AAA, or 38 IB points with 666 at Higher Level
The A-level requirement is AAA. The IB requirement is 38 points including core points with 666 at Higher Level.
Undergraduate · Oxford History and English
Oxford History and English: can you sustain both literature and history?
Oxford's History and English degree is not a compromise between two single-subject degrees. Oxford asks for English Literature at school, highly recommends History, and expects two pieces of written work and usually two interviews, one with each subject's tutors. The question to settle is whether you can keep literary interpretation and historical analysis in the same frame for three years. Oxford's wording below describes 2027 entry; nothing here is a confirmed 2028 requirement.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
What Oxford asks for in History and English
Taken from Oxford's History and English course page and read on 31 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; Oxford's 2028-entry requirements and dates are awaiting publication.
English Literature expected, History highly recommended
Applicants are expected to have English Literature, or English Language and Literature, at A level, Advanced Higher, Higher Level in the IB or an equivalent. Oxford highly recommends History as well.
No test; two pieces of written work
You do not need to take a written test. All candidates submit one piece of written work for History and one for English, following the guidance on the History and English Language and Literature course pages.
Usually two interviews
Shortlisted applicants will usually be given at least two interviews, one with the History tutors and one with the English tutors, and may be asked to discuss a prose or verse passage in the English interview.
A bridge essay of 6,000 words
Years two and three include one interdisciplinary bridge essay of 6,000 words, alongside papers from each single-honours degree.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's History and English course page, which describes 2027 entry. The UCAS deadline, the written-work submission deadline, interview dates, admissions statistics, fees and the two Faculties' own selection criteria and written-work guidance pages were not read and are not stated.
The course
A joint degree designed around the overlap
Oxford says a joint degree in History and English requires students to think critically about how we define history and literature, and how the two disciplines interrelate and, to a large extent, overlap. The first year includes an interdisciplinary Introduction to English Language and Literature, an English period paper, a British History paper and one more History paper or method course. In years two and three students take seven courses, including an interdisciplinary bridge essay of 6,000 words and papers from both single-honours degrees. Oxford says the structure lets students relate literary and historical ideas in the periods or topics they choose, and also lets those who prefer variety over close congruity choose papers that do not match.
Choosing between courses
Joint degree, or one of the single-subject degrees?
Oxford offers single-honours English and History, and this series has a guide to each. The joint degree is a different proposition.
Choose History and English if
your best questions arise where texts and events meet, for example how a period saw itself in its writing, and you can accept less depth in each subject in exchange for the overlap.
Choose English Language and Literature if
your priority is literary study across the whole range, with the history of the language included.
Choose History if
your priority is historical argument across periods and regions, and written sources are central.
Cambridge English is a different course again
Cambridge sets its own requirements and interviews. Do not carry one university's rules across.
Reading the offer
English Literature is expected, and History is highly recommended
The grades are AAA, or 38 IB points with 666 at Higher Level. Unlike single-honours History, this course lists a subject expectation: English Literature, or English Language and Literature, at A level or equivalent. History is highly recommended rather than required. A candidate with English but no History must show historical engagement elsewhere. A candidate with History but no English Literature does not meet the stated expectation.
Written work
Two pieces, each following its own subject's guidance
Every candidate submits two pieces of written work, one for History and one for English. Oxford does not repeat the detailed rules on this page and refers you to the English Language and Literature and History course pages for guidance. Those pages set rules about the kind of work, marking and length that apply to each piece, so read both and do not assume that the two pieces follow the same conventions. This guide does not restate them, because they are the other courses' rules and may change by cycle.
The interviews
One conversation with each subject's tutors
Oxford says shortlisted applicants will usually be given at least two interviews, one with the History tutors and one with the English tutors. In the English interview you may be asked to discuss a piece of prose or verse provided before or at the interview. Tutors are looking for intellectual curiosity, a flexible approach to unfamiliar concepts or arguments and enthusiasm for writing and talking about history, literature and language, and they expect successful applicants to read widely and be interested in a comparative approach to historical and literary texts.
A decision framework
Three questions before you choose the joint degree
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Can you read one text both ways?
Take a poem or a short passage from a period you know, and say what it tells you as literature and what it tells you as evidence. If both answers come easily, the joint degree is plausible.
Are you ready for two sets of preparation?
Two written pieces and two interviews mean you carry both subjects' standards at once. Plan your time for that.
Would you miss depth?
A joint degree gives less time in each subject. If you want maximum depth in one, a single-honours degree may suit better.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules Oxford has not yet published for that cycle. Each item below carries one of two labels. Last verified for 2027 entry means Oxford published it for the previous cycle and it may change. Awaiting publication for 2028 entry means Oxford has not yet published it.
Grades, the English Literature expectation, the two pieces of written work and the two interviews: last verified for 2027 entry
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Oxford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Application deadline, written-work submission deadline, interview dates and any change to selection arrangements: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Check Oxford's History and English course page, and the two single-subject pages, for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Confirm English Literature in your subjects, collect one marked History piece and one marked English piece, and practise reading short passages as both literature and evidence.
Support
Independent support with course choice and preparation
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with the University of Oxford or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support with reading, analysis and interview practice does not extend to writing, editing or rewriting any submitted work, which must be the applicant's own. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What are the Oxford History and English entry requirements?
AAA at A level, or 38 IB points including core points with 666 at Higher Level, with English Literature or English Language and Literature expected and History highly recommended. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Do I need both English and History at A level?
Oxford expects English Literature, or English Language and Literature, and highly recommends History. Only the English is stated as an expectation.
How many pieces of written work are there?
Two: one for History and one for English. Oxford refers applicants to the English Language and Literature and History course pages for the rules.
Will I have two interviews?
Oxford says shortlisted applicants will usually be given at least two interviews, one with the History tutors and one with the English tutors.
Is there an admissions test?
No. Oxford's page says no written test is part of the application.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Oxford's wording for the 2027 application cycle. Check the course page again when Oxford publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Oxford History and English
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their History and English Literature work and their two written submissions, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.