Writing skills
Civil servants can develop their writing skills by choosing from this selection of recommended learning.
From writing simple emails to drafting submissions to Ministers, writing skills are important to all civil servants.
For that reason, Government Campus has developed a series of courses designed to help civil servants hone their skills whatever their role.
Foundations of writing in government
This free online course that you can complete at your own pace covers: Jargon, Acronyms, Short Sentences, Plain English, Editors and Readers (JASPER). These principles are relevant to all writing: whether it’s internal emails, notes of meetings, text for websites or more formal reports.
Find out how the JASPER course helped Richard Murray take his writing skills to the next level.
Writing effective emails
This course provides useful tips on how to write and structure your emails with colleagues and external stakeholders.
Advance your writing in government
This course builds on the foundational skills course and helps teams focus on effective writing in government. Delivered by Apolitical over four weeks, the course allows participants to learn flexibly.
Advising and briefing
This course helps participants produce effective advice and briefing which meets the needs of ministers and senior officials.
Drafting Masterclass
This course concentrates on writing well documents such as submissions which play a critical role in the functioning of government.
Working with Parliament: Written parliamentary questions
This course gives learners the knowledge and skills they need to understand the different types of questions parliamentarians ask, why they ask them and how to help the government respond to them in the best possible way.
Excellent Drafting for Senior Leaders
This is a one-day masterclass aimed at senior civil servants and grade 6/7s and shows how to turn complex ideas and information into clear, compelling and concise writing.