Somerville College, Oxford offers an annual series of four virtual Study Days for Year 12 students attending a UK state school.
Prospective students and their families look around Somerville College
These days feature taster lectures or workshops run by Oxford University academics, which will offer a challenging and entertaining introduction to university-level study of the subject.
There will also be opportunities to hear advice from admissions and outreach staff about applying to Oxford and Cambridge, and to ask the college tutors and current undergraduates questions about their subject of interest.
The virtual Modern Languages Study Day will take place on Wednesday 18th February and the daily timetable for the day is as follows:
15:00-15:50: Admissions talk with Q&A 16:00-17:00: Academic taster session (attendees have a choice between 2 different subjects per day) 17:00-17:30: Subject Q&A with Academic and Student Ambassadors
The sessions are open to all Year 12 students at a UK state school who are considering a degree involving modern languages of any kind, whether that be French or another language.
For those still deciding what to apply for, we encourage you to attend in order to learn more about Modern Languages and what it might be like to study them at Oxford.
These sessions would also count as great examples of supercurricular activities, and might give you ideas about topics or further reading to include in the personal statement.
On Saturday 7th March 2026, the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages will be holding its annual Beginners’ Languages TasterDay, an event dedicated to our beginners’ languages courses. This event offers students from UK secondary schools in Year 12 or equivalent an opportunity to gain greater insight into studying a language from scratch at Oxford. Students in Year 11 who are starting to consider their options for university are also welcome to attend.
Our beginners’ languages degree courses offer an exciting and rare opportunity for undergraduates to study a new language from scratch and engage with new cultures along the way, or to pick up languages they learned up to GCSE but could not continue at school. The courses are challenging yet rewarding, with many designed to bring students up to A-level standard within the first year.
The Taster Day will take place in the University’s brand-new Humanities building, the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. After an information and Q&A session in the morning, students will have the chance to attend taster sessions in two of our beginners’ languages. There will also be a Q&A session for companions in the afternoon which offers parents/guardians/teachers the chance to ask a panel of academics, undergraduates, and Faculty staff questions about supporting their children/students through applying to and studying at Oxford.
Modern Languages Open Day 2022 photo (c) John Cairns
The following languages will be represented at the Taster Day, with academics and current undergraduates present to provide further information about the course(s) and to answer students’ questions:
German
Portuguese
Italian
Russian
Czech (with Slovak)
Modern Greek
Polish
The provisional event programme for 2026 can be found here.
To register for the Taster Day, students should fill out this form by 12 noon on Friday 13th February so we know who to expect at the event. Please note that spaces will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and the form will close once our maximum capacity has been reached.
We are also pleased to be able to help students who are in need of additional financial support with reasonable expenses such as travelling to and from Oxford for the event. There is a space to include this information in the registration form.
Studying a language from scratch at Oxford
Our beginners’ languages courses offer an exciting and rare opportunity for students to engage with a new language and culture for the first time, or to pick up languages they studied at GCSE. The courses are challenging yet rewarding, with many designed to bring students up to A-level standard within the first year. Therefore, we would love to welcome students who are strong linguists and/or who are looking for a new challenge at University to this event.
As well as alongside a post-A-level language, most of our beginners’ languages can be studied in conjunction with subjects from the Humanities such as English, History, Linguistics, or Philosophy, for which applicants do not need to be studying a language to A-level or equivalent. With this in mind, we would also welcome students of Humanities subjects who are interested in picking up a language at University.
For further inspiration and information, below are some links to content from our tutors and undergraduates about why taking a language from scratch is so worthwhile:
Happy New Year everyone! We hope you had a wonderful time and enjoyed the festivities over the Christmas holidays.
A new year brings new opportunities to explore your options of studying Modern Languages at Oxford.
For example, on 21 February 2026, Exeter College is running an inspiring, immersive day dedicated to all things Modern Languages for Year 11 and 12 students.
The Radcliffe Camera from Exeter College
Whether you’re passionate about French, Spanish, Italian, German, or simply curious about studying languages at university level, this is your chance to experience Oxford up close.
In the morning, you’ll explore the historic Turl Street site and gain a clear, insider’s view of the admissions process and what studying languages at Oxford is really like.
Across two afternoon sessions, you’ll take part in small‑group workshops led by Oxford tutors in French, Spanish, Italian, or German. Choose your languages, explore real academic material, and experience Oxford’s teaching style first-hand.
Subject Days are often oversubscribed and selection is based on academic merit and contextual factors. We warmly encourage applications from students who identify with any of the following criteria.
Students on Free School Meals.
Students from IMD Q1 and Q2 (*check your postcode at the link below)
Students who have been or are currently in care.
Please provide as many details about yourself to aid the shortlisting process.
The programme will be free of charge, lunch will be provided, and travel bursaries are available.
Will UNIQ help you shape your future? Apply now and find out!
What is UNIQ?
UNIQ is Oxford’s free access programme for UK state school students. Featuring a sustained contact programme and in-person summer residential, you’ll be taught by Oxford academics and explore subjects aligned with your academic interests. The programme encourages you to make friends with other UNIQ participants: you’ll meet them at regional events and live alongside them during the Oxford residential, where current undergraduates will also be supporting you and on hand to answer your questions about student life at Oxford. We’ll also support you to make a strong university application to a course at Oxford or elsewhere.
What Modern Languages courses are available?
For Modern Languages, there will be courses available for Spanish, French, and German taking place over the summer of 2026. Each varied course allows students to explore several exciting elements of degree-level language studies, such as language, literature, theatre, film, and linguistics, and provides the opportunity to experience a taster of two other European languages at beginners’ level.
How can I apply?
Applying is quick and simple – just register and fill out the form on the UNIQ website. It shouldn’t take you more than 15 minutes. Before you apply you should check that you meet our eligibility requirements and browse carefully the 30+ courses on offer to decide on your first and second choice.
Applications close on 13 January 2026. You can find out more about the programme and selection criteria on the UNIQ website (www.uniq.ox.ac.uk) and by following us on Instagram (@OxfordUNIQ). If you have any queries about the applications process, check out our FAQs or contact us at uniq@admin.ox.ac.uk.
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We’ll be back in January 2026 with more blog posts. In the meantime, we wish you a restful and peaceful festive period and a Happy New Year!
The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages is delighted to announce that this year’s Flash Fiction Competitions in French, Spanish and German are now open!
Our annual Flash Fiction Competitions invite secondary school pupils to submit a complete story of no more than 100 words, in French, Spanish, or German, for the chance to win up to £100.
Our 2026 Competition marks the first year in which German will be included and we’re excited to be expanding the Competition after many successful years!
Entries are judged by a panel of academics who are primarily looking for creativity, imagination and narrative flair, as well as linguistic accuracy. Pupils’ language skills will be considered in the context of their age and year group: in other words, we will not expect younger pupils to compete against older pupils linguistically. Each language competition is divided into three age categories:
Years 7-9 (ages 11-14)
Years 10-11 (ages 14-16)
Years 12-13 (ages 16-18)
The judges will award a top prize of £100, as well as prizes of £50 to a maximum of two runners up, in each category. Certificates will also be awarded to pupils who have been highly commended by our judges. Results as well as the winning, runner up, and highly commended stories will be published her on our blog if entrants give us permission to do so.
More information and links to the submission forms can be found on our website. Pupils may only submit one story per language but are welcome to submit a story in two or three languages if they would like to. For some inspiration, they can have a look at last year’s winning entries in French and Spanish.
Please note that pupils must enter the competition themselves: teachers cannot enter on their behalf for reasons of GDPR compliance.
The 2025-26 edition of the Anthea Bell for Young Translators has commenced!
The Queen’s College Translation Exchange launched the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators in 2020. The competition is inspired by the life and work of the great translator Anthea Bell. It aims to promote language learning across the UK and to inspire creativity in the classroom. By providing teachers with the tools they need to bring translation to life, they hope to motivate more pupils to study modern foreign languages throughout their time at school and beyond.
The Anthea Bell Prize is free to enter and open to pupils aged 11-18 at all schools across the UK. The Prize currently offers French (into Welsh and English), German, Italian, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish.
The Translation Exchange wanted to make sure that this wasn’t a one-off event, but something that could be integrated into the year’s teaching. Before entering the competition, we invite you to prepare your students using their free teaching resources. Registered teachers receive teaching packs throughout the year, in the build up to the competition.
Register here to receive updates about the Prize, as well as access to free creative translation teaching resources.
The 2025-2026 Prize launched on 19 September 2025, in time for European Day of Languages (26 September) and International Translation Day (30 September). The 2025-2026 competition will run from 2 February to 27 March 2026. You can find the names of the 2024-2025 competition winners, runners-up and commendees here.
Information about the Anthea Bell Prize for Schools in Wales is also available in Welsh.
The Anthea Bell Prize left me wanting to delve further into the world of translation and the possibilities that come with it.
– Year 12 student participant, 2024 competition
Find more information and resources via the Translation Exchange website here.
The Langton Language Centre, based at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School in Canterbury, is running an exciting series of online lectures aimed at Year 13 languages students.
These are a great opportunity to get a taste of studying languages at university and see if it’s for you!
These lectures are taking place from 8th to 19th December and are completely free. All lectures will take place in the evening, either from 18:00-19:00 or 19:00-20:00.
The programme of lectures can be found here. Lectures cover varied topics, from the French Revolution to Japanese films.
Students need to sign up individually via this form with just their school name. No personal details required!
For safeguarding reasons, microphones and cameras will be muted but students and lecturers will be able to interact via the chat.
It’s back! Get ready to solve the latest GCHQ puzzles and brainteasers, as the Christmas Challenge returns on Wednesday 10 December!
Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash
The Christmas Challenge is designed by GCHQ’s own codebreakers to give your brain a festive workout. Packed with fiendish puzzles and brainteasers, the Challenge inspires school students aged 11-18 to think creatively, work together, and discover the skills they might need to become a spy.
The puzzles aren’t meant to be solved alone – students will need to work together, each bringing their unique perspective to the challenge. At GCHQ, we believe the right mix of minds means we can solve seemingly impossible problems.
The Oxford German Network have launched the 13th edition of its annual German Olympiad! The competition will run between now and March 2026 with winners being announced in the summer.
This year’s topic is “Immer unterwegs – Mobilität und Reiselust“.
There are a variety of different challenges aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6 all the way to Years 12 and 13. Some are for individuals to enter, others are aimed at groups. There is even a taster competition for pupils who have never studied German before! From creating maps and cartoons, to recording a podcast, there’s something for everyone!
Take a look at the Olympiad website for further practical information and more details about the tasks.
The closing date for all entries is Thursday 12 March 2026. Any questions can be directed to the Olympiad Coordinator, Eva, at: olympiad@mod-langs-ox.ac.uk
We are looking forward to receiving lots of entries!
Description: Aimed at Year 9 students, during these one-hour sessions pupils will hear about the importance of languages, GCHQ, and the work our Language Analysts do, and will be given the opportunity to ask questions. They will then move on to a scenario challenge in a language they are currently studying (French, German or Spanish).
Description: We are pleased to announce the National Language Competition (NLC) will be returning in November this year. The NLC is open to Year 9 [England/Wales] / Year 10 [Northern Ireland] / S2 [Scotland] students, competing in teams of up to four. There is no maximum number of team entries per school. The NLC challenges vary in difficulty, require no prior language knowledge, and are worth varying amounts of points. We have an exciting new interactive format for your students to take on this year as well.
A blog for school students and teachers and anyone else with an interest in Modern Languages and Cultures, written by the staff and students of Oxford University. Updated every Wednesday!
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