[2] ELAT was developed by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing in partnership with the University of Oxford.
Candidates applying to study English remain required to send samples of written work.
[4] ELAT is a 90-minute computer-based test, which seeks to measure those skills needed to succeed on English or English-related degree courses.
It assesses candidates’ close reading skills and their ability to shape and articulate an informed response to unfamiliar literary material.
Applicants are expected to comment on elements such as the language, imagery, allusion, syntax, form and structure.
Candidates are asked to carry out the following task: Select two of the passages (a) to (f) and compare and contrast them in any ways that seem interesting to you, paying particular attention to distinctive features of structure, language and style.
For both Oxford and Cambridge, a full breakdown of marks for each candidate is provided to admissions tutors.
[7] The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge use ELAT as part of their admissions processes, but it is only one of the elements used to decide whether to invite applicants for interview.