: FAQs

What gpa do you need to get into oxford.

US students will need a GPA of at least 3.7 out of 4.0 to get into Oxford.

Is Oxford Better than Harvard?

Oxford and Harvard are both world-renowned institutions with high standards of education. A qualification from either is sure to be well-regarded. The only way to separate the two universities would be to look at the specific program and faculty in your field or specialty of choice.

See our guide to how to get into Harvard for more information.

How Hard is it to Get Into Oxford?

Oxford’s admissions process is pretty tough, with a mere 15-17.5% acceptance rate. You’ll need to demonstrate a strong academic record, excellence in extracurriculars, and a passion for your chosen subject.

Lisa Marlin

Lisa is a full-time writer specializing in career advice, further education, and personal development. She works from all over the world, and when not writing you'll find her hiking, practicing yoga, or enjoying a glass of Malbec.

• Lisa Marlin https://blog.thegradcafe.com/author/lisa-marlin/ 12 Best Laptops for Computer Science Students
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• Lisa Marlin https://blog.thegradcafe.com/author/lisa-marlin/ BA vs BS: What You Need to Know [2024 Guide]
• Lisa Marlin https://blog.thegradcafe.com/author/lisa-marlin/ The 19 Best MBA Scholarships to Apply for [2024-2025]

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Application requirements

You need to submit your online application form and supporting materials by your chosen application deadline.

To apply to our MSc in Financial Economics (MFE) programme you need:

Undergraduate degree

• GMAT or GRE scores
• Work experience (preferred)

Kira Talent video assessment

• English language proficiency

You will also be required to pay a £100 application fee.

You should hold, or be predicted to achieve a first class or strong upper second class undergraduate degree (with honours), or the international equivalent. View the University of Oxford's  list of international qualifications  if you are unsure what the equivalent mark would be for your qualification.

• If your degree result is lower than this, it is very unlikely your application will be successful. 
• Your degree does not have to be in Finance or Economics, however it is important your quantitative skills are very strong and you can demonstrate these. At the start of the course all students are expected to have a working knowledge of calculus and should know the basics of vectors and matrices, probability, statistics, and econometrics.
• If you have a Master's degree, we will still look at your undergraduate degree as part of your application review. 

As evidence of degree results or current progress, we ask you to upload your university degree academic transcripts to the online application form. These must outline the subjects studied and grades obtained from each academic year. If you have only just begun your Master's degree and are unable to provide an interim transcript, you must still provide proof that you are enrolled on your course in the form of an official letter from your university. 

You must provide a valid GMAT or GRE (General) score prior to the deadline in order for an application to be considered. We do not provide GMAT or GRE waivers. 

For the 2022 class, the average GMAT score was 742, the average GRE quantitative score was 170 and the GRE verbal average was 165. However, these are not strict minimum scores. We recommend that applicants aim to score as highly as possible in their test.

• Please contact  GMAC / ETS  directly to arrange to take the test. We have no preference between the GMAT and the GRE.
• All sections of the GMAT/GRE must be taken in order to be considered valid.
• We will accept scores for the new GMAT Focus Edition test and we will continue to accept GMAT scores during the transition period.
• If taking the GRE, you must take the GRE General Test - we do not accept GRE subject tests.
• We will accept GMAT and GRE online scores but we have a preference for the in-person test where possible.
• You must upload a PDF of your official score report to the application portal by your chosen application deadline. It is not necessary to send us your official scores via the GMAC/ETS portal at this stage.
• GMAT/GRE scores are not valid if they are older than five years on the programme start date.
• You should aim to sit the exam at least 20 days before the deadline, as it can take this long for ETS/GMAC to release the score report to you.

Work experience

It is not mandatory to have any full-time work experience prior to applying to the programme. If you have any relevant experience, either full-time or via an internship, this will be considered as part of your application.  You are required to upload a one-page CV as part of your application.

Please complete the work experience section of the form in addition to uploading your CV to ensure relevant parts of your application are not overlooked.

Two academic or professional references submitted via the online application form.  

• If you are in the process of completing a degree programme, one reference must be from the institution which will award your final degree.
• We require references to come from a valid institutional or professional email address; we will not accept a reference from a Gmail/Hotmail/163 (or similar) address under any circumstances.
• We cannot accept references via any other channel than our official system, including by post or email.
• We do not accept references from friends or family members.

'What has attracted you to the MSc Financial Economics and how do you think the programme will support your five-year career plan?' (Maximum of 500 words.)

You will need to complete an online assessment as part of your application. The purpose of the test is to get a sense of your personality and see how you think on your feet. The assessment includes four motivation and competency-based verbal questions and one written question, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your motivations for undertaking the MFE and your relevant skills and qualities.

After submitting your application you will receive an email with instructions about how and when to complete your Kira Talent assessment. The link will also appear in your application portal.

You will be provided with preparation time and practice sessions before going live with your real responses. The whole online assessment should take no longer than 15 minutes for you to complete. All you need is a desktop or laptop computer with a webcam, microphone and stable internet connection.

English language capability

You will need to prove your English language capability through one of the below means if you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration*.

Completed degree-level course entirely in English

Proof of English language proficiency may be accepted at the discretion of the University, in cases where you have either:

• Successfully completed a full-time degree-level course of a minimum of nine months, at a recognised institution, where the medium of instruction and assessment was entirely in English. Evidence must be provided by submitting an official letter from your institution stating that the medium of instruction throughout your course was English  OR  by uploading transcripts from your institution, which clearly indicate that the medium of instruction throughout your course was English. 
• You have completed a degree in a majority English speaking country, as outlined by UK Visas and Immigration.*

In both instances, the course must have been completed within two academic years of the start date of the course to which you are applying.

If you are unable to provide a letter or transcript from a recognised institution stating that the medium of instruction throughout your course was in English,  or  you did not complete a degree in the countries listed below, you  must  provide a TOEFL or IELTS score.

A TOEFL score

Test of English as a Foreign Language® is a standardised test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enrol in English-speaking universities. The institution code for ordering your official TOEFL score sheet from ETS is 0807. There is no department code, this can be left blank. TOEFL scores will not be valid if they are more than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying.

• Minimum Score: 110
• Minimum required on each component: Listening - 22, Reading - 24, Writing - 24, Speaking - 25
• Test scores must all be achieved in one sitting; we do not accept TOEFL Best Score results.

An IELTS score

The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS™, is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. If you choose to take the IELTS you need to sit the academic test. IELTS scores will not be valid if they are more than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying.

• Minimum Score: 7.5
• Minimum required on each component: 7.0

A CAE score

The Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English, or CAE, is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers.  We will only accept scores which are less than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying.  If admitted you will be asked to supply an official copy of the certificate.

• Minimum Score: 191
• Minimum required on each component: 185

A CPE score

The Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, or CAE, is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers.  We will only accept scores which are less than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying.  If admitted you will be asked to supply an official copy of the certificate.

* UK Visas and Immigration Office English-speaking country list:

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Overseas Territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, USA. 

Please note, if you are a national of one of the above countries but either your first language is not English or you have not been living in a majority English-speaking country, you will still need to provide an English language test score to obtain a visa and meet the University's requirements.

What type of written work is required for my graduate application?

Some courses require one or two samples of your previous work. This will be stated in the 'How to Apply' section of the course page , along with specifications for the document(s). Please ensure that you submit documents that meet these specifications - note that you must not exceed the stated word limit. Written work not meeting the specifications on the course page may be removed, which will mean that your application is unlikely to be assessed.  Each piece of written work should be in English, unless you are applying to Modern Languages, where one sample may be submitted in a relevant foreign language. They should ideally be pieces you have written during previous University-level study, such as an essay, project, or extract from a dissertation, thesis or published paper. They should, as far as possible, relate to your chosen course. The samples do not need to have been marked.

Written work must be entirely your own work except where clearly indicated. For co-authored work, you must include the full list of authors and clearly indicate your own contribution, otherwise the work may be removed. 

For further information about samples of written work please visit our Application Guide.

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Undergraduate study

Why study music.

• Music in the colleges
• How to apply
• Admissions FAQs

Music has been part of the life of Oxford for more than 800 years. There are around 30 academic staff, of whom 15 give lectures regularly – scholars with distinguished reputations as musicologists, performers and composers. Oxford welcomes visits from numerous speakers and professional performing ensembles. Students enjoy performance and composition workshops, and play an active part in the life of the faculty and their colleges – in chapels, orchestras, ensembles, bands and stage performances, and in musical outreach to the broader community.

The faculty building incorporates practice rooms, electronic music and recording studios, and one of the best music libraries in any British university. The world-famous Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, housed in the faculty, lends historical instruments to students. The faculty also has a gamelan orchestra.

The course is broadly based but allows increasing specialisation and choice as you proceed. Whether you’re a performer, a composer, a budding scholar of music history, sociology, psychology or education, the Music course offers something for you. Students graduate as mature and well-rounded musicians with an informed and lively sense of the contemporary study and practice of the subject, and the ways in which music contributes to society more broadly.

The first year

In your first year (‘Prelims’), you will tackle a wide range of skills and topics as a broad introduction to the advanced study of music, but there is also the opportunity to choose particular options. Compulsory papers including Stylistic Composition, Arranging, and Transcription; Musical Analysis and Critical Listening, and papers looking at specific methodologies and historical topics. Options include composition, performance, writing an extended essay, and studying further practical skills such as conducting. 

The second and third years

In your second and third years (‘Final Honour School’) you have even more opportunity to choose options that particularly interest you. You will choose eight papers, which will include a range of historical and critical topics and an array of other papers, including Dissertation, Solo or Chamber performance. Analysis, Composition, Music Ethnography, Choral Conducting, Recording and Producing Music, and Music in the Community. 

For more information on the course structure and examinations see the main University website for music here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/music  

The Music course at Oxford gives students the opportunity to explore music as a rich and multifaceted part of human experience. Students explore case studies from history and musical practices from around the world, as well as using different methodologies to engage with music as a phenomenon, such as psychology, ethnography, and sociology. Moreover, students can develop practical musical skills in performing, composing, conducting, arranging, and writing about music. 

With such an array of transferable skills and experience, our graduates move on to a wide range of careers, including broadcasting, publishing, teaching, arts administration, law, politics, and the civil service. Many students undertake further study in performance, often at conservatoires in the UK and abroad. Rather than limiting your career prospects, a music degree opens doors to a wide range of careers both within and outside the arts.

“The Oxford music course suits me because it is broad and varied, but also has lots of space to make it my own. For my final exams I am sitting papers in broad aspects of music history (from English renaissance polyphony to electronic music), analysis, and issues to do with how we study music but I am also writing a dissertation about the music in a primary school near Oxford, essays on Brazilian music, and a report from the term I spent working on a music project with children with autism. I have friends who are playing the Rite of Spring for piano duet for a chamber music exam, who are singing Schubert Lieder for a solo recital, and who are analysing Bach organ fugues for an analysis portfolio – and those are just the people in my year in my college!” SARA H

“From playing for three evensongs a week to being immersed in the sound world of the Bosavi Rainforest people in Papua New Guinea, Oxford has been a fantastic experience so far. One aspect of Oxford’s music course that first attracted me was the diversity and the choice it gives students, particularly in the final year. I am currently studying a variety of history topics, ranging from the 13th-century motet to film music, along with some composition and analysis courses. I want to be a performer and knowing that I can choose to concentrate on this later in the course has helped me to focus my interests throughout the term.” OLIVIA

The varied nature of the course enables students to develop highly desirable skills in areas such as self-management, creativity, data analysis, performance, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication, all of which make them an attractive prospect for potential employers.

Teaching, performance and arts administration are among the popular destinations for music graduates, but others include broadcasting, publishing, law, politics and the civil service. Many students undertake further study in performance, often at conservatoires in the UK and abroad. Rather than limiting your career prospects, a music degree opens doors to a wide range of careers both within and outside the arts.

And take a look at the videos below for some examples of the opportunities a music degree has to offer.

Join us for the Faculty of Music Open Days on Wednesday 28th September, Thursday 29th September, and Friday 15th September! This is a great chance for future applicants to meet our staff, students, tour our Faculty, and ask any questions they might have. Whether you've already decided to apply for a BA Music, are on the fence, or are simply curious about music at Oxford more broadly, please do come along!

Find out more about the University Open Days  here.

You can also find out more at any time on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0IWMWbl1psr0SZPSRIzbIQ/videos

One of the things you might wish to do as part of your application is to choose a college. Colleges serve as your ‘home’: you’ll live, eat, and socialise in them, and you’ll probably also receive a large part of your teaching there.

23 colleges offer undergraduate music courses; they have much in common, but also differ in terms of age, size, location, and the facilities they offer. If you don’t have a preference, you can put in an open application and we will assign a college for you. Whichever college you end up at, you’ll be studying for the same degree as all the music students in your year, so college choice is really down to personal preference.

The 23 Oxford colleges offering music are:

Oxford seeks to attract the best and brightest applicants irrespective of background. There is no such thing as an ‘Oxford type’; in Music, we welcome students with a huge variety of musical tastes and experiences. The only two essential criteria are a dedication to and passion for your subject, and a dedication to learning. If you think you meet these criteria, then we are interested in you, and you should seriously be considering applying to us!

Qualifications

Applicants wishing to read music at Oxford from the UK will normally have taken or be about to take one of the four options below. The standard offer is given in brackets. 

•    A-Level Music plus two other A-level subjects (AAA) •    A-level Music Technology and Grade 7 or above Music Theory (any board), plus two other A-Level subjects. (AAA + Pass at ABRSM Music Theory 7+) •    Grade 7 or above Music Theory (ABRSM), plus three other A-Level subjects. (AAA + Pass at ABRSM Music Theory 7+) •    Equivalent qualifications such as Pre-U, Scottish Highers, and International Baccalaureate. More information on this can be found here

The Faculty of Music considers vocational qualifications in Music, such as the BTEC Extended Diploma in Music; however, an accompanying A Level in an essay subject is usually required as part of an offer.

The Faculty does not require qualifications in performance or Keyboard Skills, and no candidate should be dissuaded from applying if they have not studied a keyboard instrument. However, we encourage students to work on developing their keyboard fluency before they come to Oxford, whether this comes in the form of jazz, pop or classical music.

The Application Process

The deadline to apply for Undergraduate Study 15th October. 

UCAS Application 

All candidates wishing to apply for an undergraduate place at Oxford must submit a UCAS application online. UCAS is the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, the central organisation that processes all applications for entry to higher education in the UK. Applications for entry close in the October before the year you wish to commence studying. If you are applying for a choral or organ award, this process starts earlier in the year. You can find more information here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/choral-... For further details about the application procedure, including how to choose a course and a college, please refer to the Undergraduate Admissions pages of the University website.  

Shortlisting 

Candidates will normally be invited for interview (shortlisted) if they have met, or are predicted to meet, our standard offer of AAA at A Level with an A in Music (or equivalent). We will carefully consider additional circumstances such as access to music education, and educational disruption, in line with University procedures. 

Written Work/Performance

As part of your application, you will need to submit some written work and a recording of you performing. This will not be considered as part of shortlisting. Please submit:

• Two pieces of teacher-marked written work , The emphasis is on quality of thought, not on quantity, so each of the two essays should be around 1500 words. It is fine to submit an excerpt from a longer piece such as an EP essay. It is perfectly acceptable to send one Music essay and one from another subject if you choose to. 
• One or two examples of teacher-marked harmony and counterpoint  (e.g. Baroque chorale, 16th century counterpoint, 2-part invention, string quartet, Romantic songs, jazz realisation). We understand that not all candidates will have the opportunity to study this formally in school or college. We ask simply that you try and attempt an example. You may ask your school or instrumental teacher to help you find one, or use the one provided, with accompanying guidance, here:  Faculty of Music – Chorale harmonisation instructions.
• One or two short examples of original composition , which should be in some form of notated score. This is not compulsory.

All written work should be clearly titled and labelled with your name and must include the University cover sheet which can be found  here.

Please send your work to the admissions team of your first-choice college.  If you have submitted an open application, please send your work directly to the Faculty of Music. You can submit digital or hard copies, though digital copies via email are preferred. If sending digital copies, please ensure the files are clearly labelled with your name. If you submit your work in hard copy, each piece of work should have its own cover sheet and should be fastened together (not stapled). Please print on only ONE side of the paper.

In addition to the written work, please provide a 5-minute continuous video recording of a musical performance on your chosen instrument or voice.  Videos can be made on any device including mobile phones (file type .mov or .mp4). You will not be assessed on the quality of the recording. Please upload the video (file type .mov or .mp4) and a scan of the sheet music (.jpg or .pdf) to a shareable drive (for example, Google Drive) and submit this via this link. 

The deadline to submit the written work and performance video is early November (date confirmed on University website).

Applicants for Music are not required to register for a test. There is no written test for Music.  

The majority of Music applicants are interviewed over two or three days in December. Since the pandemic, interviews have been conducted online, and will be online again in 2022. Every Music candidate has a minimum of two interviews with two different colleges. This gives every candidate more than one opportunity to talk about their interest in Music and why they want to study at Oxford. The interview process all might sound rather daunting, but it should not put you off.  Most people who are invited to interview – whether or not they are offered a place – say how much they enjoyed the experience. We try to make it as comfortable for you as we can.

Interviewing tutors will consider: •    Knowledge acquired though a current or completed A Level Music course (or equivalent); •    Powers of reasoning: ability to reason and think critically; •    Communication: ability to engage in debate and use appropriate terminology; •    Potential to engage with the undergraduate course.

After the initial interviews, you may be invited for a third, panel interview with tutors. You will be given plenty of notice if this is the case during the Admissions period. Following the interviews, all tutors will meet and carefully consider every application based on: •    UCAS application (personal statement and reference) •    Results in GCSE or equivalent examinations •    Actual or predicted results at A Level or equivalent •    Submitted written work  •    Interview

You will be informed as to whether you have been offered a place in January. If you have further questions, you can look at our frequently asked questions on how to apply, or contact the Academic Administrator: [email protected]

Information on how the University is managing the COVID-19 pandemic in order to keep students and staff safe:  https://www.ox.ac.uk/coronavirus

Q1   Where can I get a prospectus? The University prospectus, which is revised every year, can be found on-line at:  https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/publications  .  The Music Faculty prospectus can be downloaded here.

Q2    Does it matter what other A Level subjects I am doing, besides Music? The Faculty of Music has no preferences regarding choice of A Level subjects, other than Music or Music Technology. However Extended Projects, General Studies or Critical Thinking qualifications cannot be part of the standard offer of 3 A grades at A level.

Q3   Must I have taken AS Music to apply to Oxford? No, although you must be pursuing (or have already taken) one of the four options below:

A-Level Music plus two other A-level subjects or the equivalent (e.g. International Baccalaureate)

If your school does not offer A-level Music: A-level Music Technology and Grade 7 or above Music Theory (ABRSM), plus two other A-Level subjects

If your school does not offer A-level Music or A-level Music Technology: Grade 7 or above Music Theory (ABRSM), plus three other A-Level subjects

If your school does not offer A-levels, you will need to take equivalent qualifications (including in Music); the University Admissions pages specify the standard you will need to attain.

Q4    Must I have A* grades at GCSE to be considered for Oxford?

Grades at GCSE are seen as an indication of likely potential at A level, but a certain number or proportion of A*s are not required.

Q5    I am a UK citizen, but instead of A Level’s I am doing the International Baccalaureate.  What is the minimum points level I need in order to apply? You will need to have a total of at least 38 points (including core points), with  6 6 6 at Higher Level including in Music.

Q6    How can I find out what are the educational requirements for EU and overseas students?  See the University’s International Qualifications list.

Q7   Is it true that you have to be at ABRSM Grade 8 standard as an instrumentalist or a singer to be considered for Music at Oxford? No. Solo performance is an optional subject, both at Prelims (first-year exams) and at Finals. For application to Oxford, keyboard skills at ABRSM Grade 5 standard are desirable but not essential. Many fine performers do study at Oxford and are able to incorporate performance as a significant element of their course.

Q8  To what extent can I offer performance as part of my degree? Up to 25% of your final degree can be performance-based.  The majority of first-year students offer performance as an option in Prelims (first-year examinations). There are other Finals options besides Solo Performance which involve elements of performance and performance studies, such as Choral Performance, Choral Conducting and Chamber Music. It is therefore possible for performance to form a major part of an Oxford degree; it is equally possible to take Prelims and Finals without performing at all!

Q9  Who are the instrumental and vocal teachers on the Faculty staff? Students are free to choose their own teacher.  They do not have to be based at Oxford. For example, you could choose to stay with a previous teacher. There are no instrumental teachers employed directly by the Faculty; however, the Faculty does keep a list of recommended local teachers.

Q10  What are instrumental awards? When do I apply for one? Many colleges offer scholarships to students who excel in performance. Students audition for these after entry to Oxford. They are not organized by the Faculty of Music itself.  See the section on  Instrumental Scholarships .

Q11  Do you have to be studying Music to receive a choral or organ award? No.  Applications for choral and organ awards are welcomed from applicants reading all subjects, although there may be restrictions placed by individual colleges on selected subjects.  Find about more about these awards  here ,  and do attend the Choral and Organ Award Open Day.

Q12  What scholarships are available at the Faculty of Music? There are no full fee scholarships available.

Q13  I cannot come to the Faculty open days. Is it possible to visit at any other time? The Faculty and University open days  offer a unique opportunity to meet with tutors at all the colleges admitting students to read Music, but much information can also be obtained online.

Q14  Do you run summer schools? The Faculty of Music participates in the University’s UNIQ Summer School, which offers an academic programme in Music to sixth-formers each July. Find out more about  UNIQ here .

Q15 I find the college system confusing. Can you explain what this means for a music student? The collegiate system can seem baffling to prospective students, but it is one of Oxford’s great strengths. The colleges are more than halls of residence: they are communities of academics, graduate students and undergraduates who interact with one another across subject areas to create the exciting environment which young musicians find so stimulating.  It is important to realise, however, that each college is not a sealed unit. An undergraduate is part of a close-knit tutor group under the academic supervision and pastoral care of a college tutor, and has the opportunity to participate in the musical life (instrumental and choral) of their college; at the same time our students are part of the University-wide musical community centred on the Faculty of Music.

Q16  Will my choice of college affect my chances of gaining a place? No. Although initial application is made to a college, the admissions process is centrally organised by the Faculty in order to identify the very best applicants. Tutors consider candidates as a group and exchange detailed information to ensure that the most able candidates are selected, regardless of the initial college preference. It is quite common for an applicant to be made an offer by a college which was not their first choice.

Q17  How is the teaching divided between the Faculty and the colleges?

Teaching is delivered through Faculty lecture courses, when students from all colleges meet for lectures, and seminars. This is supported by small-group tutorials in colleges when individual feedback and discussion of weekly assignments provide the stimulus for sustained academic development.

Q18  Is there such a thing as a ‘typical’ Oxford music student? Not at all. Oxford admits between 65 and 70 undergraduates each year to read music. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds and from various countries, and are admitted entirely on merit.

Q19  Do I have to play the piano in order to get a place. 

No, although it is recommended that you can play at a standard of grade V, many students can’t play the piano upon starting with us and develop these skills during the module Keyboard Skills. This module does not contribute towards your final degree. It is designed to help you develop different skills that you can go on to apply to other disciplines later. Your ability to play the piano should not put you off from applying.

• How to write a C1 Advanced Essay

• Posted on 26/02/2020
• Categories: Blog
• Tags: C1 Advanced , Cambridge Exams , Writing

The Cambridge C1 Advanced is an excellent qualification to aim for if you’re thinking of studying or working abroad. It’s recognised by universities and governments all over the world and also helps you prove your language skills to future employers.

One of the most demanding parts of the exam is Part 1 of the Writing paper, which includes writing an essay. For many of you, this won’t come naturally… especially in another language.

So, to give you the best chance at success, we’ve created this in-depth guide full of Cambridge C1 Advanced Writing tips and useful language to get you producing excellent essays in no time.

So, pick up your pen, and let’s get started!

If you’d like to get more help with the C1 Advanced, consider our exam preparation class!

C1 Advanced Writing Requirements

The C1 Advanced Writing exam has two writing parts, which you must complete in 90 minutes. Both parts have a word limit of between 220-260 words. We recommend getting lots of writing practice under these conditions!

Part 1 is always a discursive essay . It requires you to think about arguments for and against a topic.

Part 2 is a situationally based writing task. This could be a letter , an email , a report , a proposal or a review and you have three options to choose from.

Today, we’ll be looking at how to do your best in part 1.

Before you begin

When you turn over the paper and begin Writing Part 1, take some time to read the task instructions. Identify all parts of the question, underlining which parts are obligatory and noting which parts are optional.

Let’s take a look at an example question!

Remember, you don’t have to use the opinions expressed in the box, but they may help you to get the ball rolling . Also, you only have to talk about two of the options given, not all three.

Make a plan

Take ten minutes to lay out your ideas. Make a pros and cons list for each of the three options and then decide which two you feel most confident with. Here’s some things you might come up with, can you think of any more?

Structure your essay

The essence of a good essay is a clear structure.

Introduction

Here you want to introduce the topic in your own words. Your first line should also grab the reader’s attention, then you should paraphrase the question. Finally, try using a statistic or a rhetorical question. This will make them want to read on, right?

Paragraph 1

Discuss the first option you’ve chosen. Include a good topic sentence and remember to give reasons for your answer. Describe some of the advantages, and even some of the disadvantages too. This will give a well-balanced argument.

Paragraph 2

Here’s where you introduce the second option. Again, try to present both sides of the argument and give reasons for your ideas. Gradually work towards the conclusion.

State your final opinion. This should be a summary of the rest of the essay and point clearly to which option you think is the most important. Do not introduce any new arguments at this stage. The conclusion is where you tie-up any loose ends .

This is an advanced piece of writing, so make sure your choice of language reflects it. You will get marked for accuracy, however, occasional errors can still be present as long as they do not impede understanding. So don’t play it too safe . This is your opportunity to show what you can do, so take some risks and have fun with it!

In the writing paper you should use a range of vocabulary, including less common lexis. Brainstorm some vocabulary related to the topic. Take your time to think of nouns and compound nouns that you know at C1 level. Really let your vocabulary sparkle .

No one likes a broken record . Find synonyms for simple words. You want to use a variety of language, and try not to repeat yourself too much. Check out these different ways of saying the same thing:

advantage = benefit, positive, upside

disadvantage = downside, drawback

effect = influence, impact, result, outcome

problem = issue, challenge, difficulty, obstacle, setback, complication

important = valuable, essential, beneficial

expensive = costly, dear, high-priced, extortionate

cheap = inexpensive, affordable, economical

big = great, large, sizeable, considerable, wide, vast

small = slight, tiny, little

Quick tip: Visit Thesaurus.com to study more synonyms!

Experiment with different grammatical forms. At this level you’re expected to have a good grasp on the grammar. You should use a range of simple and complex grammatical forms with control and flexibility. So challenge yourself with some of these…

• Participle clauses
• Conditionals
• Modal verbs
• Passive with reporting verbs
• Cleft sentences
• Comparatives
• Relative clauses

Useful expressions

To make your essay flow it’s best to use some key phrases. These will link all your ideas together, and help it sound semi-formal. Take a look at the expressions below. Why not use some in your next essay?

Introduction:

It is often said that…

Many people feel that…

We live in an age when..

More and more…

Introducing & Addition:

Firstly, secondly, thirdly…

On the one hand…

In addition…

What is more…

For example…

For instance…

As a case in point…

Contrasting:

In contrast…

On the other hand…

Alternatively…

However…

Conclusion:

All things considered…

As far as I’m concerned…

In light of the above…

What the examiners are looking for

When writing your essay, bear in mind what you’ll be marked on:

Have you answered all parts of the question? Is everything relevant to the question?

Communicative Achievement

Is the style and tone appropriate? Remember it should be semi-formal and neutral.

Organisation

Does it follow a logical order? Have you used paragraphs and linking devices?

Are you using a variety of grammar and vocabulary? Is it accurate?

Now your masterpiece has come together. Remember to take time to check your work. Here’s the official Writing Checklist from Cambridge Assessment English . And our list of the most common mistakes:

• subject + verb agreement
• singulars / plurals
• question formation
• variety of tenses
• dependent prepositions

Some final tips

Avoid contractions (I’m, they’re, we’re) as this is a formal writing.

Don’t use first person pronouns (I, my, our, us).

Practise under timed conditions.

Use model answers to practise fixed expressions.

——

Looking for more help with your Cambridge C1 Advanced exam? Here are our other guides from our blog:

C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English – Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

And if you are not sure if you’re ready for the C1 Advanced, check out our article Am I ready for the C1 Advanced exam? to find out!

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Get the ball rolling (exp) : to start something.

Lay out (v): to explain something in detail.

Paraphrase (v): to say the same thing in a different way.

Tie-up any loose ends (exp): to resolve issues.

Play it safe (exp): to act cautiously.

A broken record (exp): when someone repeats themself.

Sparkle (v) : to shine.

Good grasp (exp): a good knowledge.

Bear in mind (exp) : to consider.

Masterpiece (n): an incredible work of art.

exp = expression

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Small Talk For Business English

• By: oxfordadmin
• Posted on 19/02/2020

Your Guide To Moving To The USA

• Posted on 04/03/2020

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Essay  COMPETITION

2024 global essay prize, registrations are now open all essayists must register  here  before friday 31 may, 2024.

The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum.

Entering an essay in our competition can build knowledge, and refine skills of argumentation. It also gives students the chance to have their work assessed by experts. All of our essay prizes are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford and Princeton, under the leadership of the Chairman of Examiners, former Cambridge philosopher, Dr Jamie Whyte.

The judges will choose their favourite essay from each of seven subject categories - Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law - and then select the winner of the Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject. There is also a separate prize awarded for the best essay in the junior category, for under 15s.

Q1. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?

Q2. Do girls have a (moral) right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys?

Q3. Should I be held responsible for what I believe?

Q1. Is there such a thing as too much democracy?

Q2. Is peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip possible?

Q3. When is compliance complicity?

Q1. What is the optimal global population?  

Q2. Accurate news reporting is a public good. Does it follow that news agencies should be funded from taxation?

Q3. Do successful business people benefit others when making their money, when spending it, both, or neither?

Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change?

Q2. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?

Q3. Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?

Q1. When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements?

Q2. In the last five years British police have arrested several thousand people for things they posted on social media. Is the UK becoming a police state?

Q3. Your parents say that 11pm is your bedtime. But they don’t punish you if you don’t go to bed by 11pm. Is 11pm really your bedtime?

Q1. According to a study by researchers at four British universities, for each 15-point increase in IQ, the likelihood of getting married increases by around 35% for a man but decreases by around 58% for a woman. Why?

In the original version of this question we misstated a statistic. This was caused by reproducing an error that appeared in several media summaries of the study. We are grateful to one of our contestants, Xinyi Zhang, who helped us to see (with humility and courtesy) why we should take more care to check our sources. We corrected the text on 4 April. Happily, the correction does not in any way alter the thrust of the question.

Q2. There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How?

Q3. What is the difference between a psychiatric illness and a character flaw?

Q1. “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” What could the speaker mean by “spiritual”?

Q2. Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm?

Q3. Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why?

JUNIOR prize

Q1. Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing?

Q2. Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism?

Q3. Is there life after death?

Q4. How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise? 

Q5. When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this?

Q6. Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies? 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & FURTHER DETAILS

Please read the following carefully.

Entry to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition 2024 is open to students from any country.

Registration  

Only candidates who registered before the registration deadline of Friday, 31 May 2024 may enter this year's competition. To register, click here .  

All entries must be submitted by 11.59 pm BST on  the submission deadline: Sunday, 30 June 2024 .  Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on that date. (Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on that date.)

Entry is free.

Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration). 

The filename of your pdf must be in this format: FirstName-LastName-Category-QuestionNumber.pdf; so, for instance, Alexander Popham would submit his answer to question 2 in the Psychology category with the following file name:

Alexander-Popham-Psychology-2.pdf

Essays with filenames which are not in this format will be rejected.

The candidate's name should NOT appear within the document itself. 

Candidates should NOT add footnotes. They may, however, add endnotes and/or a Bibliography that is clearly titled as such.

Each candidate will be required to provide the email address of an academic referee who is familiar with the candidate's written academic work. This should be a school teacher, if possible, or another responsible adult who is not a relation of the candidate. The John Locke Institute will email referees to verify that the essays submitted are indeed the original work of the candidates.

Submissions may be made as soon as registration opens in April. We recommend that you submit your essay well in advance of th e deadline to avoid any last-minute complications.

Acceptance of your essay depends on your granting us permission to use your data for the purposes of receiving and processing your entry as well as communicating with you about the Awards Ceremony Dinner, the academic conference, and other events and programmes of the John Locke Institute and its associated entities.  

Late entries

If for any reason you miss the 30 June deadline you will have an opportunity to make a late entry, under two conditions:

a) A late entry fee of 20.00 USD must be paid by credit card within twenty-four hours of the original deadline; and

b) Your essay must be submitted  before 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 10 July 2024.

To pay for late entry, a registrant need only log into his or her account, select the relevant option and provide the requested payment information.

Our grading system is proprietary. Essayists may be asked to discuss their entry with a member of the John Locke Institute’s faculty. We use various means to identify plagiarism, contract cheating, the use of AI and other forms of fraud . Our determinations in all such matters are final.

Essays will be judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. The very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind. Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful .

Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible.

The writers of the best essays will receive a commendation and be shortlisted for a prize. Writers of shortlisted essays will be notified by 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 31 July. They will also be invited to London for an invitation-only academic conference and awards dinner in September, where the prize-winners will be announced. Unlike the competition itself, the academic conference and awards dinner are not free. Please be aware that n obody is required to attend either the academic conference or the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London.

All short-listed candidates, including prize-winners, will be able to download eCertificates that acknowledge their achievement. If you win First, Second or Third Prize, and you travel to London for the ceremony, you will receive a signed certificate. 

There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US$2000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute's website. Prize-giving ceremonies will take place in London, at which winners and runners-up will be able to meet some of the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute. Family, friends, and teachers are also welcome.

The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship, which comes with a US$10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or visiting scholars programmes. 

The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

R egistration opens: 1 April, 2024.

Registration deadline: 31 May, 2024. (Registration is required by this date for subsequent submission.)

Submission deadline: 30 June, 2024.

Late entry deadline: 10 July, 2024. (Late entries are subject to a 20.00 USD charge, payable by 1 July.)

Notification of short-listed essayists: 31 July, 2024.

Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024.

Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024.

Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected] . Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query. In particular, regrettably, we are unable to respond to questions whose answers can be found on our website.

If you would like to receive helpful tips  from our examiners about what makes for a winning essay or reminders of upcoming key dates for the 2024  essay competition, please provide your email here to be added to our contact list. .

Thanks for subscribing!

The John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize is acknowledged as the world's most prestigious essay competition. 

We welcome tens of thousands of submissions from ambitious students in more than 150 countries, and our examiners - including distinguished philosophers, political scientists, economists, historians, psychologists, theologians, and legal scholars - read and carefully assess every entry. 

I encourage you to register for this competition, not only for the hope of winning a prize or commendation, and not only for the chance to join the very best contestants at our academic conference and gala ceremony in London, but equally for the opportunity to engage in the serious scholarly enterprise of researching, reflecting on, writing about, and editing an answer to one of the important and provocative questions in this year's Global Essay Prize. 

We believe that the skills you will acquire in the process will make you a better thinker and a more effective advocate for the ideas that matter most to you.

I hope to see you in September!

Best wishes,

Jamie Whyte, Ph.D. (C ANTAB ) 

Chairman of Examiners

Q. I missed the registration deadline. May I still register or submit an essay?

A. No. Only candidates who registered before 31 May will be able to submit an essay. 

Q. Are footnote s, endnotes, a bibliography or references counted towards the word limit?

A. No. Only the body of the essay is counted. 

Q. Are in-text citations counted towards the word limit? ​

A. If you are using an in-text based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

Q. Is it necessary to include foo tnotes or endnotes in an essay? ​

A. You  may not  include footnotes, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. You should give your sources of any factual claims you make, and you should ackn owledge any other authors on whom you rely.​

Q. I am interested in a question that seems ambiguous. How should I interpret it?

A. You may interpret a question as you deem appropriate, clarifying your interpretation if necessary. Having done so, you must answer the question as directly as possible.

Q. How strict are  the age eligibility criteria?

A. Only students whose nineteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. In the case of the Junior category, only students whose fifteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. 

Q. May I submit more than one essay?

A. Yes, you may submit as many essays as you please in any or all categories.

Q. If I am eligible to compete in the Junior category, may I also (or instead) compete in another category?

A. Yes, you may.

Q. May I team up with someone else to write an essay?  

A. No. Each submitted essay must be entirely the work of a single individual.

Q. May I use AI, such as ChatGPT or the like, in writing my essay?

A. All essays will be checked for the use of AI. If we find that any content is generated by AI, your essay will be disqualified. We will also ask you, upon submission of your essay, whether you used AI for  any  purpose related to the writing of your essay, and if so, you will be required to provide details. In that case, if, in our judgement, you have not provided full and accurate details of your use of AI, your essay will be disqualified. 

Since any use of AI (that does not result in disqualification) can only negatively affect our assessment of your work relative to that of work that is done without using AI, your safest course of action is simply not to use it at all. If, however, you choose to use it for any purpose, we reserve the right to make relevant judgements on a case-by-case basis and we will not enter into any correspondence. 

Q. May I have someone else edit, or otherwise help me with, my essay?

A. You may of course discuss your essay with others, and it is perfectly acceptable for them to offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses in your writing or content, leaving you to address them.

However, no part of your essay may be written by anyone else. This means that you must edit your own work and that while a proofreader may point out errors, you as the essayist must be the one to correct them. 

Q. Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to win a prize? ​

A. Nobody is required to attend the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London. But if we invite you to London it is because your essay was good enough - in the opinion of the First Round judges - to be at least a contender for First, Second or Third Prize. Normally the Second Round judges will agree that the short-listed essays are worth at least a commendation.

Q. Is there an entry fee?

A. No. There is no charge to enter our global essay competition unless you submit your essay after the normal deadline, in which case there is a fee of 20.00 USD .

Q. Can I receive a certificate for my participation in your essay competition if I wasn't shortlisted? 

A. No. Certificates are awarded only for shortlisted essays. Short-listed contestants who attend the award ceremony in London will receive a paper certificate. If you cannot travel to London, you will be able to download your eCertificate.

Q. Can I receive feedba ck on my essay? 

A. We would love to be able to give individual feedback on essays but, unfortunately, we receive too many entries to be able to comment on particular essays.

Q. The deadline for publishing the names of short-listed essayists has passed but I did not receive an email to tell me whether I was short-listed.

A. Log into your account and check "Shortlist Status" for (each of) your essay(s).

Q. Why isn't the awards ceremony in Oxford this year?

A. Last year, many shortlisted finalists who applied to join our invitation-only academic conference missed the opportunity because of capacity constraints at Oxford's largest venues. This year, the conference will be held in central London and the gala awards dinner will take place in an iconic London ballroom. 

TECHNICAL FAQ s

Q. The system will not accept my essay. I have checked the filename and it has the correct format. What should I do?  

A. You have almost certainly added a space before or after one of your names in your profile. Edit it accordingly and try to submit again.

Q. The profile page shows my birth date to be wrong by a day, even after I edit it. What should I do?

A. Ignore it. The date that you typed has been correctly input to our database. ​ ​

Q. How can I be sure that my registration for the essay competition was successful? Will I receive a confirmation email?

A. You will not receive a confirmation email. Rather, you can at any time log in to the account that you created and see that your registration details are present and correct.

TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR SUBMISSION

If you are unable to submit your essay to the John Locke Institute’s global essay competition, your problem is almost certainly one of the following.

If so, please proceed as indicated.

1) PROBLEM: I receive the ‘registrations are now closed’ message when I enter my email and verification code. SOLUTION. You did not register for the essay competition and create your account. If you think you did, you probably only provided us with your email to receive updates from us about the competition or otherwise. You may not enter the competition this year.

2) PROBLEM I do not receive a login code after I enter my email to enter my account. SOLUTION. Enter your email address again, checking that you do so correctly. If this fails, restart your browser using an incognito window; clear your cache, and try again. Wait for a few minutes for the code. If this still fails, restart your machine and try one more time. If this still fails, send an email to [email protected] with “No verification code – [your name]” in the subject line.

SUBMITTING AN ESSAY

3) PROBLEM: The filename of my essay is in the correct format but it is rejected. SOLUTION: Use “Edit Profile” to check that you did not add a space before or after either of your names. If you did, delete it. Whether you did or did not, try again to submit your essay. If submission fails again, email [email protected] with “Filename format – [your name]” in the subject line.

4) PROBLEM: When trying to view my submitted essay, a .txt file is downloaded – not the .pdf file that I submitted. SOLUTION: Delete the essay. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “File extension problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

5) PROBLEM: When I try to submit, the submission form just reloads without giving me an error message. SOLUTION. Log out of your account. Open a new browser; clear the cache; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Submission form problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

6) PROBLEM: I receive an “Unexpected Error” when trying to submit. SOLUTION. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If this resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Unexpected error – [your name]” in thesubject line. Your email must tell us e xactly where in the submission process you received this error.

7) PROBLEM: I have a problem with submitting and it is not addressed above on this list. SOLUTION: Restart your machine. Clear your browser’s cache. Try to submit again. If this fails, email [email protected] with “Unlisted problem – [your name]” in the subject line. Your email must tell us exactly the nature of your problem with relevant screen caps.

READ THIS BEFORE YOU EMAIL US.

Do not email us before you have tried the specified solutions to your problem.

Do not email us more than once about a single problem. We will respond to your email within 72 hours. Only if you have not heard from us in that time may you contact us again to ask for an update.

If you email us regarding a problem, you must include relevant screen-shots and information on both your operating system and your browser. You must also declare that you have tried the solutions presented above and had a good connection to the internet when you did so.

If you have tried the relevant solution to your problem outlined above, have emailed us, and are still unable to submit before the 30 June deadline on account of any fault of the John Locke Institute or our systems, please do not worry: we will have a way to accept your essay in that case. However, if there is no fault on our side, we will not accept your essay if it is not submitted on time – whatever your reason: we will not make exceptions for IT issues for which we are not responsible.

We reserve the right to disqualify the entries of essayists who do not follow all provided instructions, including those concerning technical matters.

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Free English Lessons

Fce (b2 first) writing exam (essay) – video.

Download PDF

In this lesson you can learn how to write an essay for the Cambridge FCE exam , step by step.

You’ll see exactly what to do at each stage in the fce writing essay section, and how to get the best possible fce score ., there are four steps to the writing process. you’ll see what to do at each step, then you’ll learn how the writing is assessed., 1. how to analyse your fce writing essay task.

First, you need to read the FCE writing essay task and identify exactly what needs to be included.

Let’s look at a sample question:

You’ve recently had a discussion in English class about society. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view.

University should be free for everyone. Do you agree or disagree? Notes 1. Taxes 2. Opportunity 3. Your own idea

So, what do you need to do? Most importantly, you need to say if you agree or disagree that university should be free for everyone.

You also need to use all the notes and give reasons for your point of view. That means your essay needs to include three central ideas: taxes, opportunity, and one other.

It also means that you need to reach a clear, justified conclusion. You can’t just say, ‘I agree’, or ‘I disagree.’ Think of it like this: you need to convince the examiner that your conclusion is correct.

You might think at this point, ‘yeah, obvious, thanks for the help, Kasia!’ Trust me; it’s harder than it sounds. Many FCE essays that we see don’t get these basic things right. It’s very easy to leave something out, or to go in the wrong direction.

Next, you’re writing this answer for your teacher so what style do you think it will be in? Formal or informal?

An essay should be formal. What does that mean?

Formal writing doesn’t use contractions, like ‘I’d’, ‘you’re’ or ‘don’t’. Write the full forms. You should also avoid using slang, colloquial vocabulary, or anything which sounds very conversational.

Next, think: what do you need to include?

You need to talk about taxes, opportunity, and you also need to add your own idea.

Even the ideas which are given to you—taxes and opportunity—are quite vague. That means you need to decide exactly what to talk about.

You also need to think about how to connect your ideas.

For example, with taxes you could say that if you pay taxes, then this should go back into society to benefit everyone. You could add to this by pointing out that having equal opportunities also benefits society. And for your own idea, you could talk about how people with higher education are more likely to be economically productive.

This is just one example, of course! There are many paths you could take.

Let’s talk about that in more detail.

2. How to Plan Your FCE Writing

Here’s what you need to do when you plan your writing for the FCE writing essay.

First, you need to decide what your conclusion is going to be. Are you going to agree or disagree that university should be free for everyone?

Decide your conclusion first, because everything else in your essay needs to lead to it.

Secondly, you need to plan how many paragraphs you’re going to have, and what you’ll put in each one.

Thirdly, you need to make sure your paragraphs are connected to your conclusion.

Let’s see an example:

• Taxes – parents pay taxes so children should get education. Children will pay taxes in the future.
• Opportunity – education creates more equal society. Higher standard of living for everyone.
• Economy – educated workforce helps the economy grow.
• Conc. – agree with statement

Pause the video if you want some more time to read the plan.

You can see that we use the key idea of ‘education’ in the notes for each paragraph. Doing this can help you to stay focused and on-topic, because you’re connecting each paragraph back to the main idea of the question.

When you plan, make sure that each paragraph has a clear focus.

Every good paragraph starts with a topic sentence, which summarises the main point of the paragraph.

The sentences which follow are called supporting sentences. These include reasons and examples to support your topic sentence.

A good exercise during planning is to take a paragraph and think to yourself: “What’s this paragraph about?”

If you can answer that question in one simple sentence, then that’s a good sign. Hopefully, your plan is clear. However, if you can’t answer that question, that shows that your plan isn’t totally clear in your head.

Once you’ve finished your plan, you’re ready to write your answer!

3. How to Write Your Answer

In your candidate answer book, you will now write your essay.

Let’s look at a model answer:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if the university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity, and the economy.
• Firstly, a proportion of taxes should go to education. Some might say if you can afford university, then you should pay for it. But, this doesn’t take into account the fact that higher earners pay higher income tax so they are already contributing more.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunitys for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation it makes the playing field more level.
• In addition, having an educated workforce is proven to help the economy grow. The more people with degrees there are, the higher the standard of living for everyone. So, more people will be able to pay taxes to fund the education of future generations.
• In conclusion, free university ultimately benefits all members of society.

Pause the video to read, and start again when you’re ready.

First question: have we answered the question?

Yes: the conclusion states that ‘free university benefits all members of society.’ This shows that we agree that university should be free for everyone.

Next: have we used topic sentences?

Yes, we have. The first sentence of the essay tells you what the entire essay will be about.

Then, each paragraph’s topic sentence contains a key word from our plan. We have ‘taxes,’ ‘opportunities’ and ‘economy’.

Also, the topic sentences and paragraphs all reference the idea of ‘education’, either directly or indirectly. This shows that our points are relevant and connected to the task.

So, now you’re finished, right? No–there’s one more step. This answer is not bad, but it could be better.

4. How to Check and Improve Your Answer

The final step is to check your answer.

What type of things do you think you should look for?

Grammar, of course, but what else?

Check for spelling mistakes. Check for style—have you used any conversational language which doesn’t fit the tone of an essay like this?

Check your use of linking words and phrases. Many students overuse them; don’t use a linking word like nevertheless unless you’re sure it fits.

Check for repetition of vocabulary. Could you replace any simple vocabulary with something more advanced?

Look at our model answer again:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if the university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity and the economy.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunitys for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation * it makes the playing field more level.

The bold words are either mistakes, or they could be improved somehow.

How would you improve this? Pause the video while you read and decide.

The first problem is with grammar. Unless you’re talking about one specific university, you don’t use the.

Okay, what’s wrong with doesn’t? We’ve used a contraction! Don’t use contractions in your essay. So, it should be does not.

The next problem is a spelling mistake. When a word ends in ‘y’, it changes to ‘ies’ in the plural: opportunities .

Next is a punctuation mistake. There’s a comma missing. There are two clauses in this sentence and they need to be separated by a comma.

There’s nothing wrong with people with degrees but it’s quite basic. What else could you say?

You could say educated people, or even highly-educated people, either of which is slightly more elegant.

So is not a mistake, but we used so in the second paragraph already. You want to show the examiner your range of language, so here you could use something more precise like consequently.

Our conclusion is only one sentence, so let’s add an extra point. We’re still under the maximum word count. This could help us to state our opinion more clearly.

Let’s change it to:

• In conclusion, free university should be free for everyone. It makes economic sense and ultimately benefits all members of society.

Here’s the final version of our essay:

• There are many factors to consider when deciding if university should be free or not. Among these are taxes, equality of opportunity, and the economy.
• Firstly, a proportion of taxes should go to education. Some might say if you can afford university, then you should pay for it. But, this does not take into account the fact that higher earners pay higher income tax so they are already contributing more.
• Secondly, by making university free for all, it creates more opportunities for those from low-income backgrounds. Although they may still have difficulty meeting other costs such as accommodation, it makes the playing field more level.
• In addition, having an educated workforce is proven to help the economy grow. The more highly-educated people there are, the higher the standard of living for everyone. Consequently, more people will be able to pay taxes to fund the education of future generations.

At this point, it’s looking good! Next, let’s focus on what you can do to produce a good FCE writing essay which will get a high score in your exam.

5. How to Improve Your Score

Your essay score is made up of four parts. For each part, you get a score from zero to five.

• Content – how well the candidate has fulfilled the task
• Communicative Achievement – how appropriate the writing is for the task
• Organisation – how well the writing is put together
• Language – focuses on vocabulary and grammar

First there’s Content . The mark scheme says this “focuses on how well you have fulfilled the task”. In other words, have you done everything you were asked to do?

This corresponds to step one of our writing process. Analyse the task carefully and make sure you do everything it asks you to. A good tip is to underline the key words in the task to help you identify what you need to do.

Next there’s Communicative Achievement . This “focuses on how appropriate your writing is for the task”.

Have you used the correct register? Have you used contractions? Basically: does your essay look and sound like an essay?

Then we have Organisation . This looks at “how the writing is put together”. Is it logical and organised? By planning your writing carefully, it will already be organised. Remember to plan your paragraphs carefully and write a clear topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

You can also use linking words and phrases to make the connections between paragraphs even clearer.

In our essay, we used many linking words, including firstly, secondly, in addition, although, consequently and in conclusion. Look through the essay again, and note how the linking words and phrases are used. Can you find any more examples of linking words in the essay?

Finally, you have Language : vocabulary and grammar. The examiners will be looking for a range of language as well as how accurate it is. In step four, you saw how checking your essay can improve your language.

Are you worried that making mistakes will affect your mark? Of course, making a lot of mistakes will lower your mark, but remember this is only one part of your score.

For B2 level, the Cambridge mark scheme says, ‘Occasional errors may be present but do not impede communication.’ That means you can still score 5 from 5, even with some small mistakes.

But, hopefully, you’ll catch most of them when you’re on step four – checking and improving your answer.

You’ve seen how to write an essay for FCE, but you can use the same process for other Cambridge exams, including the CAE and CPE when you get that far.

Good luck with your exam preparation and let us know when you pass! Thanks for watching!

Keep practicing with more Free English Writing Lessons from Oxford Online English!

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