When it comes to writing a Modern Languages 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? What are Modern Languages Admissions tutors looking for and how do I tackle the complexity of a dual subject focus in my statement? In this article, 91porn’s Modern Languages tutor Florence, breaks down everything you need to know about writing a Modern Languages 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?
Where Do I Start?
Before you start writing your personal statement, you need to have selected your subject combination and thought carefully about the reasons for that choice.
Almost all Languages courses at Oxford and Cambridge offer a combination of subjects, though it is also possible to study a sole language.
Most applicants will need to juggle a focus on two languages or one language and another subject in their personal statement. The options for study at Oxbridge are very broad and include the modern European languages you might expect, such as Spanish, French, Italian, and German, along with Russian, Linguistics and Middle Eastern Languages; you can also pair a language with other humanities disciplines such as Philosophy, English, Classics, and History. Oxford and Cambridge do not offer the same combinations and these change each year, so it is well worth doing some thorough research to find out what is available and might be right for you.
What Makes an Oxbridge Modern Languages Personal Statement Stand Out?
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 Modern Languages (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 linguistic future?
The personal statement is an opportunity to tell your story in relation to Modern Languages (and, potentially, another subject area): 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 languages, literature, and culture 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 Modern Languages and how it might help you build your future? 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 some colleges and the languages faculties? Have you talked to current and/or past students of Languages 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.
How do I Write the 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 Modern Languages course, as well as languages, literature, and culture as a broader avenue of pursuit for you going forward. 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.
In order to tackle the challenge of writing about two subjects in one statement, it will likely be helpful for you to compare and contrast the subject options you have chosen. What brings them together, academically speaking, and how are they different from each other? What do you hope to get out of studying them in combination? For example, if you wish to study English and French, you might consider the impact of French writers on certain periods of English Literature, the influence of French on the English language, and vice versa. You could also think about periods of history when writing being produced was of markedly different quality and content in the two languages. How can you relate the points of comparison and contrast that you observe to what you have already studied and experienced that will be relevant to the course at Oxbridge?
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?
This section is all about your passion for the Languages course and languages in general (plus the potential other discipline). This is the section where you wow admissions tutors with all of your super-curricular activity and developing critical voice. You can show them your interest in literature and literary analysis, translation, speaking, and writing, your linguistic curiosity, and cultural sensitivity. You may want to consider styles, structures, forms, and critical tendencies that you find interesting. While Oxbridge courses tend to be heavily focused on literature, they also require a very high level of practical linguistic skill that you will be required to develop independently. It is important to remember that learning a language is essentially a social and proactive endeavour. In this section, there is a delicate balance to be struck between showcasing your curiosity, skill, 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?
This section is focused on the academic skills and training that you have already. Have you read literature in your chosen language(s)? Have you conducted research independently, practised your analytic skills, or learned about a fascinating area of grammar or linguistic variance? What skills do you have that make you ready for Modern Languages at Oxbridge? What have you achieved? Do bear in mind that languages students usually need to have great communication skills and be adaptable in different groups and environments. There is a need to think quite practically for this section. Read some of our Modern Languages super curricular recommendations.
Section 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
This section 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?
Will the Personal Statement Come Up in the Interview?
Oxbridge admissions tutors in Modern Languages 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 clarity about your suitability for the course and the college to which you apply.
Top Tips for Writing Your Modern Languages 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 Modern Languages Tuition
91porn Tutors are able to provide subject specific support for those preparing for university applications, including Languages 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.