We're not looking for polished, finished writing, but for an idea of how you approach literary work and the kind of things you like to think about.
Dr Sophie Read
Applicants for English upload two pieces of written work by a deadline in early November as part of the application process.
Not all international applicants take a qualification like A level English Literature, so this page is for you, to explain what we are looking for in your essays.
When and how will I upload the work?
There'll be a written work upload deadline in early November. You'll be asked to upload two pdf files, each containing a piece of written work with a completed coversheet as the first page. The exact deadline, the coversheet and the upload tool will all be provided in the Christ's College current applicants section, published on 20 September.
Don't worry too much about the practicalities of uploading your work before you apply. The important point is to understand what kind of work we will be looking for so that you can make sure you have appropriate essays available when needed.
What kind of written work is needed?
We will ask you for two pieces of marked, relevant school work a literary topic that interests you. Your work would normally discuss a piece of English (language) literature, however we can be flexible if the literature you have written on is from another language and culture.
If you have written essays at school in a language other than English, we are happy to accept a translation as long as you also include your original essay at the end. In this case, we encourage you to also add a 500-word comment in English on what you have learned from doing the essays and what the particular challenges were. Details of how to organise these elements in the pdf with your coversheet will be given in the current applicants section once available. =
If you are planning an application but do not have appropriate essays available, please write two short essays (1,000 - 1,500 words would be ideal) on a literary topic that interests you, This could be an extended book review; an analysis or appreciation of a poem or other short text you've read; or an argument about a literary question.