Supporting Statement

Check and write your NHS supporting statement, criterion by criterion

Which form are you filling in?

Free to check. No sign-up.

Reading about the tool continues below

Your rough notes are the starting point

Rough notes, bullet points and shorthand are fine. Tell us what happened in your own words. The questions help you find the detail, then the paid writing shapes it for the form.

Example only, from an invented person

Sam's rough notes

- did obs on 8 pts on ward 4 - spotted fever - told nurse, got reviewed within 10 mins

Written for the form

On ward 4, I took observations for eight patients. When I spotted a fever, I told the nurse and the patient was reviewed within ten minutes.1

1. Records observations and reports concerns

Every criterion marked, from your notes to your statement

Your live shortlisting score counts must-haves and nice-to-haves as you answer. One tick per criterion with evidence, with a next step when more detail would help. It is an estimate based on NHS Jobs shortlisting, with no pass mark or interview prediction.

  • Has an exampleThe text shows evidence for this criterion.
  • Needs an exampleThere is a claim here, with no example yet.
  • Not mentioned yetNothing in your text matches it.
  • In the wrong boxIt is there, but in a different box from the advert.
  • Checked laterThe advert says it is checked at interview or by a test.

Read the evidence in place

The free scorecard highlights your own notes against every criterion. The paid statement brings the same view to your finished form boxes.

Tap a numbered marker or a criterion in your statement to follow its evidence. A gap opens the question again, with help to find an example.

Example result, from an invented person. The view below is a static illustration.

Healthcare assistant, Band 3NHS Jobs form

Must-haves: 2 of 4 ticked

Estimate based on NHS Jobs shortlisting: one tick per criterion with evidence.

Experience: essential criteria

I have worked as a healthcare assistant on a 28-bed medical ward for two years. On every early shift I take and record observations for eight patients1 and help with personal care. Last winter a patient's breathing rate rose from 16 to 24 over two hours. I recalculated the early warning score and told the nurse in charge straight away2. The patient was reviewed within the hour.

378 of 5,000 characters

  • Able to record observations accuratelyHas an example
  • Spots changes in a patient and reports themHas an example
  • Experience of personal careNeeds an example
  • Infection prevention and controlNot mentioned yet
Example: a statement box with two sentences marked as evidence for criteria 1 and 2, and a checklist showing one criterion claimed without an example and one not found.

Why good candidates miss the shortlist

Essential criteria are the minimum the employer needs, so each one has to be shown. These are the three ways strong applicants lose marks they should have had.

  1. 01

    Shortlisters tick criteria, not paragraphs

    On NHS Jobs the shortlister goes box by box and selects each criterion you have evidenced. A good paragraph that misses a criterion still misses it.

    Source: NHSBSA scoring guide
  2. 02

    Each box stops at 5,000 characters

    Long stories run out of room, and the criteria at the end of the list are the ones that go unanswered.

    Source: NHSBSA applicant FAQ
  3. 03

    A claim is not an example

    The form itself asks you to give an example of how you put each criterion into practice. Saying you have a skill is not the same as showing it.

    Source: NHSBSA guide

How it works

See your evidence count before you pay. The form, checklist, questions and scorecard are free.

  1. Steps 1 and 2 · Free

    Pick your form and make your checklist

    Paste what the job asks for. Check the must-haves and nice-to-haves, and change any row before you start.

  2. Step 3 · Free

    Watch your evidence count as you answer

    Your live shortlisting score and specific feedback update when you move on from a question. A next step asks for any detail still needed, and a worked example shows how rough notes can look. Choose "I haven't done this" or explore something similar from home, school, volunteering or another job.

  3. Step 4 · Free

    Read your scorecard

    See every criterion with its status and your own evidence highlighted. Add an example for a gap or change an answer. Criteria checked later stay outside the score.

  4. Step 5 · From £7.99

    Read and copy your highlighted statement

    The paid writing uses your answers, in your form's boxes, with a length count. Tap a numbered marker or criterion to follow the evidence. Edit, copy each box or download the statement.

Written from your experience, never invented

Your statement starts with what you tell us: your shifts, your pupils, your clients. The writing is built to use only those facts and flags details it cannot find in your answers. Read every line and edit any part until it sounds like you.

Checked before you see it
  • Every sentence comes from your own answers
  • Criteria checked against the text, with gaps flagged
  • British English and plain words, no overused phrases
  • Length counted in the form's unit, with any excess flagged
  • Contact details checked before you copy

For the job you are applying for

Each role has, or will have, its own guide: what person specifications ask for, with real examples, and how to show it, with the check ready to open for that form.

NHS

Schools

Care and public sector

All guides

Shaped to the form you are filling in

Every employer asks in a different way. Pick the form and the statement comes out in its boxes, with length counts and any box still over its limit flagged.

  • NHS Jobs

    Separate boxes for qualifications, experience and any other category, each split into essential and desirable.

    5,000characters a box

  • Trac

    One supporting information box, used by many NHS trusts and health boards.

    1,500words, often

  • Schools

    One personal statement, on Teaching Vacancies or the school's own form.

    1,500words on Teaching Vacancies

  • The employer's own questions

    Some employers ask questions instead, such as NHS Lothian and HSC Northern Ireland.

    250-500words a question at NHS Lothian

Pay only when you want it written

The check and the questions are free, with no account needed. Finished answers go to our writing provider for checking. We do not store them for this check. Pay once when you want the statement written.

5-job pass

For up to 5 jobs.

£7.99one payment, VAT included

Time to use it
14 days
Jobs
5
Changes (each job's first write is free)
15
Daily limit
No daily limit

30-day pass

For any number of jobs.

£19.99one payment, VAT included

Time to use it
30 days
Jobs
Any number
Writes and changes
80
Daily limit
Up to 20 a day

By paying you agree to our terms and refund policy. Payment is taken by Dodo Payments on its own secure page; see our privacy page for what is shared.

One payment. Never renews. Full refund within 14 days of buying if you have not written a statement. The check is free.

How paying works, what counts as a statement and refunds are on the pricing page. More answers in the FAQ.