Menu
Departments
Back to main menu
Professions
Back to main menu
Life in the Civil Service
Back to main menu

Fast Stream Assessment Centre guide

Written Advice Exercise

This exercise is designed to test your ability to provide written advice and recommendations to a senior team within a government department on the implications of a new proposal.  

It will be the first exercise you will complete at FSAC. You will have 85 minutes to review and consider a range of information and prepare a written response. 

For the purposes of this exercise you will play the part of a Fast Stream civil servant who has been assigned to a new task. We will be assessing your ability to analyse information critically, taking into account the wider context and organisational goals, to identify practical issues, and develop ideas. You will also need to explain your thoughts succinctly and clearly in writing. To help you structure your recommendations, you will have a template within which to put your written responses.

You do not need any prior knowledge of the Civil Service, the workings of government or any particular area of policy or governmental intervention. All the information you need to do well in the exercise will be presented to you on the day.

What specifically is assessed?

The Written Advice Exercise will provide evidence on the following dimensions: 

Think
– Can process complex information and make decisions 
– Takes account of wider context, sees patterns and interrelationships and envisages how events may play out.

Relate
– Communicates effectively and persuasively in writing

Strive
– Aligns proposals with organisational goals
– Acts to pre-empt issues by tackling the root causes at the earliest opportunity

How can I prepare for this exercise?

Extensive preparation is not necessary, as all materials will be provided on the day.

– Make sure you are in an environment where you can focus, with a quiet setting, comfortable temperature, and with a suitable workstation arrangement.

– You might like to undertake specific activities that require you to use your critical thinking and writing skills.  

– For example, pick an area that you don’t know anything about but where there are a number of proposals for action to address a particular problem. On-line newspaper articles can be helpful here as they offer such a broad coverage, whether in business, finance, education, politics, foreign policy, science, health, sports or the media. You can quickly follow story lines through comments and linked articles and so pick up on alternative views.  

– Once you have a good range of information available, and from a variety of perspectives and robustness, ask yourself some key questions like the pros and cons of proposals, weighing risks against benefits, the adequacy of existing evidence and what ideas you have for tackling particular risks. Write down your responses and put it within a succinct, easy to read form, without jargon. Focus on providing actionable, well-justified advice or recommendations.

– If possible, seek feedback to refine your skills. Constructive feedback can help improve clarity, strengthen arguments, and ensure a logical flow in your writing. 

– More generally, although a cliché, it is important to stay informed on a wide range of topics, including politics, economics, and technology, to be prepared for a diversity of subjects that might come up.

Tips for handling the exercise

– Once you have watched the videos, make an initial skim through the rest of the material so you know how much you have to read and how to allocate your limited time.  

– Analyse the data critically, looking for patterns and insights that will inform your recommendation. You will notice some conflicting opinions and data, which reflect the complexity of real-world decision-making. Your task is to navigate these complexities and provide reasoned, well-balanced, evidence-based advice. 

– You are not expected to show specialist knowledge about the subject area. Nor should you feel constrained by what you may know about current policy and practice in this area. You should use the information provided in the brief, and as far as possible, set aside anything you may know about the issue in the real world. 

– It is up to you how you use this time, but you may find it helpful to spend 20 minutes reading and watching the briefing materials, 60 minutes addressing the questions and 5 minutes checking and reviewing your response. 

– Express yourself clearly and succinctly in writing. You will have a template in which to put your responses. You may use bullet points or short, distinct paragraphs but the key point is that they should include enough detail and argument to inform and influence the intended audience.

Example Exercise

The following material will give you a flavour of the exercise, however the actual exercise differs in content.

Skip this exercise

Title: Engaging the Future: Policies to increase participation and create opportunity for those under 30 

Background context 

It is July 2026.  You are a new fast streamer in the Department for Intergenerational Fairness. This Department advises, evaluates, proposes, and supports the implementation of policies ensuring that all generations benefit from government actions.

There is an acknowledgment that younger generations, particularly those born since 1996, have not benefited as much from UK policies as have previous generations. They vote less, have less wealth, and feel less engaged and supported by society.

The focus on intergenerational fairness will be the overarching theme that will continue into the next FSAC exercise, the Stakeholder Communication Exercise. Though thematically linked, each of these two exercises are scored independently.

Specific scenario for the Written Advice Exercise

If voter turnout is a measure of democratic health, the UK faces a challenge. Globally, voter numbers have declined since the 1960s. In the UK, younger people (under 30) are particularly less likely to vote, with only 45% participating in the last general election. This trend is more pronounced among those with fewer qualifications and lower socio-economic backgrounds. Low turnout leads to less representative elected institutions. 

Various policy initiatives to increase turnout have been tried in other western democracies, with some success, though few have targeted younger voters. Research by the Electoral Commission highlights issues with postal voting, such as fraud and coercion, making it a less viable solution.

Two pilot schemes focusing on young people, including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, were conducted in Scotland and Wales. The Electoral Commission, an independent body reporting to Parliament, will recommend whether there should be a broader implementation of one, both or neither of these schemes across the UK.

Task

Draft a recommendation to the Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, addressing:

  1. Considering the government’s objectives and the available data, how effective was each pilot?
  2. What would be the pros and cons associated with each option were it to be implemented nationally and what mitigation strategies do you suggest?
  3. Make a justified recommendation for one of the two options, or if you consider that neither should be implemented, explain why.

Please note: For task 3, the key point is the justification you use for your answer rather than any specific recommendation you make.  

The two pilot schemes were:

  • Making Your Vote Count (MYVC):This initiative in Scotland aims to encourage participation from groups that typically do not vote.
  • Compulsory e-Voting (CeV):This pilot in Wales involves introducing online voting and making it mandatory for all eligible voters.

Pilot Scheme: Making your vote count (MYVC)

In Scotland, before the MYVC trial, only 29% of the 3.99 million potential young voters participated in local and Scottish Parliament elections, despite a 92% registration rate. Inspired by a successful Canadian program, the trial aimed to increase voter participation by raising awareness of civic duties and simplifying the voting process. Over three years, targeted interventions included community education workshops, outreach to students, and direct engagement through community workers, with the broader goal of enhancing civic engagement.

Pilot Scheme: Compulsory e-Voting (CeV)

In Wales, out of 2.3 million potential young voters, 91% were registered, but only 28% participated in the last local and National Assembly elections.

To make voting more accessible, especially for those with disabilities or in remote areas, e-voting was proposed.

The pilot also introduced compulsory voting, inspired by Australia’s successful  implementation, with fines for those who did not vote.

There are 8 supporting documents to support you in this task

Item 1: Government’s objectives

The government needs to be sure that the outcome of any electoral changes will not only be effective in increasing voter turnout from all parts of the population, but will also be publicly acceptable, keep down the cost of running elections, and keep electoral fraud to a minimum.  A key concern is that further alienation amongst young voters does not occur.  

Item 2: Initial results of the pilot

Within the populations in which they were implemented, the results of the pilots suggested that both approaches worked to about the same extent as the other in terms of increasing the proportion of young people who voted. 

Item 3: Reasons given by young professionals for not voting

Information provided in both graph and table format.

ReasonPercentage of responders
I really intended to but circumstances on the day prevented me32
I’m just not interested in politics30
You can’t trust politicians to keep to their promises22
There was no point voting as it was obvious who would win16

Item 4: Policy Research & Analysis Unit Costs and Impacts

  • The costs for each option differ significantly. Implementing the MYVC project nationally would incur central running costs of £5.6 million over seven years, plus an estimated £7 million annually for outreach programs. Critics argue that the project Head’s salary of £300,000 per year is excessive, but supporters believe it is necessary to attract top talent for success.
  • In contrast, the CeV system’s initial setup is projected to cost £600 million in the first year, with average annual running costs of £50 million. While CeV offers potential long-term savings by reducing election administration costs, the high initial investment and ongoing maintenance expenses are considerable.

Item 5: Polling data

5a: Would you support the introduction of compulsory voting across the UK?

Information provided in graph and table format.

Category% Supporting% Opposing% Don’t know
Male45478
Female513811
Age: over 65 19792
Age: 25 to 6446486
Age: 16 to 24543511
White454611
BAME47467

5b: Would you like to replace voting at polling stations with online voting?

Information provided in graph and table format.

Category% Supporting% Opposing% Don’t know
Male444313
Female394813
Age: over 65 295417
Age: 25 to 6476195
Age: 16 to 249343
White444313
BAME414118

5c: Awareness of Pilot scheme “Make your vote count”

Information provided in graph and table format.

Category% responded “yes” to ‘”Are you aware of ‘make your vote count?'”% responded “yes” to ‘”Do you consider it useful?'”% responded “yes” to ‘”Could it be improved?'”
Overall735250
BAME766354
Under 24927920
Female Muslim555148
British Chinese232380
Physically disabled686334
Female727531

Item 6: Transcript of a Discussion on “Our World”

Presenter: “Two very different approaches are being trialled in Scotland and Wales; one tries to make people want to become part of the democratic process; the other forces them to do so. We asked San Yuen Wah of the Women in Parliament Group and political analyst Yousaf Atif for their views.”

San Yuen Wah: “Persuasion is always preferable to force. The MYVC initiative encourages more inclusive participation, especially among under-represented groups like ethnic minorities and women. However, there’s a risk that without long-term support, these gains might not be sustained.”

Yousaf Atif: “Compulsory e-voting might seem harsh, but it ensures higher turnout and a more representative democracy. Yet, imposing fines can be controversial and may disproportionately affect lower-income individuals, potentially leading to further disengagement.”

Item 7: Forced Voting – Statement by Leroy Jordan MP, Sarah Walters MP, Rahim Iqbal MP 

“We have come together from the three main political parties to express our strong opposition to forced voting. The current experiment in Wales could introduce it to the whole of the UK by the back door. We need to stop it being imposed on the whole country.

The UK is the country of Magna Carta. Voting is a civic right rather than a civic duty. While citizens may exercise their civil rights, such as free speech, they are not compelled to. Compulsory voting tramples on other rights; people should be able to choose not to vote.”

Item 8: The Office for Equal Opportunity and Diversity 

The Office for Equal Opportunity and Diversity has provided feedback on two proposed schemes aimed at enhancing democratic participation.

  • ‘Making Your Vote Count’ Project: The focus on encouraging non-voters to participate is commendable, promoting full citizenship rights. However, concerns arise from the Scottish experience, where local outreach programs paid on commission led to potential alienation and postal vote fraud. The Office supports the project, provided it avoids coercing or demonising non-voters, ensuring a sensitive approach.
  • Compulsory e-Voting: While intended to equalise voting access, compulsory e-voting could disadvantage certain groups. Respecting diverse views and rights, the Office believes citizens should have the choice not to vote. For many, a £100 fine would be a significant burden.