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.
Delivering at pace is not a behaviour about speed alone. The official definition is “timely and quality results”, and the first GOV.UK example at AA and AO is to work “to get the job done on time and to a high standard”. At four of the six bands the list also contains a line about following rules, procedures or legal requirements while you do it. This guide prints the GOV.UK examples for Delivering at pace 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 Delivering at pace means: the official definition
GOV.UK defines the behaviour in these words: “Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.” 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): 39 examples in all for this behaviour. The number of bullets is not a measure of how hard a band is.
Delivering at Pace 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 Delivering at pace at AA and AO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | always work with focus and pace to get the job done on time and to a high standard |
| 2 | follow the relevant policies, procedures and rules that apply to the job |
| 3 | use own knowledge and expertise to organise work |
| 4 | keep focused on delivery and take responsibility for the quality of work produced |
| 5 | keep a consistent level of personal performance |
| 6 | keep managers and stakeholders updated on how work is progressing |
Executive Officer (EO) grade or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Delivering at pace at EO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | regularly review the success of activities in the team to identify barriers to progress or challenging objectives |
| 2 | identify who and what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and areas of responsibility and continually assess workloads considering individual needs |
| 3 | follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work |
| 4 | ensure colleagues have the correct tools and resources available to them to do their jobs |
| 5 | have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks |
| 6 | regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary |
| 7 | ensure that colleagues are supported where tasks are challenging |
Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grades or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Delivering at pace at HEO and SEO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities |
| 2 | promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation |
| 3 | ensure the most appropriate resources are available for colleagues to use to do their job effectively |
| 4 | regularly monitor your own and team’s work against milestones ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks |
| 5 | act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance |
| 6 | allow individuals the space and authority to meet objectives, providing additional support where necessary, whilst keeping overall responsibility |
Grade 7 and Grade 6 or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Delivering at pace at Grade 7 and Grade 6 (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | ensure everyone clearly understands and owns their roles, responsibilities and business priorities |
| 2 | give honest, motivating and enthusiastic messages about priorities, objectives and expectations to get the best out of people |
| 3 | comply with legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery |
| 4 | set out clear processes and standards for managing performance at all levels |
| 5 | ensure delivery of timely quality outcomes, through providing the right resources to do the job, reviewing and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success |
| 6 | maintain your own levels of performance in challenging circumstances and encourage others to do the same |
Deputy Director or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Delivering at pace at Deputy Director (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | translate strategic priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives for managers and teams |
| 2 | promote resilience and responsiveness in the organisation |
| 3 | deliver against own objectives, while ensuring others take responsibility for their areas |
| 4 | establish an inclusive culture which allows people space and authority to deliver their objectives whilst ensuring appropriate support is in place when needed |
| 5 | give people credit for maintaining focus on priorities, while responding quickly to changing requirements |
| 6 | act as a role model for delivery by showing efficiency and focus, while being open to new ideas and honest about challenges |
| 7 | provide clarity about the action required to achieve results and address unexpected developments |
| 8 | ensure all appropriate tools and resources are available for individuals to fulfil their job role |
Director and Director General
| No. | GOV.UK example of Delivering at pace at Director and Director General (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | set and maintain a clear direction for the department, with highly focused priorities and project and programme outcomes |
| 2 | define and integrate clear structures, systems and resources across the department which promote efficient service delivery |
| 3 | swiftly adjust priorities as changing situations dictate |
| 4 | enable the organisation to remain focused on core priorities irrespective of external challenges |
| 5 | encourage, support and coach individuals and teams to keep focus on delivery |
| 6 | drive a performance culture across the department which gives teams the space and authority to deliver objectives, whilst holding them accountable for outcomes |
What changes from band to band
The lists move from your own output, to the team’s progress, to keeping a team on its priorities, to setting direction for a department. 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 | “on time and to a high standard” · “consistent level of personal performance” · “keep managers and stakeholders updated” | Your own work: on time, to standard, consistently, with the people who depend on it kept informed. |
| EO | “activities in the team” · “set clear goals and areas of responsibility” · “despite any setbacks” · “taking corrective action where necessary” | The team’s activities come into view, and the list expects you to deal with setbacks and correct course. |
| HEO and SEO | “the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities” · “conflicting demands” · “whilst keeping overall responsibility” | Prioritising for a team when demands conflict, and delegating without giving up responsibility for the result. |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | “understands and owns their roles, responsibilities and business priorities” · “processes and standards for managing performance at all levels” · “rewarding success” | You set the standards by which performance is managed, and you resource and reward delivery. |
| Deputy Director | “translate strategic priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives” · “resilience and responsiveness” · “honest about challenges” | Turning strategy into objectives for managers and teams, and being open about what is difficult. |
| Director and Director General | “clear direction for the department” · “swiftly adjust priorities” · “whilst holding them accountable for outcomes” | Direction and priorities for a whole department, with space given to teams and accountability kept. |
One line that runs through four bands: the rules you work within
From AA and AO to Grade 7 and Grade 6, each list has a line about procedures or legal requirements. The two senior lists do not repeat it.
| Grade band | GOV.UK example (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| AA and AO | follow the relevant policies, procedures and rules that apply to the job |
| EO | follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work |
| HEO and SEO | promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | comply with legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery |
Our reading: an example in which you met the deadline by skipping a required step does not show this behaviour. The wording widens with the grade, from “rules” to “legislation” to a “culture” of following procedures “whilst still enabling innovation”, to “legal, regulatory and security requirements”. Say which rule or standard applied and how you kept to it while still delivering on time.
Six Delivering at pace 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 worked with focus and pace to get a job done on time and to a high standard. | always work with focus and pace to get the job done on time and to a high standard |
| EO | Describe a time when you kept a positive and focused attitude to achieving an outcome despite a setback. | have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks |
| HEO and SEO | Give an example of when you acted promptly to reassess workloads and priorities because of conflicting demands. | act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | Tell me about a time when you maintained your own level of performance in challenging circumstances and encouraged others to do the same. | maintain your own levels of performance in challenging circumstances and encourage others to do the same |
| Deputy Director | Describe how you have translated a strategic priority into clear, outcome-focused objectives for managers and teams. | translate strategic priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives for managers and teams |
| Director and Director General | Give an example of when you swiftly adjusted priorities because the situation changed. | swiftly adjust priorities as changing situations dictate |
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 Delivering at pace 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 Delivering at pace. 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 Delivering at pace (our suggestion) |
|---|---|
| Situation | The deadline or the volume of work, and what made it hard to meet. |
| Task | What had to be delivered, by when and to what standard. |
| Action | How you organised and prioritised the work, checked progress, dealt with a setback, kept people informed, and which rules or procedures you worked within. |
| Result | What was delivered, when, and to what quality. Give the date or the margin if you have it. |
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 Delivering at pace 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 Delivering at pace 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 Delivering at pace 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 definition of “pace” as a measured speed or target. The definition speaks of “timely and quality results”; no page we read gives a time standard.
- An official list of example interview questions for Delivering at pace, 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 Delivering at pace.
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, Changing and improving, Making effective decisions, Leadership, Communicating and influencing, Working together, Developing self and others, Managing a quality service.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What does Delivering at pace mean in the Civil Service?
GOV.UK defines it as: Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive. The examples expected differ by grade band, and GOV.UK publishes a separate list for each of six bands.
What is Delivering at pace at EO level?
GOV.UK lists seven examples at Executive Officer grade or equivalent. They include to have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks, and to regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary.
What is Delivering at pace at AA and AO level?
GOV.UK lists six examples at Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) grade or equivalent. The first is to always work with focus and pace to get the job done on time and to a high standard. The second is to follow the relevant policies, procedures and rules that apply to the job.
What is Delivering at pace at HEO and SEO level?
GOV.UK lists six examples at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grades or equivalent. The first is to show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities. The second is to promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation.
How long should a Delivering at pace 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 Delivering at pace 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
- Changing and Improving: 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
- 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.
