Checked 14 October 2026. From GOV.UK Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025), Success Profiles: Candidate overview, Using the Civil Service Jobs website as a candidate (last updated 27 January 2026), A brief guide to competencies (12 April 2016) and Civil Service Careers pages, read on 14 October 2026. The behaviour examples are quoted word for word and reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The interview questions are written by us from those examples.
Changing and improving is often read as “I had a new idea”. The GOV.UK examples are broader than that, and at the junior bands half of them are about how you respond to a change that somebody else made: learning the new procedure, querying a problem with it in a suitable way, helping colleagues through it. This guide prints the GOV.UK examples for Changing and improving at all six grade bands, word for word, shows what changes from one band to the next, gives six interview questions that we wrote from those examples, and sets out how to structure a written example. It contains no sample statements and no model answers: an example only counts if it is yours.
What Changing and improving means: the official definition
GOV.UK defines the behaviour in these words: “Seek out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback.” Civil Service Careers prints the same definition on its Behaviours page. Everything else on this page builds on that definition and on the grade-band examples that follow it.
Our count of the bullet points under each band in Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025): 41 examples in all for this behaviour. The number of bullets is not a measure of how hard a band is.
Changing and Improving at each grade band: the GOV.UK examples in full
On GOV.UK each list completes a sentence that ends “are when you:”, which is why the examples begin with a verb in lower case. They are reproduced exactly, including GOV.UK’s own punctuation. Find the band that matches the grade in your advert; the headings are GOV.UK’s.
Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) grade or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Changing and improving at AA and AO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | review ways of working and suggest improvements, including how to make full use of new digital technologies |
| 2 | learn new procedures and help colleagues to do the same |
| 3 | query any issues that arise from changes in a suitable way |
| 4 | respond in an effective and appropriate manner when emergencies arise |
Executive Officer (EO) grade or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Changing and improving at EO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | regularly review own and team’s work and take the initiative to suggest ideas to make improvements |
| 2 | give feedback on changes in a constructive manner |
| 3 | take a positive, open approach to the possibility of change and encourage others to do the same |
| 4 | help others to understand changes and the reasons they are being put in place |
| 5 | identify and act on the effects changes are having on your role and that of the team |
| 6 | look for ways to use technology to achieve efficient and effective results |
| 7 | consider accessibility needs of the diverse range of end users |
Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grades or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Changing and improving at HEO and SEO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources |
| 2 | use technology where possible to increase efficiency |
| 3 | encourage ideas for change from a wide range of sources |
| 4 | clearly explain the reasons for change to colleagues and how to implement them, supporting individuals with different needs to adapt to change |
| 5 | encourage an environment where colleagues know that they can challenge decisions and issues safely |
| 6 | take managed risks by fully considering the varied impacts changes could have on the diverse range of end users |
Grade 7 and Grade 6 or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Changing and improving at Grade 7 and Grade 6 (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | encourage, recognise and share innovative ideas from a diverse range of colleagues and stakeholders |
| 2 | give people space to take initiative and praise them for their creativity |
| 3 | create an environment where people feel safe to challenge and know their voice will be heard |
| 4 | make changes which add value and clearly articulate how changes will benefit the business |
| 5 | understand and identify the role of technology in public service delivery and policy implementation |
| 6 | consider the full impact of implementing changes on culture, structure, morale and the impacts on the diverse range of end users, including accessibility needs |
| 7 | identify early signs that things are going wrong and respond promptly |
| 8 | provide constructive challenge to senior management on change proposals |
Deputy Director or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Changing and improving at Deputy Director (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | challenge the way things have always been done and suggest improvements, learning from experience |
| 2 | seek, encourage and recognise initiative and imaginative ideas from a wide range of people |
| 3 | promote an environment where all colleagues feel safe to challenge |
| 4 | encourage measured risk taking and innovation to deliver better approaches and services |
| 5 | implement changes that transform flexibility, responsiveness and quality of service |
| 6 | ensure changes add value to the business and express clearly how and why changes are necessary |
| 7 | lead the transformation towards using digital technologies ensuring full consideration of accessibility needs and the diverse range of end users |
| 8 | manage change effectively and respond promptly to critical events |
| 9 | constructively challenge changes which are unhelpful |
Director and Director General
| No. | GOV.UK example of Changing and improving at Director and Director General (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | constructively challenge bureaucratic decision making, resourcing structures and processes across the Civil Service |
| 2 | strive to simplify approaches to create an effective organisation using digital technologies ensuring full consideration of accessibility needs and the diverse range of end users |
| 3 | proactively champion and lead change, seeking innovative new approaches, policies and systems that add value to the organisation |
| 4 | create a culture of innovation, flexibility and responsiveness enabling departments to swiftly respond to change |
| 5 | have the confidence to take calculated risks to change how things are done |
| 6 | establish an environment where all colleagues feel safe to challenge without fear |
| 7 | consider the full impact of change on the organisational culture and wider government structures |
What changes from band to band
The lists move from taking part in change, to helping others through it, to making it safe for others to challenge, to challenging upward yourself. The middle column quotes the wording that first appears, or matters most, at that band. The right-hand column is our reading of it and is not official guidance.
| Grade band | Wording from the GOV.UK examples (verbatim) | Our reading |
|---|---|---|
| AA and AO | “suggest improvements” · “learn new procedures and help colleagues to do the same” · “when emergencies arise” | You suggest, you learn and you respond. This is the only band whose list mentions emergencies; the Deputy Director list speaks of “critical events”. |
| EO | “take the initiative to suggest ideas” · “help others to understand changes and the reasons they are being put in place” · “identify and act on the effects changes are having” | Initiative is now expected, the review covers the team’s work as well as your own, and you help other people through a change. |
| HEO and SEO | “simplify processes to use fewer resources” · “challenge decisions and issues safely” · “take managed risks” | Three new ideas arrive together: efficiency, an environment in which colleagues can challenge, and risk. |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | “give people space to take initiative” · “identify early signs that things are going wrong” · “constructive challenge to senior management” | The ideas are now expected to come from other people, with you making room for them, and the challenge is directed upward. |
| Deputy Director | “challenge the way things have always been done” · “measured risk taking and innovation” · “constructively challenge changes which are unhelpful” | You are expected to question established practice and also to push back on change that does not help. |
| Director and Director General | “bureaucratic decision making” · “culture of innovation, flexibility and responsiveness” · “calculated risks” | The object of change is the organisation and the Civil Service itself: structures, culture and the confidence to take risks. |
One line that runs through every band: technology
Every band has an example about digital technology. The verb changes with the grade.
| Grade band | GOV.UK example (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| AA and AO | review ways of working and suggest improvements, including how to make full use of new digital technologies |
| EO | look for ways to use technology to achieve efficient and effective results |
| HEO and SEO | use technology where possible to increase efficiency |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | understand and identify the role of technology in public service delivery and policy implementation |
| Deputy Director | lead the transformation towards using digital technologies ensuring full consideration of accessibility needs and the diverse range of end users |
| Director and Director General | strive to simplify approaches to create an effective organisation using digital technologies ensuring full consideration of accessibility needs and the diverse range of end users |
Our reading: at AA and AO you suggest how to use it, at EO and at HEO and SEO you use it for efficiency, at Grade 7 and Grade 6 you understand its role in delivery and policy, at Deputy Director you lead the transformation towards it, and at Director you use it to simplify how the organisation works. From Deputy Director the same line also carries “accessibility needs”. If your example involves a tool or system, say what it changed for the people using the service.
Six Changing and improving interview questions, built from the GOV.UK examples
We looked for official example interview questions for this behaviour on GOV.UK and on Civil Service Careers and found none. What the official pages do say is short. GOV.UK says you “may be asked to give examples of when you have demonstrated a particular behaviour”, or “how you would behave in a given situation”. A Defra recruiter writing on the department’s GOV.UK blog says behaviour questions “may start with ‘Tell me about a time when…’”.
The six questions below are example questions we wrote from the descriptors, one for each grade band. Each is built from a single GOV.UK example, shown beside it so that you can see where the wording comes from. We do not claim that any department asks them. Use them to rehearse, and expect your panel to word its own.
| Grade band | Example question (written by us) | The GOV.UK example it is built from (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| AA and AO | Tell me about a time when you reviewed a way of working and suggested an improvement. What happened to your suggestion? | review ways of working and suggest improvements, including how to make full use of new digital technologies |
| EO | Describe a time when you helped others to understand a change and the reasons it was being put in place. | help others to understand changes and the reasons they are being put in place |
| HEO and SEO | Give an example of when you worked with others to identify an area for improvement and simplified a process so that it used fewer resources. | work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | Tell me about a time when you provided constructive challenge to senior management on a change proposal. | provide constructive challenge to senior management on change proposals |
| Deputy Director | Describe a change you implemented that transformed the flexibility, responsiveness or quality of a service. | implement changes that transform flexibility, responsiveness and quality of service |
| Director and Director General | Give an example of how you have established an environment where colleagues feel safe to challenge without fear. | establish an environment where all colleagues feel safe to challenge without fear |
Two points on using them. First, a panel can turn any of these into a hypothetical (“How would you…”), which GOV.UK expressly allows for. Second, each question is narrower than the behaviour. A good answer to one of them shows that line of the list clearly and touches others on the way; it does not try to recite the whole list.
How to structure a Changing and improving example
The rules are the same for all nine behaviours. The short version is in the table; the full version, with the STAR method in the words of the official guide, the four official statements on word limits and how examples are scored at sift, is in our guide to Seeing the big picture, which holds the full explanation.
| Point | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| Who picks the behaviours | Recruiting managers “will choose a selection of behaviours which are best suited to the specific job role”, and “You will not be asked to demonstrate all Civil Service Behaviours for one role.” (GOV.UK) |
| Length of a written example | “The online application form will automatically delete any words which exceed the 250 allowed for each example.” (GOV.UK, Using the Civil Service Jobs website). Follow the limit shown in your own advert and form. |
| Structure | “In your own examples, consider using the STAR method which allows you to set the scene, show what and how you did and the overall outcome.” (GOV.UK) |
| Covering every line | “There is no expectation that you need to demonstrate every part of each example to be successful.” (GOV.UK) |
| Where an example can come from | Work, “or somewhere else such as”: work experience, volunteering, in connection with a hobby (GOV.UK) |
| Score needed at sift | “Generally to progress to the next stage a candidate should score at least 4 for each example.” Rating scales “can vary across recruiting organisations but the standard is the same.” (GOV.UK) |
GOV.UK’s advice on structure is one sentence: “In your own examples, consider using the STAR method which allows you to set the scene, show what and how you did and the overall outcome.” The table below is our suggestion for what each part should carry when the behaviour is Changing and improving. It is drawn from the definition and the examples above, and it is ours, not an official template.
| Part of STAR | What to put there for Changing and improving (our suggestion) |
|---|---|
| Situation | The way of working as it was, and what was wrong with it or what change was arriving. |
| Task | Your part: proposing a change, carrying one out, or helping people through one that was not yours. |
| Action | How you reviewed the existing way, whose ideas or feedback you sought, how you explained the change, and what effect on users or what risk you weighed. |
| Result | What improved, by how much if you can measure it, and what you learned or fed back afterwards. |
Then check the draft against your band. Take the list for your grade from the tables above, or use the tool, and go line by line. Mark a line as shown only when you can point to the sentence that shows it. Lines with no sentence behind them are either gaps to fill or parts you have chosen not to cover, which GOV.UK allows.
Check a draft example against your grade band
Choose the grade band of the job. The list shows every example GOV.UK gives for Changing and improving at that band, word for word. Tick a line only if a sentence in your draft shows it happening. The tool counts the ticks; it does not score your example.
GOV.UK: “There is no expectation that you need to demonstrate every part of each example to be successful.” The examples are from Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025) and contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Nothing is saved or sent.
If the tool does not load, the six tables under “the GOV.UK examples in full” carry exactly the same lines.
Where Changing and improving is assessed
GOV.UK lists six ways a behaviour can be assessed: an application form requiring written examples, the Civil Service judgement test, a personality test, an interview, an assessment centre and job related simulations. Your advert says which apply.
On the online test, GOV.UK says the Civil Service Judgement Test “measures your ability to demonstrate judgement and decision-making regarding specific Civil Service Behaviours, which have been selected as important for success in your chosen job.” It does not list which behaviours a given test covers, so we cannot tell you whether Changing and improving will be in yours. For the test itself see CSJT pass mark and scoring, what a CSJT score means and CSJT tips from the behaviours. Our practice scenarios guide has scenarios that are our own teaching exercises, not official test items.
What we could not find
Not on any official page we read
- Any statement on whether an example about a suggestion that was not adopted is acceptable for this behaviour. Civil Service Careers says only, of all behaviours, that “less successful examples can be used if you can demonstrate the lessons learned and how errors would be avoided in future”.
- An official list of example interview questions for Changing and improving, or for any behaviour.
- An official sample or model behaviour example at any grade.
- Whether the Civil Service Judgement Test for a given job includes Changing and improving.
Read on 14 October 2026: the pages listed under Sources. Departmental candidate packs attached to individual adverts were not read; your own advert may say more.
The other eight behaviours, each with its own examples by band and its own six questions: Seeing the big picture, Making effective decisions, Leadership, Communicating and influencing, Working together, Developing self and others, Managing a quality service, Delivering at pace.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What does Changing and improving mean in the Civil Service?
GOV.UK defines it as: Seek out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback. The examples expected differ by grade band, and GOV.UK publishes a separate list for each of six bands.
What is the difference between Changing and improving at EO and at HEO?
At Executive Officer the GOV.UK examples include to regularly review own and team’s work and take the initiative to suggest ideas to make improvements. At HEO and SEO they include to work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources, and to take managed risks by fully considering the varied impacts changes could have on the diverse range of end users.
What is Changing and improving at AA and AO level?
GOV.UK lists four examples at Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) grade or equivalent. The first is to review ways of working and suggest improvements, including how to make full use of new digital technologies. The second is to learn new procedures and help colleagues to do the same.
What is Changing and improving at Grade 7 and Grade 6 level?
GOV.UK lists eight examples at Grade 7 and Grade 6 or equivalent. The first is to encourage, recognise and share innovative ideas from a diverse range of colleagues and stakeholders. The second is to give people space to take initiative and praise them for their creativity.
How long should a Changing and improving behaviour example be?
GOV.UK’s guide to the Civil Service Jobs website says the online application form automatically deletes any words beyond the 250 allowed for each example. A Civil Service Careers page says short written examples are usually 250 words each. Follow the limit in your own advert.
Is Changing and improving tested in the Civil Service Judgement Test?
GOV.UK says the test measures judgement and decision-making regarding specific Civil Service Behaviours selected as important for the job. It does not publish which behaviours a given test covers.
More in this series
- CSJT pass mark and scoring
- What a CSJT score means
- CSJT tips from the behaviours
- Seeing the Big Picture: examples by grade
- Making Effective Decisions: examples by grade
- Leadership: examples by grade
- Communicating and Influencing: examples by grade
- Working Together: examples by grade
- Developing Self and Others: examples by grade
- Managing a Quality Service: examples by grade
- Delivering at Pace: examples by grade
- Civil Service Judgement Test: 8 original practice scenarios
- Fast Stream online tests: a different test with a different scale
- Fast Stream vs direct entry and the other routes
Sources
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles, Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025)
- official — Civil Service Careers: Behaviours
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles (collection page, last updated 29 January 2025)
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles, candidate overview
- official — GOV.UK: Using the Civil Service Jobs website as a candidate (last updated 27 January 2026)
- official — GOV.UK: A brief guide to competencies (Civil Service Resourcing, published 12 April 2016; the STAR and CAR methods)
- official — Civil Service Careers: GOS, Tips and guidance for applying (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology pages; tips for external scientists, engineers and researchers)
- official — Defra Digital, Data and Technology blog on GOV.UK: How to improve Civil Service job applications and ace your interviews (a Defra recruiter, 14 April 2023)
- official — GOV.UK: Preparing for the Civil Service Judgement Test (last updated 24 May 2024)
- official — GOV.UK: Preparing for the Civil Service Styles Assessment (published 27 January 2026)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
Ready for more? 12 further scenarios, rated the way the real test asks
Original workplace scenarios at the level of the roles that use this test. Rate each action Counterproductive, Ineffective, Fairly Effective or Effective, then see the reason behind every rating. Start with the free one below.
- 12scenarios
- 48actions to rate
- 4behaviours
- 48ratings explained
Every rating comes with its reason, written against the scale definitions on GOV.UK and the Civil Service Code.
FreeTests: Managing a Quality Service
A mailbox nobody owns
Read the situation, then rate each of the 4 actions from Counterproductive to Effective. You then see the right rating and the reason for each. About 3 minutes · free · no sign-in.
A mailbox nobody owns
You are an administrative officer in a pensions enquiry team. Four of you answer a shared mailbox, and nobody has been given the job of sorting it. This morning it holds 140 unanswered emails. The oldest is 12 working days old, and the team's published standard is a reply within 10 working days. Your team leader, Asha, is on a training course until tomorrow but is reading her messages.
Opens when you unlock all
- The third transfer · Managing a Quality Service
- Two forms, one set of details · Managing a Quality Service
- Sixty applications by Friday · Delivering at Pace
- Two jobs, one afternoon · Delivering at Pace
- The system is down · Delivering at Pace
- Handed over at the last minute · Working Together
- One case in five arrives incomplete · Working Together
- The new starter who works from home · Working Together
- Explaining a refusal · Communicating and Influencing
- The guidance nobody absorbed · Communicating and Influencing
- An out-of-date figure in the room · Communicating and Influencing
- 11 more scenarios with 44 actions to rate on the test's own four-point scale
- 4 behaviours, three scenarios each, the way the real test is built
- The reason behind every rating, so you learn the scale and not the answers
- Your rating pattern: whether you mark too generously or too harshly, and what to fix
- Untimed, like the real test. Work through it in one sitting or several
Independent practice material. Not written or endorsed by the Civil Service. The real test shows only scenarios for your job level, may use video, and opens with a self-assessment section worth 15% of the score that has no right answers to practise. Results are a percentile against other applicants, and no answer key is published.
