Submitting Written Work

This page gives details of written work requirements for applicants applying in October 2024, for 20245or deferred 2026 entry. Applicants planning to apply in a later cycle can use the below as an indication, but should be aware that requirements can change from year-to-year.

General guidance for all subjects

We advise that you select work that you are proud of and that you would be happy to discuss in an interview.
Essays should normally be no more than 1500 words.
You should submit work which is relatively recent (written within the last year).
You should submit essays that have been written as part of your normal school/college work. Essays should not be re-written or corrected especially for your Cambridge application.
Submitted essays should have been marked by a teacher at your school/college. If this is not possible then please get in touch with the Admissions Office.
Essay competition entries are a fantastic way to engage with your subject independently, and you are welcome to discuss essay competition entries in your personal statement and interview. However, you should not use essay competition entries as your submitted written work as they are not written as part of normal school work or marked by a teacher. If you do not have anything to submit other than an essay competition entry then please get in touch with the Admissions Office to discuss this.
If you're not sure what to submit, your subject teachers are the best people to consult - they know you and your work the best.

SUBJECT	Submitted work required?	Advice on selecting work
Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic	Two essays	Essays from subjects such as History, English Literature, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies are likely to be most relevant.
Archaeology	One essay	The work should be in essay format, and applicants are advised against submitting science coursework or a timed exam piece. Extracts from EPQ essays are welcome, but extracts should be no longer than 1500 words.
Architecture	Digital submission of your artwork	6 A4 pages and less than 15MB in size. The selection of images should, in part, reflect material you might bring to interview as part of your portfolio.
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies	No
Classics	Two essays	Essays can be from any school subject – Classics is a broad subject, so most subjects you write essays for would be relevant.
Computer Science	No
Design	Digital submission of your artwork	6 A4 pages and less than 15MB in size. The selection of images should, in part, reflect material you might bring to interview as part of your portfolio.
Economics	No
Engineering	No
English	Two essays	You should submit essays from your English Literature A Level (or equivalent). We advise that you select work which shows ability to think and write critically and analytically. Coursework or NEA should only be submitted if it has been marked by a teacher. At least one essay written under timed conditions is preferred.
Geography	No
History	Two essays	You should submit marked essays from your History A Level (or equivalent). EPQ essays are discouraged – work should come from your ordinary school work where possible. Please get in touch with the Admissions Office if you don’t feel you have appropriate History A Level (or equivalent) work. At least one essay written under timed conditions is preferred. The other may either a homework essay or another timed essay.
History and Politics	Two essays	You should submit marked essays from school subjects that are as relevant as possible to the study of History and/or Politics. EPQ extracts are discouraged – work should come from your ordinary school work where possible. Please get in touch with the Admissions Office if you don’t feel you have appropriate school work to submit. At least one essay written under timed conditions is preferred. The other may either a homework essay or another timed essay.
History and Modern Languages	Two essays	If you are applying for a post A Level language, one piece of written work should be in the language you intend to study. The other should be from your History A Level (or equivalent) work, or from a subject as relevant as possible for History. EPQ extracts are discouraged – work should come from your ordinary school work where possible, and should be marked. Please get in touch with the Admissions Office if you don’t feel you have appropriate school work to submit. At least one essay should be written under timed conditions.
History of Art	No
Human, Social and Political Sciences	Two essays	Essays can come from any essay based school subject, for example, History, Government and Politics, Classical Civilisation, Religious Studies or English Literature. The preference is for one timed essay and one homework essay. Coursework should only be submitted if it has been marked by a teacher.
Law	No
Linguistics	No
Mathematics	No
Medicine	No
Modern and Medieval Languages	Two essays	If you are studying both languages at A Level (or equivalent) then you should send one essay in each language. If you are applying for one post A Level language and one ab initio language then at least one of the essays should be in the post A Level language.
Music	One essay and one technical musical exercise	The essay can be on any aspect of your musical studies. For example, it could be on the history or analysis of music. In addition, please submit one example of your work in Harmony and/or Counterpoint, or another technical musical exercise.
Natural Sciences Biological	No
Natural Sciences Physical	No
Psychological and Behavioural Sciences	Two essays	Essays can come from any essay based school subject. The preference is for one timed essay and one homework essay. Coursework should only be submitted if it has been marked by a teacher.
Philosophy	No
Theology and Religious Studies	Two essays	Essays from any subject in the arts, humanities and social sciences are welcome. Coursework/ NEA should only be submitted if it has been marked by a teacher. Extracts from EPQ essays are welcome if they have been marked by a teacher. The extract should not exceed 1500 words. We advise that you select work that demonstrates your ability to think critically and build up a well-evidenced argument.