The ELAT: Our Guide to the Oxbridge English Admission Test in 2024
The English Literature Admissions Test or ELAT as it is commonly known is the pre-interview test for applicants to English undergraduate courses at Oxford and Cambridge. Places at these prestigious universities have always been highly sought after and, because the process of interviewing is lengthy and time-consuming, the ELAT serves as a kind of filter. Your performance on this test dictates whether or not you’re called for interview. I’ve been preparing candidates for the ELAT and interview for over a decade now. I also went through the process myself - these are my top tips for preparing for (and passing) the ELAT.
1. Don’t overthink it
Boiled down to its most basic level, the ELAT is a compare and contrast. The kind of activity we English teachers start dishing out around years 8 and 9. You’ve got to take two texts and think about the ways in which they are similar and the ways in which they differ. Of course, the texts are more difficult, of course, the stakes are high, but so too are the rewards and at this stage it’s really important not to mystify the whole process, not to view it as some obscure rite of passage administered by scholars robed in academic gowns. In point of fact, the tests are marked by external examiners and the results are then given to the admissions tutors. So take a deep breath and don’t overthink it.
2. It’s not what you read, it’s how you read it
The admissions tutors of Oxford and Cambridge will take it as a given that you read a lot. Really. You wouldn’t (shouldn’t) be applying to study English if you didn’t possess a genuine love of literature. And that love can only be expressed in a voracious appetite for books. I say this to my students a lot: you can’t fudge it. If you want to show your interviewer you love literature, you need to read a lot.
But the ELAT isn’t testing how much you’ve read. That’s the interview. The ELAT is there to check that when you read, you read critically. You should be thinking of the form the writer has used (it is a poem, play, novel?), how he or she has structured it (is it an epic poem or a sonnet? Is the play in two or three acts? Is the novel narrated in the first person or third person?) and then…and this really is where the candidates who will be invited to interview identify themselves, why these features are important, what effect they have on the reader, what purpose they serve in the text as a whole.
3. Practice makes perfect
http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/tests/elat
https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/elat/about-elat/
All the information you need on marking, assessment objectives and what examiners are looking for can be found on the websites above. You’ll find plenty of past papers. But first, a couple of points to bear in mind: the first is that the test changed in 2018. Prior to that, candidates could choose two or three passages to compare. That is no longer the case and candidates are now only required to compare two passages. Even if you feel like comparing three, you shouldn’t.
The second thing to remember is that when you open certain past papers you’ll find passages that have been omitted for copyright reasons. Just work with what you have. As I said earlier, the ELAT is all about how you read a text so in theory you should be able to compare anything with anything. But, if you feel daunted by this, start by hunting through the papers and choose one that you think you can tackle. Confidence is important and when you’re preparing for something like the ELAT. It’s good to start by feeling good.
4. Read and then read again
So you’ve chosen your past paper and you’re ready to have a go. This is where we get into the technicalities of how to tackle the paper. I should start with a disclaimer: this is just how I teach my students, other teachers will take a different view, but I believe, very strongly, you should read all the passages. Not too fast and not too slow. We’re not talking skim-read, but neither are we talking ponderous meander through the sentences. This first read is all about instinct: you’re looking for the two passages that stand out, that clamour for your attention and the only way you’ll be able to identify them is by reading from start to finish. Once you’ve done that, once you’ve made your selection, you should read the two passages again but this time with a pen in your hand and more slowly. Underline, annotate, highlight…do whatever you need to do when you spot something, anything to do with your overall theme. Keep your theme (it will be identified on page 3 where the texts are listed) at the very forefront of your mind. You are mining your two passages for anything to do with that theme. Look for peculiarities of language: has the writer used metaphor, direct speech, exaggerated description and to what effect? You’re going to need this detail in a moment, but at this stage of the paper, just underline and annotate.
5. Plan
It’s number five here but that’s purely chronological. In terms of importance, it should be number one. You must plan. When I say this to students I’m working with they tend to nod their heads sagely. Like we are speaking the same language. They agree. They’ve been told to plan their answers for years. But the reason why you plan your response to the ELAT is the same reason you take a hammer to a coconut. All the good stuff is on the inside. It’s the same with your plan. Your plan is where you sub-categorise. Your plan is where you take the big theme given on page 3 and start sub-categorising. For example, in the 2019 paper, candidates were given parting as a theme. Take a hammer to parting and you’ll end up with fragments like circumstantial parting (due to war for example) or the parting of a parent and child. You might look at professional parting or romantic parting. There are many themes (fragments of coconut) and these themes will form the paragraphs of your essay.
6. Ideas, not features of language
You should have about five or six really solid points to make. As you move through the points of your plan, you should be using the features of the passage to illustrate the points you’re making. Personally, I think this is really important and it’s how I prepare my students. I tell them to lead with the idea. For example, imagine one of the points I’m making is about the emotional pain of parting with a lover due to circumstances beyond the characters’ control. I would lead with that idea and then I would start pulling in evidence from the passage (the things I underlined in step 4), perhaps including a really close description of the loved one’s uniform or the steam enveloping the platform to underline the fact that when saying goodbye, sense triumphs over understanding, proximity over abstraction, that knowing why a person must go does not make the experience any easier to bear. Do you see? I’ve led with my point but I’m using the language - the text itself - to support that point. Not the other way around.
7. Dove-tail
Which brings me on to my next tip. Dove-tail. If you don’t know what I mean, Google it. You’ll probably find lots of images of wooden pieces interlocking with one another. Dove-tailing means to fit two items together easily and in terms of an English essay it means to move between two or more texts confidently and fluently. If you make a point about one text, you should then move on to the other. Do not cover one text in the first half of your essay and the other one in the second half. Your essay should be a balance of both texts. That’s why the decision you make in step 4 is so important. You need to select passages you can really write about. They have to have mileage for you.
8. Conclusion
At the end, after you’ve written your final, concluding sentence, try to leave enough time to read through the whole piece. You might find yourself adding the odd comma or word to clarify a point but above all, you’ll be pleased you gave yourself enough time to do so. But, whatever happens, remember that when it’s over, it’s over. You deserve to stand up, go outside and congratulate yourself on having completed it. Good luck!
By Elisa (U2 ELAT tutor & Secondary teacher at Cheltenham Ladies’ College)
Are you looking for support for your ELAT / wider Oxbridge English preparation?
U2 Tuition offers ELAT admissions test preparation, as well as wider Oxbridge Mentoring programmes (book a free consultation to discuss options). We have a large team of Oxbridge-educated English mentors including 1st Class, Master’s and PhD level graduates. U2 supports students through each stage of the Oxbridge entrance process, including offering extensive admissions test preparation, personal statement support and interview practice.
The Process:
1) We suggest an Oxbridge English graduate as a mentor and send their full CV for review. Our mentors are deeply familiar with the admissions process to study English at the University of Oxford and Cambridge, and are well-placed to guide you through personal statement curation, the entrance exam and interview process. We may suggest a range of application tutors to choose from with slightly differing rates depending on qualifications and level of experience.
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 application, including test and interview. Following this, we issue a report with feedback, and structure a plan to best prepare.
3) U2’s approach for regular English application sessions: The main focus of tutorial sessions will be to explore material that can be discussed in the personal statement and at interview - this may sometimes stretch from A-Level standard to First Year Undergraduate. Mentors ensure each student refines their interests within English Language/ Literature, and is exposed to a range of literary approaches and new concepts, guiding students in their reading and wider subject exploration. Together, we build a case for the student, solidifying the stance and direction they will take during interview and honing skills for the ELAT if applicable.
Frequency of sessions can be decided between student and mentor. Students can take either ad hoc sessions, or we structure a full programme for preparation, which may include further co-curricular opportunities such as our research projects, English summer school and Oxbridge mock interview days. Honing the skills necessary to succeed for Oxbridge ideally requires long-term preparation and mentoring presents a wonderful opportunity to learn from some of the very best Oxbridge has produced. We also provide GCSE, A-Level or IB English support if needed.
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