Hints and Tips on Writing UCAS References Why your reference is

Hints and Tips on Writing UCAS References

Why your reference is important

Universities receive many more applications than they have places. SWAP

partner universities are committed to considering applications from SWAP

applicants (assuming, of course, that they are on a relevant access

programme); however, this does not mean that they are under any

obligation to offer them a place. Universities will only offer a place to

applicants who can provide sufficient evidence of their academic ability,

passion for and good understanding of their chosen subject and the

motivation and transferable skills needed to succeed in higher education.

University admissions staff will look for this evidence in the applicant’s

personal statement and in the tutor’s UCAS reference. The purpose of

the reference is to give universities an informed and academic

assessment of an applicant’s suitability for further study.

Before you start

You’ll need a UCAS Login and password to access the UCAS advisor

system, both of which are generated annually by UCAS. You should have

received an email from SWAP with these details at the beginning of the

academic year. If you do not have them, please contact the SWAP East

office.

Read the application and check that the student has:

 applied to UCAS via SWAP East (and not via the college);

 filled in the Education section fully, including details of all of the

units they are studying this year and anything they studied before

starting the access programme;

 made it clear that they are currently enrolled on a SWAP

programme and registered as a SWAP student. If they don’t do this,

they may not get a SWAP offer.

How to start

SWAP references should start with the following heading: SWAP Access to

[title of access programme]. This immediately flags to the admissions

officer that the student is a SWAP student eligible for SWAP entry. You

may also want to include a brief description of the programme—but do

keep it brief.

What to cover

Admissions officers are looking to get a good overall picture of an

applicant and an idea of how they are likely to get on in a university

environment. Information on academic ability is obviously important, but

so too are details of the applicant’s transferable skills (e.g.

communication skills, presentation skills, organisational skills, team

working and leadership skills) and their commitment and attitude to their

studies.

Things to consider:

 How is the student coping with the demands of the programme so

far?

 How well suited is the student to studying at university and to

studying their chosen subject?

 Have they demonstrated commitment and motivation? Do they

attend regularly and submit work on time?

 How well and how willingly do they contribute to class discussions

and group work?

 Are you aware of any particular achievements or skills that are

relevant to their chosen subject?

 Has the student had to cope with any major obstacles or personal

difficulties during their studies? (See the section below on

exceptional circumstances).

Don’t

Try to highlight individual

strengths or skills where

appropriate. If none are

mentioned, it could be implied that

the applicant does not possess

any.

Write a standard reference for the

whole class - admissions officers

may see multiple applications from

the same class or college. Little or

no variation between references

makes them pretty meaningless.

Comment on the applicant’s likely

suitability for university level

study, backed up with relevant

evidence.

Feel obliged to comment on the

applicant’s suitability for their

chosen degree programme if it is a

subject or a course you know very

little about. You can limit your

comments to their general

suitability for university level

study.

Be tactful but honest. It does not

do an applicant any favours if they

are recommended for a university

place that they are not really ready

for or likely to be able to cope

with.

Repeat information the student has

already provided in their personal

statement, unless you want to

comment on it in some way.

Double check everything before

you submit. Once the application

has gone to UCAS it can’t be

amended.

Mention any universities by name.

Admissions officers only see details

of the course the student has

applied to at their institution.

Exceptional circumstances

If there are exceptional circumstances or particular disadvantages which

have impacted on a student’s performance, consideration should be given

to mentioning these in the reference. Admissions officers can take such

circumstances into account when considering the application. Examples of

such issues include health problems, close family bereavements and

disruptions to course delivery, such as a tutor being long-term absent.

You must obtain the student’s consent to mention any health or

disability issues. Where the matter is highly personal or confidential,

the applicant may wish to contact admissions offices themselves, which

they should feel free to do.

When problems of this nature do not emerge until later in the academic

year, we can consider giving details of the mitigating circumstances to the

university or universities when submitting the student’s results. Contact

the SWAP East Office for advice if such a scenario arises.

Second references

SWAP tutors sometimes feel that they don’t know some of their students

well enough at the point they are required to write UCAS references for

them. Nonetheless, it is important that all references are as detailed as

possible to help admissions officers make well-informed decisions. In any

case, some degree programmes require a second reference, including

nursing and social work. If that is necessary, you will likely be contacted

directly by the admissions office at the relevant university.

Supplementary references should be returned directly to the university

admissions office and not entered into the UCAS system.

FAQs

Who should write the UCAS reference?

UCAS references for SWAP students are usually written by SWAP tutors in

consultation with the other subject tutors. Ultimately, it is up to the

college to decide who is best placed to write UCAS references; however,

in each case, it should be a staff member who knows the student and is in

a position to evaluate their academic credentials authoritatively.

Is there a word limit?

Yes. The limit is 4000 characters and 47 lines. You will be timed out after

thirty-five minutes of inactivity and will lose any unsaved work.

Should I include predicted grades?

Some tutors do and some don’t. You should only include predicted grades

if you feel confident enough to do so and provided you have received the

necessary information from the other subject tutors.

Do I need to check the student’s degree choices and personal

statement?

This varies from college to college. Some colleges have guidance staff

who support students working on their UCAS applications and personal

statements, while other colleges leave this responsibility to SWAP tutors.

It is very important that there are arrangements in place for the students

to access support with the UCAS application process, including feedback

on drafts of their personal statement. A student’s degree choices are their

responsibility, but tutors should check to make sure they match the

agreed progression routes and that they are appropriate for the student

(i.e. sensible and fit with the content of their personal statement).

Guidance on applying to UCAS is available in the Current Students section

of the SWAP East website. This includes advice on what to include in the

personal statement. If you need advice on supporting your students

through the UCAS application process, get in touch with the SWAP East

office and we’ll do our best to help.

I’m concerned that the student is an unsuitable candidate for their

degree choice. Should I say anything?

This can be tricky and should be handled carefully. If you believe that the

student lacks certain key skills then you then should flag this. Needless to

say, you should go about this in a tactful and non-critical way (e.g.

[Student name] is exceptionally motivated, but he/she has some work

still to do on improving her X and Y skills if he/she is to be successful in

becoming a [job title] … ).

I have spotted a problem with the student’s UCAS application. Can

I send it back to them?

Yes. The UCAS system allows you to send the form back to the student

with feedback on what they need to amend. The student will need to

return the form to you once they have made the changes, so that you can

resubmit it to UCAS.

A SWAP student has applied to UCAS via the college rather than

SWAP. What should I do?

You will need to return the application to the student as nothing can be

done while it is with you. The student will then need to contact the UCAS

helpline with their 10 digit UCAS ID and ask for their school to be

changed to Scottish Wider Access Programme East (Centre No.

S75367T). We will be able to see the application and move the student

into the relevant SWAP class grouping on UCAS. N.B. This cannot be

done once the application has been submitted to UCAS.

What should I do once I have finished writing the reference?

Provided all other parts of the application are complete and no changes

are required, you should go ahead and submit the application to UCAS.

N.B. No changes can be made once the application is submitted.

Can a student ask to see their reference?

Yes. Under the Data Protection Act the student can ask to see a copy of

the reference.

Further Information and Guidance

UCAS Guidance on writing references

https://www.ucas.com/advisers/references/how-write-ucas-

undergraduate-references

University of Exeter: Hints and Tips on Writing a UCAS Reference

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/media/universityofexeter/webteam/shared/und

ergraduate/documents/teachersresourcespresentations/writingaUCASrefer

ence-hintsandtips.pdf

Which? University: UCAS Reference Writing – A Beginner’s Guide

http://university.which.co.uk/teachers/help-your-students-get-into-

uni/ucas-reference-writing-a-beginner-s-guide

SWAP East Contact Details

Lesley Dunbar Director

[email protected] 0131 651 8013

Nick Hutcheon Coordinator

[email protected] 0131 650 6685

Anna Reynolds Administrator (Mon-Thu to 2.30pm)

[email protected] 0131 650 6861

Deborah Neill Mentoring Coordinator

[email protected] 0131 650 6861

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.scottishwideraccess.org