Oxbridge Interview / The Oxford interview / Modern Languages
Oxford Modern Languages interview: the short text, speaking in the language, and six published questions
Ninety-four per cent of applicants are interviewed and forty-four per cent get in, so the December conversation is the whole game. Tutors ask about your reading and let you speak the language.
Updated September 2026Oxford Modern Languages interviews about 94% of applicants and admits about 44%, with an intake of 141 (three-year average, 2023-25), the highest interview rate of any subject on this site. There is no admissions test and no written work. Oxford says tutors look for a good command of the grammar of any language you have studied and want to continue, and an interest in literature and culture. At interview you may be asked about your reading or your interest in the culture of the relevant country, asked questions about a short text in English or the foreign language, and given the chance to speak in any language you have studied to an advanced level. The published questions from three tutors range from 'what makes a novel or play political?' to 'in a world where English is a global language, why learn French?' and 'what do we lose if we only read a foreign work in translation?'. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed online in December, usually by two tutors, often more than once and sometimes by a second college. Oxford calls it 'a short tutorial with someone who knows the subject well'.
Merra is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, any college or UCAS.
Merra: practise it out loud before it counts
Merra's Oxford Modern Languages practice is a spoken mock in English in the tutorial style: five questions from Oxford's published set and criteria, one follow-up each, about fifteen minutes, then spoken feedback and a written report. It does not assess your foreign language or give you a short text.
- 1Sign up free — no card, 2 free coaching sessions available until used.
- 2Practise out loud — answer unseen discussion questions with an AI tutor.
- 3Get readiness feedback — see how you reasoned and how you handled the push, with a recording and transcript.
No card details required. Your first 2 coaching sessions are free.
Practise an Oxford-style Modern Languages interview
An AI tutor asks an unseen discussion question out loud, pushes once with a follow-up, then moves on — the same shape as the real thing, minus the science problems on paper.
Practise an Oxford-style Modern Languages interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionHow this interview works
- 1No admissions test and no written work for this course.
- 2Shortlisting: about 94% of applicants are interviewed. Invitations arrive from mid-November to early December.
- 3Interviews are online in December, usually two tutors. You may be asked questions about a short text in English or the foreign language.
- 4You will be given the opportunity to speak in the language(s) you have studied to an advanced level. Tutors look for a good command of its grammar.
- 5Tutors ask about your reading and your interest in the culture of the country. They say most candidates will not have studied literature formally in the language, and that what they want is aptitude for studying texts, not a reading count.
- 6Decisions on 12 January 2027 via UCAS.
Interview questions
Six questions below are Oxford's own published sample questions, marked (published by Oxford). The rest are Merra practice questions written to Oxford's stated criteria; they are not Oxford's. Merra runs in English; it does not test you in the foreign language.
“What makes a novel or play 'political'?”
“Should poetry be difficult to understand?”
“What is language?”
“What makes a short story different from a novel?”
“In a world where English is a global language, why learn French? (Substitute your language.)”
“What do we lose if we only read a foreign work of literature in translation?”
“Tell me about something you've read in the language, even a short story. What did you find hardest about it, and was that the language or the ideas?”
“What's one thing about the country's culture you only understood because of its language?”
Pricing
FAQs
How many applicants does Oxford interview for Modern Languages?
About 94%, with about 44% successful and an intake of 141 (three-year average 2023-25).
Is there a test or written work for Oxford Modern Languages?
No. There is no admissions test and no written work required.
Will I have to speak the language at the Oxford interview?
Oxford says you will be given the opportunity to speak in the language(s) you have studied to an advanced level, and may be asked about a short text in English or the foreign language.
Do I need to have read literature in the language?
Oxford says most candidates will not have studied literature formally in the language; it wants to see aptitude for thinking carefully about whatever you have read, in any language.
Does Oxford publish Modern Languages interview questions?
Yes, six from three tutors, including 'why learn French in a world where English is global' and 'what do we lose reading in translation'.
Official information
For the official course page and admissions details.
More Oxbridge interview guides
Merra is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, any college or UCAS. Merra’s feedback is advisory only — it is not a guarantee of any offer or admission outcome.
The Oxbridge interview is spoken. Practise it that way.
Your first mock takes about 15 minutes: an unseen question, a follow-up, and feedback on how you reasoned. Free, no card.
Practise an Oxford-style Modern Languages interview2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscription