Oxford University says it will not base admissions on botched online tests

Oxford University says it will not use results from its botched online admissions tests to award places on next year’s English courses, after students and schools across the UK described multiple crashes, freezes and other frustrations using the new system.

Sixth formers applying to Oxford said the online tests being used for the first time were plagued with difficulties, displaying incorrect questions and repeatedly crashing or failing to record answers, raising concerns it would damage their chances of admission as undergraduates.

School leaders said the university had offered inadequate training on the new system, while a telephone helpline for exam centres was overwhelmed with calls, with schools reporting waiting times of an hour or more.

Students taking the English literature admissions test (Elat) appear to have been particularly hard hit. Schools that contacted the Guardian said they were forced to give up and use printed test papers instead.

One parent said: “The exam officer at my daughter’s school was in disbelief yesterday at how bad it was. He said he had never seen anything like it.”

After the scale of the problems became clear, Oxford said: “This year, Elat scores will not be used in any formal shortlisting calculation. No candidate will be deselected [that is, not shortlisted] on the basis of their Elat score.”

Bill Watkin, the chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges’ Association, said: “The Oxford University admissions tests were beset by technical problems, largely a malfunctioning platform and inadequate support communications, and too many students were unable to take the test in a calm, orderly environment.

“The big concern is that the technology meltdown will have affected the performance of some candidates and not others, and that the unlucky ones will miss out on their university dream.”

A spokesperson for Oxford said: “We understand the difficulty and disappointment some UK students have experienced because of technical problems with online admissions tests run by a new provider, and we are very grateful to the students and their teachers for their patience and feedback.

“Tests are only one part of the admissions process and we will use a range of information, including candidates’ individual circumstances, to help us assess their potential and ensure no one is disadvantaged by these events.

“We will be having further talks with the provider to understand better why these problems occurred with their systems and obtain assurances that there will be no repeat.”

One school in the south of England, which did not want to be identified, said the problems affected its students taking English, maths and geography admissions tests.

“The difficulties that students faced included problems with the initial logon, being locked out midway through, errors in questions and extra time not being correctly added,” the school told parents, adding that “the difficulties are entirely the fault and responsibility of Oxford”.

This year Oxford opted to use an online platform for most of its admissions tests for propective undergraduates, developed by Tata Consulting Services (TCS). TCS has been contacted for a response.

The examination officer for one school said: “From the outset, the entire organisation of the Oxford online admissions tests was a disaster. Communication was poor, with email the only form of contact and taking over a week, as standard, to receive a reply. There was no test system put in place for a trial run.”

Severe problems were also reported with the mathematical admissions test, which was supposed to be a hybrid of online and written answers.

“My son took the test today and he said the online system crashed about 10 times. As a result some students completed the test on paper. It sounded like a complete mess,” said one parent. “My worry is that some schools may have been badly affected, while others might have avoided the problems. But Oxford will treat all the tests the same.”

Oxford’s mathematics department said it was “disappointed” to hear of the disruption, and that it “does not want candidates’ applications to be disadvantaged by adverse circumstances during the test.”

This week the AQA exam board announced that it planned to use online assessments for a number of GCSE subjects from 2026 onwards.

Watkin said: “At a time when the possibility of increasing the use of online testing is being explored and promoted, this week’s experience has been a salutary reminder that we are not nearly there yet.”