Personal Statement · Stage one
Oxbridge personal statement coaching
A tutor who studied your subject at Oxford or Cambridge reads every draft line by line. Five hours one-to-one online, £400.UCAS now asks three set questions in 4,000 characters. A tutor who studied your subject at Oxford or Cambridge reads every draft line by line and redrafts with you until it's ready to send. Five hours one-to-one online for £400, spread over the weeks before the October deadline.
The record so far
Students our tutors have worked with who got an Oxbridge offer
Oxford and Cambridge applicants who got an offer
The facts
- Format
- Three set questions, 4,000 characters between them, at least 350 on each.
- Question 1
- Why do you want to study this course or subject?
- Question 2
- How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
- Question 3
- What else have you done to prepare outside of formal education, and why are these experiences useful?
It's three questions now, not an essay
UCAS asks three questions and gives you 4,000 characters to share between them. For an Oxbridge science applicant we'd put about half into the first one, why this subject, because that's where your thinking shows.
Admissions tutors want evidence of how you think: a book you read, a problem you worked on, a topic you took further than the syllabus, and what you made of it. They'll ask about anything on the page at interview, so don't write anything you can't talk about in December.
How we work on it
You read your draft aloud and we ask why after every claim, the way an interviewer will. If you can't back a sentence up with something you've read or done, it comes out. You rewrite between sessions. We never write it for you: universities check for similarity, and the interview is the real check anyway.
Five hours is usually three to five full drafts over four to six weeks, which is why we like to start in the summer. The week before 15 October is test week for most courses, so we aim to have the statement finished by early October.
It's three questions now, not an essay
UCAS asks three questions and gives you 4,000 characters to share between them. For an Oxbridge science applicant we'd put about half into the first one, why this subject, because that's where your thinking shows.
Admissions tutors want evidence of how you think: a book you read, a problem you worked on, a topic you took further than the syllabus, and what you made of it. They'll ask about anything on the page at interview, so don't write anything you can't talk about in December.
How we work on it
You read your draft aloud and we ask why after every claim, the way an interviewer will. If you can't back a sentence up with something you've read or done, it comes out. You rewrite between sessions. We never write it for you: universities check for similarity, and the interview is the real check anyway.
Five hours is usually three to five full drafts over four to six weeks, which is why we like to start in the summer. The week before 15 October is test week for most courses, so we aim to have the statement finished by early October.
Oxbridge Season · 2027 Entry
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“Hi Leo! Just wanted to let you know that I got the offer for Physics at Oxford! Thanks so much for all your help.”
Siau · Oxford Physics Offer Holder
Read other storiesBy 15 October
Personal Statement
£400£500
5 hours · one-to-one
Save £100
We read every draft line by line, tell you honestly what works and what doesn't, and redraft with you until it's ready to send.
Choose your tutor →September – October
Admissions Test Preparation
£800£1,000
10 hours · one-to-one
Save £200
Past-paper prep for the TMUA, ESAT, UCAT and STEP. Your tutor marks each paper and talks through every mistake with you.
Choose your tutor →December
Interview Preparation
£480£600
6 hours · one-to-one
Save £120
Full mock interviews with a tutor who sat the real thing in your subject, and written feedback after every session.
Choose your tutor →Flagship · September – December
Full Oxbridge Preparation
All three stages plus weekly subject lessons through the term. One tutor team stays with you from the first draft to the final interview.
£2,400£3,000
30 hours · statement, tests, interviews & subject tuition
Save £600
Booking for the ESAT and TMUA closes 28 September; the UCAT is sat by 24 September; STEP follows in June. Hours fit around school, and you can mix the stages however suits. Just ask.
No obligation. We’ll respond within 24 hours.
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Testimonials
What families
say.
“Will's engaging, high-level knowledge of historiography challenged me to think on my feet. I also found his annotation of my personal statement incredibly useful, helping me connect synoptic links and stretch my thinking.”
Nikki
Cambridge History Offer Holder
“Very insightful and practical advice from recent Oxford graduates. Irina was instrumental in helping my son develop an outstanding personal statement.”
Ian P
Parent of a UCAS Applicant
“Hi Leo! Just wanted to let you know that I got the offer for Physics at Oxford! Thanks so much for all your help, it really helped me alot because I've never been in academic interviews before. All the best to you for whatever it is you are doing now, and once again thanks a bunch!”
Siau
Oxford Physics Offer Holder
“Emily's professionalism, enthusiasm and maturity as a tutor really shined through when she tutored me on interview skills and helped me secure an offer to read Medicine at the University of Cambridge. I could see myself improving in each session we had. Emily is great at explaining things effectively and patiently.”
Fiona
Cambridge Medicine Offer Holder
FAQs
- How much does it count?
- Less than the test and the interview, but it's not nothing. Tutors read it before they interview you, it can tip a borderline decision, and it's where interviewers find their questions. Cambridge also sends a short form with course-specific questions after the deadline, and we'll prepare that with you too.
- What goes in the third question?
- Things you've done outside lessons, each with a reason. For physics, an olympiad paper, a book and the question it left you with, something you built or coded. For medicine, work experience and what it changed about how you see the job. One specific paragraph beats a list of five activities.
- Can I use AI to write it?
- To check your grammar, sure. To write it, no. Universities check for similarity, and if the voice on the page isn't one you can reproduce in the room, the interview will show it. We'd rather start from a rough draft in your own words.
- My school wants it done in September. Is that normal?
- Yes. Schools set their own deadline, usually mid to late September, so they can write your reference before 15 October. Treat it as the real deadline. If you start drafting in July it's comfortable.
- Does this cover the Cambridge questions and Oxford written work?
- Yes, where they apply. Cambridge's follow-up questions are short and we cover them in the last session. Some Oxford arts courses want marked school essays in early November, and we'll help you choose which ones to send.
How much does it count?
Less than the test and the interview, but it's not nothing. Tutors read it before they interview you, it can tip a borderline decision, and it's where interviewers find their questions. Cambridge also sends a short form with course-specific questions after the deadline, and we'll prepare that with you too.
What goes in the third question?
Things you've done outside lessons, each with a reason. For physics, an olympiad paper, a book and the question it left you with, something you built or coded. For medicine, work experience and what it changed about how you see the job. One specific paragraph beats a list of five activities.
Can I use AI to write it?
To check your grammar, sure. To write it, no. Universities check for similarity, and if the voice on the page isn't one you can reproduce in the room, the interview will show it. We'd rather start from a rough draft in your own words.
My school wants it done in September. Is that normal?
Yes. Schools set their own deadline, usually mid to late September, so they can write your reference before 15 October. Treat it as the real deadline. If you start drafting in July it's comfortable.
Does this cover the Cambridge questions and Oxford written work?
Yes, where they apply. Cambridge's follow-up questions are short and we cover them in the last session. Some Oxford arts courses want marked school essays in early November, and we'll help you choose which ones to send.
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