When it comes to writing an English Literature personal statement for Oxbridge, anxiety tends to run quite high. What is a personal statement, anyway? What on earth to make of the new format for 2026 entry? Won’t English admissions tutors be looking for a talent for writing, along with the usual clarity of expression and subject-specific content required by other disciplines?
In this article, Keystone’s English tutor Florence, breaks down everything you need to know about writing an English personal statement for Oxbridge, including her tips for the updated 2026 format.
Understanding the 2026 Oxbridge Personal Statement Format
The happy news is that the 2026 format is, in reality, exactly the same as before, just with subheadings. The personal statement has been portioned out into three sections to guide candidates towards writing the kind of content admissions tutors want to find relatively quickly—your motivation, your academic preparation, and your wider engagement.
These questions are:
- Why do you want to study this course or subject?
- How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
English Lit. personal statements, and especially Oxbridge statements, need to be very well-written. The personal statement is an additional opportunity to showcase your eloquence, precision with language, and rhetorical flair.
What Makes an Oxbridge English Literature Personal Statement Stand Out?
The personal statement is an opportunity to tell your story in relation to English Lit.: what you have learned, what you are doing now, and where you are headed. You are writing it to convince admissions tutors at Oxford or Cambridge that you are not only incredibly intellectually curious about literature but that you also have the skills and track record to prove that you will be a successful student on their highly demanding course. Before you can do the latter convincingly, you need to be absolutely clear for yourself about all of this. Chances are, as you are young, busy, and ambitious, you are very much in the thick of study, extra-, and super-curricular activities and haven’t stopped to really think about how it all connects up. Do you truly know why you want to study English Lit. and how it might help you build your future?
You won’t write another document quite like the personal statement again. It is a one-off. In order to make sense of it, I would encourage you to think about what the personal statement can do for you. Taking the name of it quite literally, it is a statement about you as a person: who you are and what you are all about in relation to English Lit. (at Oxbridge). How can the process of researching, planning, and writing the personal statement contribute to your understanding of the journey you want to make into your academic and literary future?
Will the Personal Statement Come Up in the Interview?
Oxbridge admissions tutors in English may not ask you much about your personal statement at interview. Conversely, they may quiz you about it in detail. While the interview is often a chance for admissions tutors to gauge how you might respond to the tutorial setting, the personal statement can act as an interview supplement to help them learn more about you and your suitability for both the course and the institution. Key to the helpfulness of the personal statement is your own clarity about your suitability for the course and the college to which you apply. Have you thoroughly researched the course and checked that it is right for you, given who you are, your interests, and your goals? Have you visited the college and English Faculty? Have you talked to current and/or past students of English Lit. at Oxbridge? Do you think you will be a good fit? If so, why? This is as much about you as it is about them.
What Is the Purpose of a Personal Statement?
Once you are clear on the relevance of the course for you both personally and academically, you can begin to write your personal statement. Candidates often feel a bit stuck at this point and wonder what to include and what to leave out. You need lots of evidence and examples, i.e. data, to back up your argument that you are the best candidate of all and definitely deserve that place on the course. Key is choosing what is meaningful for you personally and relevant to the English Lit. course, as well as English Lit. as a broader avenue of pursuit for you going forward. Let’s take an example. You really enjoyed learning Catalan on an extra-curricular course. Should you put that in? The questions to ask yourself are, ‘what did I get out of that course?’ and, ‘is what I got out of it relevant to the English Lit. course at Oxbridge and my future?’. When you have compiled a list of relevant experiences from your past and present study and other activity, you can then think about which items are the most impactful.
The following challenge for the statement is deciding where to put relevant information. Which of the three sections do I choose?
The best course of action is to take the titles of each of the three sections quite literally.
Section 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
Why do you want to study this course or subject? is all about the English Lit. course and English Lit. as a passion of yours. This is the section where you wow admissions tutors with all your super-curricular activity and your developing critical voice. You can show them your interest in and skill with analysis; you may want to consider styles, structures, forms, and critical tendencies that you find most interesting. What do you want to pursue further on the English course? There is a balance to be struck between showcasing your curiosity and knowledge and staying absolutely relevant to the course and subject.
Section 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject? is focused on the academic skills and training that you have already. Have you learned about literature as a craft? Have you conducted research independently, practised your analytic skills, or learned about the fascinating use of a literary device? What skills do you have that make you ready for English Lit. at Oxbridge? What have you achieved? There is a need to think quite practically for this section. Read some of our English super curricular recommendations.
Section 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful? is for everything else. That’s right—the random stuff that you can’t find a place for in the other two sections but really want to include. Do include it all, but before you do, think carefully about the second half of the section title: ‘…why are these experiences useful?’. What did you get out of these experiences such that you consider them relevant to your future as a university student?
Top Tips for Writing Your English Personal Statement
You may find that you write many drafts of your personal statement and this is perfectly normal. It can take a while to organise your thinking into a format that makes sense to both you and others. Get lots of feedback from friends, teachers, tutors, relatives, neighbours, and ask lots of questions about where this is all taking you.
Finally, try not to worry too much about your personal statement. It is one aspect of a very complex Oxbridge application process, the majority of which is out of your control. Do your best and try to write what is true for you. The more authentic your personal statement, the easier and more productive it will prove to discuss at any future interview.
Oxbridge English Tuition
Keystone Tutors are able to provide subject specific support for those preparing for university applications including English at Oxbridge. Do get in touch if you would like further assistance with your personal statement or any other aspects of your university application including admissions tests and interview preparation.