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Submitting written work

Submitting Written Work

The courses listed below require you to submit additional written work with your application.

If you are invited to interview, this written work will be read by your interviewers and it may be discussed in one of your interviews at the discretion of the interviewers.

Submitted written work should usually be essays or project work written at school as part of your A-level (or equivalent) study. It should be marked by your teacher and should be a certified copy of the original. You are not expected to produce new work especially to accompany your application.

We do not have a set word count. However, we usually expect essays to be around 2-3 pages if typed (single-space) and 3-5 pages if handwritten (depending on the size of the handwriting). Due to time-constraints surrounding the admissions process, we cannot accept longer work than this.

All submitted written work should be accompanied by a completed cover sheet, available at the bottom of this page.

Unless stated otherwise, submitted written work should be in English.

Written work should be submitted to the Academic Office via the Applicant Documents Upload Form.

The deadline for submission of written work is 2 November 2023.


Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic

Two essays on a historical or literary topic.


Archaeology

One essay, with a word limit of up to 1500 words (can be an extract from an EPQ). Ideally this should be on a historical topic, but this is not essential. 


Architecture

Applicants for Architecture should submit a PDF (6 A4 pages, and less than 15MB in size) of their own artwork prior to interview. The selection of images should, in part, reflect material you might bring to interview as part of your portfolio. Please visit this page for more information.


Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Applicants for AMES are not required to submit written work unless they are proposing to combine with a European language, in which case they should submit one piece of work in the European language they intend to study.


Classics (3yr and 4yr)

Two pieces on Classical topics, usually written work part of A-level studies. At least one should be in essay format.


Design

Applicants for Design should submit a PDF (6 A4 pages, and less than 15MB in size) of their own artwork prior to interview. The selection of images should, in part, reflect material you might bring to interview as part of your portfolio. Please visit this page for more information.


Education

Two pieces of written work. This should be in essay format (not science coursework or a timed exam) and can be extracted from an EPQ.


English

Two essays on subjects studied at school. At least one essay should have a strong literary component.


History

Two essays on a historical topic. These should be two essays which you found interesting, and need not necessarily be those judged best by your teachers, since the choice of essay topics will be taken into account by the College historians as well as their quality.


History and Modern Languages

Two essays, ideally in the form of marked school essays, at least one of which should be on a historical topic. If applying for a post A-level language, one of these should be in
the language you intend to study.


History and Politics

Two essays that you feel relate in some way to the course. At least one should be on a historical topic.


Human, Social, and Political Sciences

Two essays or recent pieces of A-level course work that you feel relate to the course.


Modern and Medieval Languages

Two recent examples of writing (an essay, for example) completed for school, one of which should be in one of the languages you intend to study at university. The pieces must be dated school work which have been marked by a teacher.


Music

One recent essay, and one piece of harmony or composition work.


Psychological and Behavioural Studies

Two school essays or recent pieces of project work that you feel relate in some way to the course.


Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion

Two essays. These do not have to be on a theological topic, but it is helpful if they bear some relation to the subject.


The following courses do not require you to submit additional written work:

  • Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (unless combining with a European language)
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • Engineering
  • Geography
  • History of Art
  • Land Economy
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Natural Sciences
  • Philosophy
  • Veterinary Medicine

Please do not send or bring any written work additional to that requested above: if you do, it will not be considered by the interviewers or Admissions Tutors, and cannot be returned.