All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown in how to apply. The information below gives specific details for students applying for this course.
Written work
Candidates are normally required to submit one piece of work in the target language to be studied, and one piece in English. Please read below for further details.
Written work in the target language
All candidates must submit one piece of marked classwork, normally a few hundred words in length, written in each language which you plan to study, and in which you will have A2 (or an equivalent standard) before university, by 11 November 2013. This will demonstrate to interviewers how you are developing in your use of the target language(s) in work you have completed in the normal course of your A2 (or equivalent) study.
If you are applying for a language in which you will not have reached this standard before university, you do not need to submit anything in that language.
Written work in English
All candidates must also submit one piece only of marked writing in English. The particular topic of your essay and the A-level (or equivalent) subject from which it is drawn are not important; it is intended to show how you construct an argument and express your ideas in English.
If you do not have any recent marked work written in English (for example, because of the combination of subjects you are currently studying), you may submit a separate piece of work, such as an essay in English on one of the topics you have been studying for your language A-level (or equivalent). It may be helpful to seek guidance from your teachers in devising a suitable title. In such circumstances, it would not normally be expected for this piece to have been marked, as it will not have been done in the normal course of your studies. As detailed in the selection criteria for Modern Languages, all submitted written work is considered in the context of the individual circumstances in which it was completed.
Examples of written work required for different subject combinations
So, for example, if you are applying to study French and German, you
will need to submit three pieces of written work: one in French, one in
German and one in English. If you are applying to study Spanish and
Beginners' Russian you will need to submit two pieces of work: one in
Spanish and one in English.
Please see further guidance on the submission of written work.
Written tests
All candidates must take the Modern Languages Admissions Tests (MLAT), normally at their own school or college, on 6 November 2013. Separate registration for this test is required and the final deadline for entries is 15 October 2013. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that they are registered for this test.
Please see further information about written tests.
What are tutors looking for?
Tutors will be looking for a good command of the grammar of any language you have already studied at school and want to continue studying at Oxford, as well as an interest in literature and culture.
Tutors want to find out as much as possible about your intellectual interests and academic potential, so you may be asked about your reading, your interest in the culture of the relevant country, or the work you have submitted. You may be asked questions about a short passage in English or the relevant foreign language(s). You will be given the opportunity to speak in the relevant foreign language(s) which you have studied to an advanced level. As far as possible, interviewers will try to let you show your strengths, interest in the subject(s) you intend to study, and reasons for applying to Oxford.
Selection criteria
Candidates may wish to refer to the selection criteria for Modern Languages.
