Preparing for Oxford and Cambridge

(and other competitive courses)

Oxford and Cambridge stand slightly apart from other UK universities in that they are organised on a collegiate basis, and teaching takes place in very small tutorial groups in individual colleges. Entry is very competitive; the standard offer is A*A*A or A*AA, and most candidates receiving an offer will have:

•Very good GCSE results (usually six or more • grades at level 8/9) Very high predicted grades at A level (at least A*AA)

Unlike most other universities, Oxford and Cambridge interview applicants before making an offer, and both universities set pre-assessments for some subjects.

Both universities also frequently require examples of written work. To help prepare pupils for entry to Oxford and Cambridge, we organise:

•Weekly tutorials for all candidates in the autumn • of U6 conducted by subject mentors Subject specific lessons aimed at deepening and • • broadening knowledge Practice interviews and critical thinking sessions A visit to Oxford in the spring for potential applicants in Lower Sixth.

In recent years Wells pupils have successfully gained places at Oxford and Cambridge to study a diverse range of subjects including Classics, English, Mathematics, History, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Music, Law, Geography, Modern and Medieval languages, Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), Human Social and Political Sciences (HSPS), and Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic.