Reference evidence form

A structured worksheet for gathering the evidence behind a strong UCAS reference — before the deadline scramble. Students and subject teachers complete the factual sections; the reference writer turns them into the school's professional view. Free to use and adapt.

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How to use this form

A strong reference is built from specifics: real examples, accurately attributed, gathered while they are fresh. The most common avoidable mistake is leaving evidence-gathering until October, when teachers are writing from memory under pressure.

This form moves that work earlier and spreads it across the people who actually hold the evidence.

Suggested process:

1. The student completes the factual sections about their reading, experience, and responsibilities — ideally during the summer or early in Year 13.
2. Subject teachers and tutors add academic evidence and context they hold.
3. The reference writer uses the assembled evidence to draft the reference. They own the wording, the judgement, and the final sign-off.

This form gathers evidence. It is not a draft reference, and students should not be asked to write their own reference wording.

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Section A — Student and route

Field	Detail
Student name
Tutor group / cohort
Intended course or route area
Five choices (if known)
Early (15 Oct) or main (13 Jan) deadline?
Reference writer / owner
Predicted grades
Sensitive circumstances to handle separately?	Yes / No — (if yes, route via the named staff member, not this form)

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Section B — Academic evidence (completed with subject teachers)

For each subject, capture concrete, verifiable evidence — not adjectives. "Top of the class" is weaker than "independently extended the coursework into a second investigation."

Subject 1: ________________

• Specific strength or achievement (with evidence):
• Source (assessment / project / class work / competition):
• Why it matters for the intended route:
• Contributing teacher:

Subject 2: ________________

• Specific strength or achievement (with evidence):
• Source:
• Why it matters for the intended route:
• Contributing teacher:

Subject 3: ________________

• Specific strength or achievement (with evidence):
• Source:
• Why it matters for the intended route:
• Contributing teacher:

(Copy the block for additional subjects.)

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Section C — Evidence beyond the classroom (completed by the student)

Record things you have genuinely done. Be specific — names, dates, and what you actually did matter more than how it sounds.

Wider reading / lectures / online courses / projects / EPQ

• What:
• When:
• What you took from it (one honest sentence):

Work experience / volunteering / employment / placements

• What:
• When:
• What you took from it:

Leadership / responsibilities / clubs / mentoring / community

• What:
• When:
• What you took from it:

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Section D — Context the reference writer should know

Use this for anything that helps the writer give a fair, rounded picture. Keep safeguarding and highly sensitive matters out of this form — flag them to the named staff member instead.

• Relevant circumstances affecting studies (illness, caring responsibilities, disruption):
• Trajectory or improvement worth noting:
• Anything the student is modest about that staff have observed:

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Section E — Reference writer notes (staff only)

This is where evidence becomes judgement. The writer owns every line of the final reference.

• Most relevant academic qualities to evidence:
• Most relevant personal qualities to evidence:
• Claims to verify before use:
• Anything that should not be used publicly, or needs careful handling:
• Final reviewer / sign-off owner:
• Date finalised:

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A note on what stays human

The reference is the school's professional view of a student. That judgement does not move to a tool or to the student. This form exists to make sure the person writing the reference has accurate, specific material to draw on — so the finished reference is grounded in what the student has genuinely done, and the school can stand behind every word.

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About this form

Provided free by Outleap, which builds school-led software for UCAS, references, feedback, and progression — including an evidence bank that captures this material as students go, so the reference writer is not starting from a blank page. Schools are welcome to adapt this form and use it under their own name.