What are Oxford tutors looking for in the essay part of the TSA?
Oxford Tutors are looking for three key points when it comes to the TSA:
1. A clear argument
2. A clear structure
3. The ability to think outside the box
The first two points are particularly important. Prospective applicants (and the teachers at my secondary school) tend to overemphasise the final point. While creative thinking is useful, tutors have explicitly told me that they are looking for the ability to persuade and to structure an argument. The first year of Oxford, for the social sciences and the humanities, is largely focused around improving these skills. Demonstrating them will give you a significant advantage!
CL
Related TSA Oxford University answers
All answers ▸A company is producing a one-page flysheet 24 cm high by 18 cm wide. It will have a text area in the centre which has a margin of the same width all the way around. The text must occupy exactly half of the total area:
Every year in Britain there are nearly 25 000 car fires, yet it is estimated that only five per cent of motorists...Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the argument above?
What would be the best way to prepare for section two of the TSA?
[Question and answer both written in the 'answer' box because the question is long]