How to Approach the Cambridge MML Admissions Test: Our Updated 2024 Guide
THE BASICS OF THE MML TEST
There are 3 courses at Cambridge for which you might need to sit an admissions test for Modern and Medieval Languages (henceforth shortened to MML) at Cambridge. It takes place on the day of your interview, at the College to which you have applied. Unlike Oxford, where all admissions tests are organised at the University level, individual Colleges at Cambridge are able to decide for themselves what the precise makeup of their assessment will be. In this instance, however, the test is the same no matter which College you select (though there is a bit of cross-College variation for joint-honours courses like History and ML; see below). In summary, though, you will need to sit the MML Test if applying for:
• The MML course itself : in this case, it is the only assessment you will sit, and it is obligatory for all Colleges.
• Some language combinations for Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES): Students applying for Persian, Hebrew, or Arabic can choose to combine one of these with a European language, provided that you are already studying that European language at A-Level, IB Higher Level, or equivalent. All Colleges offering this option will require the MML Test for the European language. Some Colleges will also require another test for AMES, which is outside the scope of this article.
• History and Modern Languages: you will need to sit the MML Test for all Colleges. Many Colleges additionally require an assessment for History (often, this is the History Admissions Assessment), which is also outside the scope of this article. There are slight differences in the History + ML Test format if you are applying for an ab initio language (i.e. if you are not already studying the target language at A-Level etc.), which will be discussed at the end.
With the exception of ab initio languages for History and ML, the language test format is exactly the same for all 3 options above. The particular language you write in does not affect the questions - so the information below should be applicable to all applicants, and will not favour any one language over the other.
Cambridge University provides advice of its own available on this webpage here. This includes information on how to prepare for the test in this PDF, and also offers (at time of writing) four practice papers and a mark scheme. When preparing for the test, Cambridge’s information should be your first port of call. What follows in this guide is re-enforcement, suggestions, and additional advice to supplement the useful pointers that Cambridge have already provided.
WHAT DOES THE MML TEST LOOK LIKE?
The test itself is very regular in its form, and lasts an hour. You are given a text in English, a text which presents an argument, and are asked two questions (which are identical in all the papers issued by Cambridge):
• Section A - 40 minutes: “What are the main points of the author’s argument? Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.” This is worth 32 marks and is written in the target language.
• Section B - 20 minutes: “How does the writer persuade us of his/her point of view? Please give examples from the text to support your answer.” This is worth 16 marks and is written in English.
At Cambridge, all of these courses (except History and ML) require study of at least one European language which you are already taking at A-Level, IB Higher Level, or equivalent. This is the language you should write in for Section A - so, if you are applying for just one European language, the choice is made for you. Arabic and French? You will need to write in French. History and (post-A Level) Spanish? Write in Spanish for Section A.
If you are applying for MML and currently study both languages at A-Level or equivalent, pick only one of them to complete section A - the choice is yours!
Students applying for a beginner’s language should not attempt to write in the beginners’ language. For example, if you are applying for post-A Level German and beginners’ Russian, you must write in German. Don’t try and write in Russian in that situation! It’s not allowed, and you’d only be making your life way more difficult anyway.
Remember that section B is to be written in English, and not in the target language.
WHEN TO START PREPARING
The summer before your exam is a good benchmark. Whilst some of the skills you will need (e.g. analysing a text-based argument) are the sort of thing that you can gain over time, it is worth waiting until the summer before your exam before tackling a full paper. This is because learning a language is an accretive process: the longer you study, the more familiar with the language you become, and thus your writing will become gradually more sophisticated. Let’s say you are in the middle of Year 12 / Lower Sixth. Would you be able to write in Italian as well as you are at the start of Year 13 / Upper Sixth? Probably not! Feel free to give a mock test a go, of course, but bear in mind that your language skills will improve in the months ahead - so factor that in, and don’t be hard on yourself if you find it tricky.
However, you could have a look at one or two tests in advance of that date. It is possible to get accustomed to the type of text that is selected, and to think about how you would answer the questions. Fluent writing in the target language is something you need to demonstrate in Section A, yes, but in fact only 16 of the 48 marks are devoted to your use of the language. It’s a hint that Cambridge are actually looking for other skills as well - things like comprehension, analysis, argumentation, and organisation. These skills absolutely can be sharpened at any time - and we’ll discuss how below, section by section.
We’ll approach each section with a focus on two main sources: the mark schemes that are available, and our interpretation of what the test is expecting you to do. As a reminder, though, it is 100% advisable to read through information provided by Cambridge as well.
SECTION A
The mark scheme is fairly user-friendly and specific here, and it is looking for two main skill sets which are given equal weight (i.e. 16 marks apiece):
• Comprehension of the text, an ability to summarise it, and responding to its ideas
• Complex and sophisticated use of the target language
We’ll take each of these in turn, but before this, remember: there is no need to panic when given the text! It is never particularly long (less than a page of A4), and you are expected to write only about 250 words in the language. If you write at a speed of just 10 words per minute, this will only take 25 minutes - meaning that you would have 15 minutes to absorb and understand the text, and to plan a response (yes, planning matters). This isn’t necessarily a target for which you should aim - this will depend on your reading speed, writing speed, and confidence in writing in the language. Part of your practice should be to find a balance that works for you.
Comprehension, Summary, and Response
The 16 marks available for this are in turn segmented into 4 subsections - all worth 4 marks. We’ll follow this structure below:
• Comprehension (4 marks) and Summary (4 marks). These have been put together, as you will be demonstrating these more or less simultaneously in the response. The mark scheme asks for clear comprehension of the text, and summarising what it says. There is only one way to achieve this: do not rush, and read the text. Annotate it, even if this feels like it’s eating some of your time. The alternative is that you might realise, halfway through writing, that you have misinterpreted something, but it’s too late. Not ideal. Here’s what to do:
• Isolate and mark the key points in the author’s argument (you don’t need to provide an opinion yet! That’ll come later).
• Explain them to yourself - i.e. use your own words to express the same idea. You can do this in English, or in your target language - whatever works for you. This isn’t about translation: this is about expression. How would you put the idea into your target language? Make some rough notes for yourself - but don’t start on the essay yet, you will need to arrange them (see below).
• Keep in mind that you’re talking about someone else’s writing - so reflect this. Make it explicit when you’re reporting an opinion, so use phrases like “The author states” or “According to the text” in your target language, to make the examiner’s job easy.
• Organisation (4 marks). This is why it is recommended to wait before arranging your points - a whole 4 marks are available to this! Ensure that your summary points are laid out in a logical order (often this will be the order the text uses), and present them in that logical order. A good general template is to follow the pattern of the question: summarise the points, and then turn to whether or not you agree with the argument (and why).
• Response (4 marks). This might feel like relatively few marks for your reaction to the passage. We could infer from this that Cambridge is merely asking for an “intelligent and cogent” (their words) response. It is not so important what that response comprises. Or, in other words, you do not need to worry about whether you are giving the “right” response - instead, your aim should be merely to provide a response, and to justify it.
• This response may be (dis)agreement and illustration of ideas directly from the text. Why do you think the author is (in)correct?
• It may also be an example (or counterexample) from your lived experience or background knowledge. This is equally suitable for use and discussion, provided that it is thematically linked to the author’s argument.
• Either way, the key is to be “convincing” (a word used in the mark scheme). This means that you should not just state an opinion, but justify it. Illustrate and substantiate.
• You are almost certainly familiar with the point - evidence - explanation pattern for writing argumentative essays. Feel free to use it here, if you like. The opinion is your point, the evidence is your example (either from inside or outside the given text), and the explanation is why you believe this supports/refutes the author’s argument. It’s a short pattern, but that’s OK - the essay is short too! You will find that 250 words is an easy target to hit.
• If you have multiple opinions, that’s fine too - and include them if you can, but (to ensure high marks in “Organisation”) prioritise them. Take the best of them, illustrate them well, and explain why they are convincing to you. If that means you spend all your time arguing and illustrating only one point, that’s completely fine.
Unsure how to allocate the 250 words? Should it be half for the summary and half for the response? Or should it be more for one of them? There is no definitive answer for this. It depends on the complexity of the ideas presented (some need more explaining than others), so it’s a bit of an unknowable. Though bear in mind that only 4 marks are for “Response”, whereas “Comprehension” and “Summary” get 4 each. This might indicate that you are expected to write a little more for these two, but this is not hard evidence. Go with your gut, depending on the paper. Provided that you can explain the text clearly, and provide a mature and justified response to the text, any ratio should be fine.
Use of foreign language
This is your chance to show off, and it’s the bit that’s specific to your linguistic ability. The key thing to keep in mind here is this: the test is going to reward ambition. It is preferable to go for some real complexity if you can, and what “complexity” means will vary from language to language. The advice from Cambridge is clear: if you aim for something sophisticated and it isn’t quite right, that’s preferable to playing it safe and going for a grammatically correct (but boring) means of expression.
You will know what this means in your target language. For Spanish, for instance, this will mean use of the subjunctive. For German, this might be capable use of subordinate clauses. It depends. You do not need to worry if the text ends up being mostly in the present tense - the advice from Cambridge states that this will likely be the case - but there are ways you can inject other tenses from time to time as well; see below.
As before, we’ll look at each of the 4 subsections of the mark scheme in turn:
• Communication of Ideas (4 marks). What this means is that you’ve made a solid attempt to replicate the text’s argument in the target language. A lot of this is about holding your nerve. Whilst you might happen to know the precise word that you want to transfer the idea from English, it is not always possible (and thus not always expected). Don’t be daunted. What alternatives do you know to phrase the same (or very similar) thing? Go for that. Low marks in this bracket are given if there is “little attempt” to put forward the text’s ideas - so grab the bull by the horns, and give it a go.
• Range of vocabulary (4 marks). This one is pretty self-explanatory. Don’t be safe and repetitive! Get some variety in there. Instead of “the author states”, use things like “says, implies, suggests, argues” or “According to the author”. You’re probably used to doing this anyway, thanks to other long-form pieces you’ve written in the target language.
• Complexity of language use (4 marks). Again, you will need to draw on your familiarity with the target language here; What would count as a complex sentence? Use it, and exhibit it. One way you could do this, no matter the language, is to pop in a few tenses beyond just the present. Why not write “I would say that…”, or “I will argue that…” when discussing your response? This gets you a future and a conditional tense. Put in a past tense: “The author implied that…” or “If this were (not) the case…”. Many European languages make use of a subjunctive mood of the verb - bung it in too. This really is a case of “the more, the merrier”, so stuff your writing with as many as you can.
• Note that all the examples above in quote marks can almost certainly be used in any response, no matter the topic. They’re theme-agnostic, and they’re learnable in advance. Find a few of these all-purpose little phrases with a variety of tenses, moods, and grammatical structures, memorise them, and have them ready to deploy in any essay.
• Accuracy (4 marks). It is interesting that this is a subsection of its own. It’s also quite freeing. It means that other things - a varied vocabulary, diverse tenses, and complex grammatical structures - can be attempted even if you’re not sure you’ll get them 100% right. Even if there’s an error, you can still be rewarded for demonstrating knowledge of (and use of) sophisticated language use. There’s no reason not to try. Of course, try to be as accurate as possible. But it’s far from the only thing; in fact, it’s a minor thing. The full 4 marks can be achieved with “only occasional” errors - so they’re not expecting perfection. Instead, be bold - and aim for high-flying writing.
In short, there are plenty of reasons why you should aim high when it comes to writing in your language. Have a few fancy all-purpose phrases with a variety of tenses and structures, and use them. Show off your vocabulary, and think of ways to express the text’s ideas with the words you have - and if you don’t have the right words, devise an alternative way to put forward the same meaning (don’t throw in the towel and Ieave those ideas unsaid!). Accuracy is nice to have, but worries about errors should never dissuade you from trying to use a complex phrase. At this point, you’ll probably have been studying the language for several years - let that experience crystallise, and show the examiners as much as you possibly can.
SECTION B
This 20-minute section is all about identifying, evaluating, and exemplifying the techniques that the writer uses in the text. It’s worth clarifying that this isn’t about what you think of the technique, nor whether you think they’re used successfully! It’s tempting to say so, but there’s no space for it in the mark scheme. The task is actually a little easier than that; it’s much more about finding and illustrating the techniques. This is actually what you’ll spend a lot of time doing at university, so the test is giving you a sneak-peek of sorts at that.
What you don’t need to do is have an arsenal of specialist terminology. That’s not what the exam is trying to investigate. Your time would be better spent getting used to spotting the stylistic and rhetorical techniques used, instead of trying to learn their names (there’s plenty of time for that at university!).
Cambridge’s advice gives you some pointers on where to look. How did you know that the main points that Section A demanded were the main points? What made them stand out? What type of language was used? What was the structure of the passage? As we’ll see, the marks are split into the customary 4 sections - half for what you find, and half for how you present these findings.
• Analysis (4 marks). What the mark scheme seems to prize here is noting and analysing “a range of techniques”. As with variety in your writing above, the more, the merrier … but there’s a catch. You probably won’t be able to discuss all the things you notice; you’ll need to collate them (see “Organisation” below) and rank them. Start with the ones you consider most important or effective, to ensure that you can talk about them fully.
• Note that the mark scheme is asking for analysis, and not just a list. Remember the question: “How does the writer persuade?”. Let’s say that the text uses alliteration to make a key point. OK, good - that’s half the battle. But why is that so persuasive here? Is the text especially emotive and prone to slightly poetic flourishes? Does the text frequently rely on the sounds of words to underscore key points? Explaining the effect of a technique is what will earn high marks here - it’s the difference between mere identification and deep analysis.
• Evidence (4 marks). Essentially, what the examiners are looking for is an amount of substantiation to your claims. The point - evidence - explanation pattern we mentioned earlier? It can be relevant here too. Through the point and the explanation comes analysis, and the evidence is, well, evidence.
• Pick the strongest example that you can find. Or, even better, if you can find two similar (or related) examples or techniques in different parts of the text, add them both; this will show that you have organised and prioritised the techniques that you’ve noticed.
• Expression (4 marks). This one is fairly hard to pin down, as it’s more an assessment of your pre-existing writing style in English. The general advice for writing in your target language applies here: show off the style and writing ability that you’ve built up over the years.
• My advice is: you’ll need to make a small plan for this. Cambridge explicitly instructs you to plan. It’s not going to be sufficient to fling points together and hope for the best. You’ll need to know your destination before setting off, and that will require a bit of…
• Organisation (4 marks). This is why the planning matters so much here. Once you have the ideas you’d like, collect them and arrange them (by type or by effect, whatever works) - in order of importance. Cambridge are looking for a complete essay here - maybe shorter than what you’d usually write, but one that is clearly not incomplete. This might mean jettisoning an example or two, which is why that ranking process is so important. To repeat: know your destination. This will allow you to create something neat, and to show that you are able to work to a time limit whilst still conveying the key analyses you have made.
• Having a plan will automatically help with your expression: you will know what you want to say, when to say it, and how much time you have to do so. It will force you to tighten your writing, making the answer itself much more fluent.
• As with any style of essay (and yes, this is a particular style) it takes a few tries to get it right. The practice tests will help you to get there. Run out of time on the first try? That’s OK. Think about what you’ve written - did you get around to your key points? Are there times where you went beyond analysis into opinion, and can you eliminate that? Are there points where your writing is a little uncontrolled and thus time-consuming? Aim to avoid that in the next paper.
To finish this discussion of Section B, remember to stick to the time limit. It is not too difficult to manage 250 words in Section A, and a structure is implied in the question. Section B is different. It’s up to you to create a convincing and logical structure for your answer, and it is your responsibility to give yourself enough time to execute it. So don’t be tempted to spend all of your time perfecting Section A. The advice from Cambridge is surprisingly emphatic: they want a complete essay here, one with structure. It is always evident when this kind of essay is rushed - so be disciplined, and ensure that you have enough time to write what you need. It’s 20 minutes for a reason.
“I’VE RUN OUT OF PRACTICE TESTS!”
No problem! What’s good about this test is that it’s completely possible to make mock tests of your own. Remember, the questions do not change - so it’s about finding suitable texts on which to practice. Look to editorials from newspapers (good newspapers, of course!) or from magazines focussed on current affairs or politics. But there are other candidates. You could try a discursive blog post. Or a philosophy text (one written for the general public, not a hardcore academic text!). You could even use transcript extracts from podcasts. After taking the official mock texts, you will be able to recognise the sort of “themes” and issues that are common on the test - and will thus be able to find a suitable “practice text” fairly easily. Remember, your aim is to get accustomed to summarisation, expression in the language, and identification of persuasive techniques - meaning that the quality/suitability of a given text is less important than how you react to it.
THE HISTORY + ML TEST FOR ab initio COURSES
This section is relevant only if you are applying for History and ML, and if the target language is ab initio (i.e. you are taking it from scratch) (skip to the next section if not relevant). The test is still an hour, and still has 48 marks. And, in fact, the first component of the test is identical to the MML Test described above! The questions mentioned in the What does the test look like? information are still there, still the same - all that has changed is that you need to write entirely in English. For the mark scheme, the table which allocates 16 points for writing in the foreign language is gone; in all other aspects, it is unchanged. So have a look at the info above, as it’s still 100% relevant for this part of the test - just in English instead. It is recommended to take 30-40 minutes to answer this component.
The final component is what’s new. 16 marks are available, and you should spend 20-30 minutes on it. You will be presented with sample phrases in a fictitious language, invented especially for the test, along with a few basic hints for how the fictitious language works. Your task will be to identify vocabulary in the language, to identify grammatical particles (e.g. nouns, verbs, subjects and objects) in the language, and to translate from/into the language. This might sound daunting and alien, but it’s not! It’s even rather fun.
This is similar to the Language Aptitude Test (LAT) used for a number of languages at Oxford. We at U2 Tuition have a blog post devoted entirely to that test, which we recommend reading to get some deeper analysis and pointers for this style of exam task. At time of writing, the number of mock History + ML Tests on Cambridge’s website is limited, with only one practice paper. For the text-based component, use the standard MML tests. As a substitute for the final component, we recommend using Oxford’s LAT tests as a replacement. You will find the format slightly different, but the required skills are the same. You will also find that they are slightly longer and can be more challenging - whilst Oxford requires the same skills, the questions in the paper do become progressively more complex (and you get more time to complete it). If you like, you need only complete the first two rounds of data on the Oxford LATs for sufficient practice. This seems to offer a comparable level of difficulty.
AFTER THE TEST
In non-Covid years, the test takes place at interview. This is a positive in its way - it means that you won’t have time to fret over it before the next stage of the application is upon you! What this shows us, though, is that the test is only one of several components in the application process - though it, along with the interview, is one of the final ones.
The test is not necessarily easy - as we’ve seen in this rather long article (congrats on making it to the end!), it requires quite a lot of skills: expression, perception, and a bit of self-control. But there are practical things that can be done in advance, in order to give yourself the best shot at it. The main thing it boils down to is: practice, and preparation.
On the plus side, though, the texts you are given are usually fairly fun and interesting! Approach them with a mind that’s open and receptive to the argument, keep a clear head, and remember your preparation - that way lies the best chance of showing yourself at your strongest.
How Can U2 Help Prepare You For the MML & Wider Cambridge Languages Application (e.g. Interview Preparation, Summer School, Research Projects)?
U2 offer admissions test preparation either as part of our wider Oxbridge Mentoring programmes or as separate ad hoc tuition (book a free consultation to discuss options).
The Process:
1) We suggest a Cambridge graduate as a mentor and send their full CV for review. Many of our mentors have studied at Master’s or PhD level and are deeply familiar with the admissions process to study Languages at the University of Cambridge, and in particular the entrance exam and interview process.
2) We typically suggest beginning with a 1.5 hour informal assessment/ taster session, where the mentor will informally assess the student’s current performance level for test (and interview if required). Following this, we issue a report with feedback, and structure a plan to best prepare.
3) We structure a plan for preparation
Frequency of sessions can be decided between student and mentor. The mentor will curate a plan for preparation that tackles areas of weakness identified in the preliminary session.
Wider Languages Application Support
U2's Oxbridge programmes aim to advance students to the level required for success at interview through regular tutorial sessions and specific admissions preparation (for personal statement, admissions test & interview). In sessions, students are expected to orally communicate, defend, analyse & critique ideas or solve problems, in conversation with the tutor, as in an Oxbridge tutorial. This readies students for the challenging entry process and provides them with the tools needed to stand out amongst other strong candidates.
We offer some of the most comprehensive support available at present, with an entire interactive online platform, Minds Underground, built to take care of all students' co-curricular needs in preparation for university application and future careers, including research projects, masterclasses and summer schools. Check out our Languages Summer School and Languages Hub for ideas for wider subject exploration over the summer application preparation period!
Sessions from £70/h, or we customise wider application programmes (quote on enquiry).