1

Grade 7 CSA Familiarisation

Introduction

These pages contain the grade 7 core skills assessment familiarisation materials. They have been designed to help you to prepare for the Home Office core skills assessment (CSA). The information contained here has been provided to allow you to become familiar with the type of exercises used, as well as the Home Office competencies being assessed. It will also provide you with some advice and guidance on how to approach the exercises, as well as introduce the scenario used and the role you will be asked to take during the CSA. You must ensure that you read the correct general background information for your CSA. The grade 7 CSA general background information will be provided to you again on the day of your CSA so that you can make reference to it during the exercises. As part of your preparation for the CSA you should review the Home Office core competencies on which you will be assessed. Finally, do not bring any materials to the CSA with you unless you are specifically requested to do so. Everything you need will be provided on the day.

2

Core Competency Framework Skills Assessed in the CSA The exercises assess candidates against the core competency framework in operation prior to the one issued in April 2010. The following passages summarise the type of evidence that the CSA will look for and the particular skills that will be assessed. People management In assessing this competency, the CSA focuses on how well you work with others whilst having regard for others’ needs, adapting your approach accordingly. The CSA is designed to assess the way in which you appropriately support and develop others. It will also assess the extent to which you can provide direction and guidance to others, and adapt your approach when circumstances change. Specifically, the CSA is designed to assess the following skills: � Set the direction � Allocate and delegate � Change responsive and focused � Monitor progress � Develop others � Motivate � Value people, their diversity and contributions � Develop good working relationships � Review performance Communication In assessing this competency, the CSA focuses on how clearly and effectively you communicate both orally and in writing. Furthermore, the CSA will look at the extent to which you actively engage with and seek out the views of others, gain others’ cooperation and buy-in, and focus on the needs of your audience in the way you communicate. Specifically, the CSA is designed to assess the following skills: � Write effectively � Speak effectively � Actively listen � Persuade and influence � Represent and promote � Customer focused � Negotiate � Consult and involve Analysis and use of evidence The CSA looks at how well you identify, incorporate and interpret information. The CSA will also look at the extent to which you use information to generate possible solutions, make effective decisions, and recognise the impact of your decision-making. Specifically, the CSA is designed to assess the following skills:

3

� Gather and manage information � Innovate � Generate and evaluate options � Make well-judged decisions � Link work to its impact on society Project and programme management The CSA does not expect you to have knowledge relating to ‘PRINCE 2’ or other formal project management approaches. Instead, the CSA aims to assess skills under this competency, including ‘apply PPM tools’ by looking at the extent to which you apply an effective approach to planning, monitoring and reviewing activities or projects. In addition, exercises focus on the extent to which you attend to stakeholder relationships and manage them effectively. Specifically, the CSA is designed to assess the following skills: � Apply PPM tools � Establish business case � Establish and maintain good stakeholder relationships � Monitor and review progress against plans Financial management The CSA does not assess knowledge of financial systems, processes or techniques. The assessment will, instead, be looking at how well you can appropriately use financial resources and work effectively within the financial procedures and constraints set out within the exercises. The CSA also aims to assess the extent to which you are aware of the financial implications of your course of action and take responsibility for it. Specifically, the CSA is designed to assess the following skills: � Financially aware � Forecast � Manage resources � Take responsibility � Follow procedures and guidelines

4

Core skills assessment overview The core skills assessment incorporates three exercises: 1 - an electronic 'e-tray' exercise This exercise introduces the assessment scenario and will be the first exercise you will complete in the CSA. It will measure: � people management � analysis and use of evidence � communication (written task only) � project and programme management � financial management 2 - a role play with a 'direct report' (ie, someone who reports directly to you within the context of the exercise) The exercise will measure: � people management � project and programme management 3 - a role play with a peer from another directorate in the scenario The exercise will measure: � analysis and use of evidence � communication � financial management Further information on each of these exercises can be found in the following pages.

5

Grade 7 CSA familiarisation

The assessment scenario

The core skills assessment (CSA) scenario is set in the future and is entirely fictitious. This helps to create a level playing field for candidates as no candidate will have knowledge of this area. No specialist knowledge or experience of the subject is required or beneficial. This makes the exercises a strong assessment of your skills. A range of information will be made available for you to look at when responding to the exercises and can be found in the information provided at the CSA, as well as the general background information. It is possible to provide a full answer from this information. In particular, for the purposes of the CSA, you should not make any assumptions about the overall policies of the government in power at the time, other than those described in the information provided. The G7 CSA general background information is provided in advance so that you can understand the context of the assessment scenario before the CSA itself. There will be no advantage to undertaking any additional research on any of the topics included in the scenario, as you will only be expected to work with what is in the general background information and what material is provided to you at the CSA. Note that you will not be allowed to take in any kind of materials (including notes) into the CSA itself. The general background information will be provided to you again at the CSA for reference purposes.

6

The e-tray exercise An e-tray exercise is a computer-based assessment, which requires you to read and respond to a series of messages presented in an email inbox. You will be asked to take decisions on a range of issues presented in a fictional work-related scenario. For example, these decisions may require you to solve problems, organise tasks or respond to enquiries and requests for information. You will be asked to deal with a series of emails related to the scenario. To assist you, a range of supporting information and documents will be provided on-screen, as well as a paper folder containing a copy of the general background information given to you in advance. In order to respond to the emails, you will need to refer to the different pieces of information and make a decision about how to deal with the situation. The inbox interface is simple to use and you do not need any special expertise to use it. You will be given a tutorial explaining how to use the interface before you start on the day of the CSA itself. You will also have the opportunity to clarify anything you don't understand with an administrator before you begin. During the e-tray exercise you will be asked to do the following: � Review a series of documents, presented in on-screen information folders,

that provide some information about the exercise scenario (task 1) � Read and respond to a series of emails (task 2). Each email message will

include four possible actions you could take. You will be asked to select the response that you think is most appropriate and the one you think is least appropriate. Your judgement of which options you should choose should be based on the information in the email and any other relevant information available to you within the exercise.

� Produce a written response to an email message (task 3). Again, your answer will be based on the information available in the message itself and any other relevant documents

E-tray task timings Each task is timed separately. The timings are as follows:

1. review information in the on-screen folders 20 minutes

2. respond to emails 60 minutes

3. written task 45 minutes

Before starting each task, you will receive specific instructions relating to the task. These instructions will outline what is required and the time allowed.

E-tray familiarisation tutorial

Please now review a short tutorial which explains how to use the inbox system. A similar tutorial will be made available at the CSA, before you undertake the e-tray exercise.

7

Tutorial: The exercise

When you start the exercise, you will be presented with the email system.

For the first task (reviewing background information) you will have access to four on-screen information folders, which contain information items that you can open and read. You can access these folders by clicking on the appropriate icon in the left-hand column of the window (circled).

When you start the second task (responding to the emails) you will be given access to your Inbox folder and will be able to start answering emails. When you start the third task (written task) you will be given access to the written task folder.

Note: the images shown in this tutorial are for illustrative purposes only and the actual folder names and content of emails will differ from those shown.

8

Tutorial: The on-screen information folders

To open an item in one of the on-screen information folders, first click the folder’s icon in the left hand pane of the window. A list of documents contained in that folder will appear in the list box on the right hand side. To open a single document, double-click on the name of the document you wish to view. The information item will then open in a new window (as in the screenshot below).

For many documents, you may need to use the vertical and horizontal scroll bars to see all of the information in the document. Remember to make sure to use the scroll bars to ensure you read all the information presented.

You can close an information window by clicking on the 'X' (Close Window) icon at the top right-hand side of the window.

9

Tutorial: The inbox folder and messages

To view the messages in your inbox, select the inbox icon in the left-hand column. The list of messages will be displayed. Double-click on a message in the list to open it – the message will be displayed in a new window.

The message window includes the details of who sent the mail, the message subject and the message itself. You may need to use the vertical scroll bar to read all of the message content. If you see a drawing-pin icon near the top-right of the window, this message has an attachment you can open by clicking on the icon.

Below the message, you will find four possible responses to the message and two columns of buttons titled 'Most' and 'Least'. Using the buttons provided, select which one of the responses you think is the most appropriate and which one you think is the least appropriate.

Once you have made your selections, click the Submit button to record them. Once your responses to a message have been recorded you will not be able to change them, although you can review the email and any attachments by re-opening it.

You can keep track of the number of emails you have received and the number you have submitted by checking the counter at the top of the main inbox. This counter shows the number of emails in your inbox and the number you have submitted. In total you will need to respond to 24 emails.

10

Tutorial: The inbox during the exercise

When you have responded to a message it will be marked as 'Replied' in the status column in the inbox to indicate that you have dealt with it. As you respond to messages, new messages will arrive in your Inbox. These will initially be shown in bold to show that you have not yet read them.

During the exercise you will be able to display multiple messages and information items on-screen at the same time. At the bottom of the screen, a task bar will be displayed showing which message and information items you have open. You can switch to any open item by clicking on the appropriate tab in the task bar. Clicking on the 'e-tray Exercise' tab or the inbox icon (on the top left of the screen) will switch you to the main inbox screen.

11

Tutorial: The notepad

You also have a notepad available which you can use to make notes as you work through the exercise. You can access this facility by clicking on the 'Notes' icon at the bottom left hand side of the screen. You can type in any notes you wish to make during the exercise. When you close the notepad, the text is saved automatically, so that the next time you open it the text will have been retained. You will not be able to use the standard Windows copy and paste function to transfer text to or from your notepad. You can choose whether to make your notes using the on-screen notepad or the paper provided, or both. Your notes will not form part of the CSA.

12

Tutorial: Viewing the instructions, tutorial and time remaining during the exercise

Throughout the exercise, you will be able to view the tutorial and task instructions at any point by selecting the relevant icon in the bottom left-hand column of the main exercise window (circled on the screen shot).

However, you should bear in mind that the exercise timer will not stop during any subsequent review of this information once the first task has begun.

The time that you have remaining for each task will be displayed at all times on the right hand side of the main inbox (also circled). However, if you choose to maximise emails, attachments or other documents whilst reviewing them you may temporarily cover the task timer. Please remember that it is your responsibility to manage your time in the exercise so you should make sure you regularly keep track of the time remaining.

13

The inbox task Having reviewed the information in the on-screen folders, you will be required to deal with a series of emails. The exercise will be timed for you and you will be able to follow how much time you have left to complete the exercise. In total you will have to respond to 24 emails. When you begin this task, you will find there are some messages waiting for you in your inbox. These messages relate to a number of issues that need to be resolved. You should respond to each message by selecting the most appropriate and least appropriate responses from the options available. Your judgement of which response is most and least appropriate should be based on the information available in the message, attachments and any other relevant documents in the information folders. Once you have submitted your response to a message you will not be able to go back and change your answer. As you submit your responses to the messages, further messages will arrive in your Inbox concerning the issues you are dealing with. There is a total of 24 messages. Your goal should be to respond to as many messages that appear in your inbox as possible in the time available. Please be aware that there will be a time delay between submitting a response to a message and receiving a new message. It is up to you to manage your time effectively to ensure that you receive and respond to all 24 messages. You can monitor the number of emails you have received and responded to by checking the counter at the top of your inbox. If you respond to all of the messages before the end of the time allowed for the task you must remain in the assessment room until the time allocated has expired. During this time you can still access the on screen information folders that may be pertinent to task 3 the written task. You can use the time remaining to review this information.

14

The written task When the time for the inbox task has ended you will then be asked to progress to task 3 - the written task. The task will be introduced by instructions which indicate that your manager has just sent you an email that needs to be dealt with immediately. You will need to draft a response to your manager's request. When you begin the written task, you will automatically be directed to the 'written task' folder which will be displayed on the left-hand side of the screen. Here you will find an email. The message will explain what response you are required to draft. Should you wish to review information in either your Inbox or the on-screen information folders when responding to the message these will remain available on the left-hand side of the screen. After reviewing the information stored in other folders, select the 'written task' folder to return to the email. When you are ready to begin typing your response you will be instructed to click the 'Reply' button at the bottom of the message. You will then be able to enter your response below the original email message. Please bear in mind that the e-tray software has very little editing capability and will not operate as a normal Word document. You should not attempt to ‘cut & paste’ or use ‘drag & drop’ functions either to move information into your response from other documents or folders, or to move text that you have typed around your response. You can close this email at any time by clicking on 'Close'. Your response will be saved automatically. You can close and re-open the email as many times as you wish during this task and will be able to continue drafting your response until the time allowed for the task has elapsed. At this point, your response will be automatically submitted.

15

Hints and tips for the e-tray tasks

Exercises of this type are challenging. They are designed to cover a broad range of issues presented as part of a detailed fictional scenario. The time allocated for each task will place you under some time pressure but there should be sufficient time for you to complete most, if not all, of each task. All the information you need to complete the tasks in the exercise will be provided to you. However, at times you may need to make fine judgements about the best way to deal with situations. As a result you should:

� Make sure you have reviewed all of the general background information and are fully aware of the range of documents included in the on-screen information folders before you respond to any messages.

� Make sure you are clear about your role and responsibilities within the exercise scenario.

� Read the message and response options carefully to ensure you have a complete understanding of the situation.

� Consider if there is anything in the on-screen information folders or general background information that could be relevant to the issue that you will need to refer to.

� If none of this information appears directly related to the issue, think about the most constructive way to deal with the situation.

� Look out for any attachments to an email (indicated by a drawing pin icon) and make sure you read these before responding.

� Try to think of the implications of each alternative response to help you decide on the best course of action.

� Try to focus on how the options differ to help you make your selection. Some response options may appear similar on first reading.

� Try to work through the emails in your inbox at an even pace. Rushing to select a response may mean that you don’t give appropriate consideration to all of the relevant issues.

� Keep an eye on time and keep track of your progress (including the number of emails you have answered) so that you can manage the time available to you to best advantage.

If at any time you are unclear about what you are required to do refer back to the task instructions. These will be available to you throughout the exercise.

16

Role play with a direct report

The role play will take the form of a meeting with a staff member. You will remain in the same role and organisation introduced in the general background information and e-tray exercise. A number of issues have arisen that you will need to address during the meeting.

Prior to the meeting you will be given time to prepare. You will be provided with a pack of relevant information to review, together with the general background information folder (which you will have retained from the e-tray exercise).

After the preparation period is over the meeting will commence. The assessors will enter the room before the meeting commences and will sit quietly elsewhere in the room. During the exercise please ignore the assessors. They are only there to observe and record what you say, and take no part in the discussion. When the meeting is due to start, your staff member (played by a role player) will knock on the door to your room and walk in. The meeting will start at that point and must be drawn to a close within the time allotted.

The exercise is designed to measure the following core competencies so you should focus on these areas when addressing the issues:

• people management • project and programme management

Role play task timings

Role play with a direct report: Preparation time 30 minutes Meeting with role player 30 minutes

17

Peer role play

The role play will take the form of a meeting with a colleague from another part of the organisation. As before, you will remain in the same role and organisation introduced in the general background information and e-tray exercise. You have been presented with a number of options for a shared initiative and will need to consider the available information before coming to a decision on how best to proceed.

Prior to the meeting you will be given time to prepare. You will be provided with a pack of relevant information to consider, together with the general background information folder (which you will have retained from the e-tray exercise). Based on this information, you will need to undertake an initial evaluation of the information presented in advance of a discussion with your colleague where you will need to debate and consider the data further.

After the preparation period is over the meeting will commence. The assessors will enter the room just before the meeting commences and will sit elsewhere in the room. During the exercise please ignore the assessors. They are only there to observe and record what you say and will take no part in the discussion. When the meeting is due to start, your colleague (played by a role player) will knock on the door to your room and walk in. The meeting will start at that point and must be drawn to a close within the time allotted. Once the role player has left the room, you will be asked to use the remainder of the time available to draft a memo to your manager summarising the situation.

The exercise is designed to measure the following core competencies so you should focus on these areas when considering what actions to take:

• communication • analysis and use of evidence • financial management

Role play task timings

Each task is timed separately. They are as follows:

Peer role play: Preparation time 50 minutes Meeting with role player 30 minutes Draft memo to manager 30 minutes

18

Hints and tips for the role play tasks

Role play exercises can be challenging. They are designed to cover a range of issues in an interactive setting by adopting a meeting format. It is important to be aware that the time allocated for each exercise will place you under some time pressure so you should manage your time carefully. Throughout, you will need to make a range of judgements about the best way to deal with the requirements set and issues presented. As a result you should:

� Make sure you are clear about your role and responsibilities within the exercise scenario.

� Make sure you have carefully reviewed all of the information provided. � Decide on your key aims and objectives for the meeting and make a note

of these so that you can keep track of progress during the discussion. � Prioritise what you believe are the key areas and make sure you have

considered all the relevant information related to these. Then move on to any other areas that may be relevant. This should assist you to make best use of the time available.

� Consider in advance your general approach to the meeting, including how you would like to start and close the session.

� Consider how you can work with the characters played by the role players in the meeting to achieve the most constructive outcome.

� Try to maintain a flexible approach so that you can respond to any unforeseen challenges that may arise during the meeting in an appropriate manner.

� Keep an eye on time and keep track of your progress during all the exercise tasks so that you can manage the time available to you to best advantage.

If at any time you are unclear about what you are required to do you should make a point of referring back to the exercise instructions.

19

After the core skills assessment

Publishing of results and feedback

CSAT will aim to issue CSA headline (ie pass/borderline/fail) results to campaign managers and candidates no later than four working days after the last candidate in a campaign has sat his/her CSA. A more detailed results pack that includes individual marks and written feedback will be sent to candidates shortly after. All results will be issued by email. Feedback on the Specific Skills Assessment (SSA) will be provided by advertising line managers. Next steps If you are invited to attend a CSA , you should: � review this familiarisation material again � review the appropriate general background material for your CSA. How is a Borderline result defined?

The CSA assesses each of the five Professional Skills for Government (PSG) competencies twice, marked against a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest. The two marks for each competency are added together to give summary scores. For each competency, the maximum score is 10 (2x5) and the minimum score is 2 (2x1). To gain an overall pass, candidates must score 4x6 or better and 1x5 across the five competencies. The borderline category is defined as 4x6 or better and 1x4, or 3x6 or better and 2x5 scores across the five competencies. Any score below this threshold is a fail.

How will recruiting managers use the information that someone is in the borderline category?

As soon as the last candidate in a campaign has been through the CSA, CSAT will send the recruiting manager (as well as individual candidates) an email giving the headline results. For the recruiting manager, this will be a standard letter containing a table setting out the names of those who sat the CSA and their pass, borderline or fail status. The result letter will also provide, for borderline candidates only, a summary of their competency scores so that the recruiting manager can see clearly where the candidate dipped below the pass score required. The recruiting manager will be under no obligation to invite any borderline candidate/s to the specific skills assessment (SSA) stage, but may do so after having considered carefully the particular skills and competencies required for the job. To inform this decision, the recruiting manager will be provided with clear guidance on how to interpret the borderline scores. Recruiting managers will also be required to complete and submit a campaign report form: this information will be monitored and analysed for fairness and diversity outcomes. HR will not undertake pre-appointment activities if the campaign report is not submitted.

20

How long will an individual's borderline status last for?

Six months, during which period people can use their borderline status to apply for other jobs if they have not otherwise been successful in gaining a post. During this period, people will not have to re-sit the CSA. After six months, the borderline status will lapse and individuals will have to re-take the CSA if shortlisted for a post.