ELAT Background & Research
Why use ELAT?
As with most admissions tests, the drive for the development of the ELAT has been the need to differentiate within a large pool of extremely well qualified applicants. ELAT also provides admissions tutors with additional information about their applicants’ skills in close reading.
The test will be only one of the elements admissions tutors use to decide whether to invite an applicant for interview. The other elements will include academic record, GCSE and forecast grades, UCAS form, schools references and a submitted piece of recent written work.
Background
The University of Oxford approached Cambridge Assessment early in 2006 to request their collaboration in the development of a new pre-interview admissions test to help with selection for applicants to undergraduate courses in English at Oxford. Close reading was identified as a key skill required in the study of English at undergraduate level. The first administration of the ELAT took place in November 2007.
Who's using ELAT already?
Institutions currently using ELAT |
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University of Oxford www.ox.ac.uk |
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Why test close reading?
Cambridge Assessment and the University of Oxford had identified close reading as a key skill required in the study of English at undergraduate level. ELAT is designed to assess close reading, including paying attention to the language, imagery, allusion, syntax, form and structure of the passages set for comment.
Research
A structured programme of research has been designed to assess the usefulness of the ELAT in the admissions process. Reports will be published on this website in due course.
- Need More Information?
- Email: ELAT Support Team
- Call: +44 (0)1223 55 88 55
- Opening Hours: 0900 - 1700 GMT
ELAT Background & Research
About the Test
Details about the format and content of the ELAT
Results
View an explanation of results from previous years in PDF format