{"id":1403,"date":"2015-10-26T09:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-10-26T09:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutorweb.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1403"},"modified":"2021-08-18T15:38:24","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T15:38:24","slug":"exam-tomorrow-top-ten-tips-elat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/admissions\/exam-tomorrow-top-ten-tips-elat\/","title":{"rendered":"Top ten tips for acing the ELAT"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve applied to study English at Oxford or Cambridge, then you’ll have to take the ELAT (English Literature Admissions Test<\/a>). Admissions tutors use the test to decide whether to invite a candidate for interview. The ELAT is designed to test candidates’\u00a0ability to\u00a0respond sensitively to unfamiliar literary material. Candidates are given six poems or passages from drama and\/or prose (fiction or non-fiction),\u00a0and are asked to write one essay comparing two or three passages.\u00a0When I was preparing to take the exam, I looked at some past papers and was alarmed by how complicated some of the passages seemed to be.\u00a0 Don\u2019t panic!\u00a0 Here is a step-by-step guide to help you take the test\u2026<\/p>\n

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  1. Don\u2019t worry<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>if you don\u2019t recognise any of the texts<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>The passages have been purposely selected so that no student has an advantage over another by having studied it previously.\u00a0 This means that the passages will probably all be hopelessly obscure \u2013 but remember, everyone is in the same boat!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    1. What on earth is going on?<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>The meaning of the passages is crucial.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t realise that the speaker dies a few lines before the end, then the chances are that you\u2019ll miss a lot of points you could make in your analysis.\u00a0 Read each passage through carefully until you know what is happening \u2013 don\u2019t skim read!\u00a0 In English, each word matters, and if you read too quickly, you might just miss the one little word that makes all the others fall into place.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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      1. What\u00a0is the tone?<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>I always find this invaluable when approaching an unseen text.\u00a0 It helps you finally connect with a passage: it might be about war, but is the writer sad or angry?\u00a0 This makes a huge difference.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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        1. What type of language is being used?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Once you\u2019ve sorted the basic level of content, it\u2019s time to delve into the choices the writer has made whilst composing the passage.\u00a0 Are they using\u00a0unusual\u00a0language?\u00a0 Are they talking about love but using the language of mechanics?\u00a0 Underline vocabulary from different \u2018discourses\u2019 (fields e.g. romantic, nautical, pastoral).\u00a0 They will help you get a feel for the poem.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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          1. Are there any literary techniques?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Going through the text and underlining similes, metaphors, alliteration, oxymorons etc. is a necessary task.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s all very well being able to say \u2018the writer uses a simile here\u2019, but anyone can do that if they memorise a list of rhetorical devices.\u00a0\u00a0Explain<\/em>\u00a0what it does \u2013 does it emphasise their anger?\u00a0 Show the writer desperately searching for words to encapsulate the emotion they are feeling?\u00a0 Show their grief?\u00a0 Don\u2019t just tell the examiner what\u2019s going on in the passages,\u00a0show\u00a0<\/em>them how the writer is doing what they’re doing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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            1. Ah, that tricky word, ever present from GCSE<\/a> specifications onwards in the phrase\u00a0\u2018form, language and structure\u2019<\/strong>. Don\u2019t forget it here!\u00a0 If it\u2019s a poem, what type of poem is it?\u00a0 Does your passage conform to it?\u00a0 Does the writer stretch the boundaries of the genre within which they\u2019re writing?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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              1. Choose your passages carefully<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>Select passages you feel are most interesting and you have the most to say about.\u00a0 Don\u2019t try and show off by choosing the most confusing passage \u2013 it\u2019s not worth it!\u00a0 Make sure your passages have enough in common for you to be able to make interesting comparisons and contrasts.\u00a0 In the exam, you\u2019ll be able to choose between writing about two or three passages.\u00a0 I would advise that quality is more important than quantity, and unless you\u2019re feeling very confident, I would stick to analysing two passages.\u00a0 Discussing two passages means you\u2019ll be able to get lots of points down and closely engage with the texts, rather than constantly jumping around between different points of view in an essay on\u00a0three.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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                1. Plan, plan, plan<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>Planning is absolutely crucial for this!\u00a0 The great thing about the ELAT test is that the question itself stipulates that you should \u201ccompare and contrast [the passages] in any ways that seem interesting to you\u201d.\u00a0 This means that you can inject some of your own personality into your essay \u2013 what strikes\u00a0you about these passages?\u00a0 Once you have thought of a central idea that makes the passages similar or different, you can start to plan a response covering both passages and both similarities and differences.\u00a0 Don\u2019t start writing until you know what you\u2019re doing though \u2013 having a structure will enable you to write much more quickly and fluently in the long run!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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                  1. Detail is key<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>It might seem silly to say this to A-level students<\/a>, but don\u2019t forget to\u00a0explain<\/em>\u00a0your points!\u00a0 Take each point as far as you can \u2013 give a specific exploration of the impact of one simile in its place in the passage, as opposed to listing reams of techniques the writer employs.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid to notice the tiny details and make a big thing out of something as small as the word \u2018But\u2019 at the beginning of a stanza.\u00a0 This kind of close attention to detail is\u00a0exactly<\/em>\u00a0what the examiners are looking for.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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                    1. Proof-read.<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>If you have time, proof-read your answer carefully for spelling mistakes and to see if there is space for you to add in any more details.\u00a0 No one likes this part of any exam, but it is just as important as any other part of sitting the ELAT<\/a>.\u00a0 If your handwriting tends to go haywire when you\u2019re under pressure (mine does!), this is your chance to make certain scrawled words more legible.\u00a0 Add in asterisks and arrows to enable you to include extra points and ideas \u2013 the examiner won\u2019t think you\u2019re a mess and that you can\u2019t plan, but will be impressed by your continuing engagement with the text and desire to redraft a piece of work until you are satisfied with it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      Good luck everyone!\u00a0 Show them what you can do.<\/p>\n

                      \n

                      \"\"

                      Laura Clash studied English Language<\/a> and English Literature<\/a>, followed by a Masters in Medieval English Literature, at Oxford University. She obtained her PGCE in English at Bristol University, and is now an English teacher<\/a> in Cambridgeshire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      If you\u2019ve applied to study English at Oxford or Cambridge, then you’ll have to take the ELAT (English Literature Admissions Test). Admissions tutors use the test to decide whether to invite a candidate for interview. The ELAT is designed to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,572,788,17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nPreparing for ELAT - Top 10 tips for passing the ELAT test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Taking your ELAT soon? 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