Civil Service behaviours:
all 9 explained, with examples by grade
What each behaviour means, which level matches your grade, how sifters score your statement from 1 to 7, and a worked example statement you can learn from.
The short answer
The Civil Service behaviours are the nine actions and activities the Civil Service uses to judge how well someone will do a job. They are part of the Success Profiles framework. Each job advert names the behaviours it will assess and the grade they are assessed at. You evidence each one with a short, specific example (usually up to 250 words), and sifters score it from 1 to 7. A 4 is the usual pass mark on every assessed behaviour.
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The 9 Civil Service behaviours
Seeing the Big Picture
Understanding how your work fits with and supports your organisation’s objectives and the wider public interest.
A strong example shows: You connected a task to a departmental or policy goal and changed what you did because of it.
Changing and Improving
Looking for ways to make things work better and suggesting new ideas for improvement.
A strong example shows: You spotted a problem, proposed a change, got it adopted, and can show the difference it made.
Making Effective Decisions
Using evidence and knowledge to reach sound decisions and give accurate advice.
A strong example shows: You weighed options against evidence, made a call (sometimes with incomplete information) and explained why.
See examples at EO, HEO/SEO and Grade 7 →Leadership
Showing pride in public service, setting direction and engaging others in a shared goal. Not only for managers.
A strong example shows: You took the lead on something, brought people with you and dealt with resistance or setbacks.
See examples at EO, HEO/SEO and Grade 7 →Communicating and Influencing
Communicating purpose and direction clearly and with integrity, and adapting to your audience.
A strong example shows: You changed how you communicated for a specific audience and it changed their decision or behaviour.
Working Together
Building effective relationships with people inside and outside your organisation.
A strong example shows: You worked across teams or organisations to deliver something neither could have done alone.
Developing Self and Others
Focusing on continuous learning for yourself, other people and the organisation.
A strong example shows: You identified a development need (yours or a colleague’s), acted on it and can show the result.
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering service objectives with professionalism, expertise and efficiency, with the customer in mind.
A strong example shows: You measured service quality, improved it, and can quote the before and after.
Delivering at Pace
Taking responsibility for delivering timely, quality results with focus and drive.
A strong example shows: You owned a deadline under pressure, managed competing priorities and delivered without cutting quality.
See examples at EO, HEO/SEO and Grade 7 →Definitions paraphrased from the Cabinet Office behaviour framework on gov.uk. Always read the full descriptors for your grade.
Which level matches your grade?
Each behaviour is described at six levels. Use the level for the grade you are applying for, not the grade you are in now.
| Level | Grades covered |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) |
| Level 2 | Executive Officer (EO) |
| Level 3 | Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) |
| Level 4 | Grade 7 and Grade 6 |
| Level 5 | Deputy Director |
| Level 6 | Director and Director General |
What changes as the grade goes up
AA / AO (Level 1)
Doing your own work well and reliably: following process, helping colleagues, raising issues promptly, taking ownership of your tasks.
EO (Level 2)
Owning a piece of work or a small team’s output: prioritising, solving problems within your area, and improving how the team works.
HEO / SEO (Level 3)
Leading work streams and people: making judgements with incomplete information, influencing stakeholders, and delivering change across teams.
Grade 7 / Grade 6 (Level 4)
Setting direction for an area: strategic decisions, senior and external stakeholders, organisation-wide impact, and leading through others.
How behaviour statements are scored
Departments commonly score each behaviour on a 1–7 scale against the descriptors for the advertised grade. You usually need at least 4 on every assessed behaviour, and candidates are then ranked, so aim well above the pass mark.
Not demonstrated. No positive evidence, or substantial negative evidence.
Minimal demonstration. Limited positive evidence, or mainly negative evidence.
Moderate demonstration. Some positive evidence, but some negative evidence too.
Acceptable demonstration. Adequate positive evidence; any negatives would not cause concern. The usual pass mark.
Good demonstration. Substantial positive evidence of the behaviour.
Strong demonstration. Substantial evidence, with some signs of exceeding expectations at this level.
Outstanding demonstration. The evidence wholly exceeds expectations at this level.
Scale as published by COPFS for Success Profiles assessment. Some departments allow a single 3 when all other scores are high, so check your advert and candidate pack.
How to write a Civil Service behaviour statement
Pick one example per behaviour
Choose a recent, real example where you personally made a difference. Use a different example for each behaviour.
Read the descriptors for your grade
Underline the phrases the level uses, such as “makes decisions with incomplete information”. Your example should evidence them directly.
Structure it with STAR
A short Situation and Task, a long Action section written with “I”, and a measurable Result. Most of your words belong in Action.
Cut to the limit, then check it
Most adverts allow 250 words. Cut the scene-setting first, never the result. Then reread it as a sifter: which score would you give it?
Worked example: Making Effective Decisions
In my role processing benefit claims, I noticed that one type of claim was being returned for missing evidence far more often than others, adding around two weeks to each case.
I reviewed 40 returned claims from the previous month and found that most were missing the same document, which our request letter did not clearly name. I compared three options: changing the letter, adding a phone check before requesting evidence, or leaving the process unchanged and monitoring it. I weighed the cost, the time each would take to introduce, and the risk of missing other gaps.
I recommended changing the letter because it was quick, cheap and addressed the main cause. I also proposed checking the next month’s returns to confirm it had worked. I wrote a short summary for my manager setting out the evidence, the options and my reasoning, and drafted the revised wording with our guidance team so that it met policy requirements.
The new letter went out the following month. Returns for missing evidence on those claims fell from 38% to 12%, and the average processing time dropped by nine days. My manager asked me to review two other letters in the same way.
Why this would score well
- Evidence first: 40 claims reviewed before deciding.
- Options compared against clear criteria (cost, time, risk).
- A decision was made and explained, and there was a plan to check it.
- Measurable result: 38% → 12%, nine days faster.
- Pitched at EO: owning an improvement within their own area.
This is an illustration of structure, not a statement to copy. Your statement must describe your own experience.
5 reasons behaviour statements score low
1. It describes the team, not you
“We reviewed the process” tells the sifter nothing about your contribution. Write “I” for everything you did yourself, and say who else was involved only where it matters.
2. There is no result, or the result is vague
“It went well” is not evidence. Give a number, a before-and-after, a deadline met, or a decision that changed because of your work.
3. The example doesn’t match the behaviour
A strong Delivering at Pace story will still score low under Making Effective Decisions. Reread the behaviour description for your grade and cut anything that doesn’t evidence it.
4. It is pitched at the wrong grade
The same example can score 6 at EO and 3 at SEO. Higher grades expect more scale, more ambiguity, more people and more strategic impact.
5. Too much situation, not enough action
Sifters score what you did. If half your 250 words set the scene, only half are earning marks. Aim for most of the words to be actions.
Using AI on your behaviours: what’s allowed
Civil Service guidance says AI can support your application, for example by helping you find the behaviours in an advert or structure an example. Every example must be truthful and come from your own experience. Presenting AI-generated content as your own can be treated as plagiarism, and applications can be withdrawn for it.
The safe approach is to write your own example first, then use feedback, human or AI, to find the gaps: a missing result, too much “we”, the wrong grade pitch. Fix those in your own words.
Preparing for the interview stage too?
Behaviours come back at interview, often with follow-up questions on the same examples. Get the most common questions for each behaviour and a full model answer.
Get the free interview packFree PDF • All nine behaviours • No sign-up
Civil Service behaviours: FAQ
Related Civil Service guides
→ Civil Service behaviour interview questions — common questions per behaviour with a STAR-L model answer.
→ Civil Service interview questions — the full Success Profiles interview, including strengths.
→ Free Civil Service interview pack (PDF) — questions and a model answer, no sign-up.
→ Civil Service CV checker — check your CV against a Civil Service job description.
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