Civil Service grades explained: AA, AO, EO, HEO, SEO and Grade 7, and what each expects in your application

Updated · By the Tick the Spec team

The main Civil Service grades, from entry level up, are Administrative Assistant (AA), Administrative Officer (AO), Executive Officer (EO), Higher Executive Officer (HEO), Senior Executive Officer (SEO), Grade 7 and Grade 6, then the Senior Civil Service. Each step up means more responsibility, more independence and a wider impact, and assessors expect your examples to show work at, or close to, the level of the grade you are applying for. Pay is set by each department and varies by location, so always check the salary in the advert.

The grades at a glance

GradeTypical rolesWhat examples usually need to show
AAAdministrative support, post room, data entryReliability, accuracy, following procedures, helping customers and colleagues
AOCaseworker, contact centre adviser, administrative officer, work coach supportHandling your own caseload, dealing with customers, spotting problems and raising them, working well in a team
EOTeam leader, junior caseworker or officer, work coach, junior analystLeading small teams or tasks, making decisions within guidelines, managing a workload to deadlines, improving how things are done
HEOPolicy officer, project officer, operational manager, analystWorking with more independence, using evidence, managing projects or several teams, influencing others
SEOSenior policy adviser, project manager, senior operational managerLeading a work area, handling complex or sensitive issues, managing managers or significant budgets
Grade 7Team leader in policy or programmes, senior analyst or specialistLeading teams and strategy in an area, advising senior leaders and ministers' offices, managing risk and resources
Grade 6Head of a larger team or functionLeading across teams, setting direction, organisational impact

Titles vary between departments and agencies. Some, such as HMRC, DWP or the Ministry of Defence, use their own grade names alongside or instead of these, so check the advert.

Grades and behaviour levels

Under Success Profiles, each behaviour is described at six levels, matched to grades:

  • Level 1: Administrative Assistant and Administrative Officer
  • Level 2: Executive Officer
  • Level 3: Higher Executive Officer and Senior Executive Officer
  • Level 4: Grade 7 and Grade 6
  • Level 5: Deputy Director (Senior Civil Service)
  • Level 6: Director and Director General

When an advert assesses behaviours, read the indicators for your level in the GOV.UK behaviours document and choose examples that match them. In July 2026 the Civil Service announced it would replace Success Profiles with a skills-focused model; see what that means for applicants. Until adverts change, use what the advert asks for.

Pitching your examples at the right level

  1. Look at scope: one task, a caseload, a team, a programme or a whole function.
  2. Look at independence: following a process, choosing between options, designing the approach, or setting direction for others.
  3. Look at stakeholders: colleagues and customers, other teams, senior leaders, other organisations or ministers.
  4. Look at risk and complexity: routine issues, unusual cases, sensitive or high-profile matters.

You do not need to have held the grade already. Many people move up a grade with examples from acting-up, projects, volunteering or work outside government that show the same scope and responsibility.

Worked example (fictional): the same story pitched at two grades

Invented applicant and figures. Behaviour: Working Together.

Pitched at AO:

When a colleague in my benefits processing team was struggling with a new type of claim, I offered to sit with her for an hour and show her the checks I use. I also shared my own notes on the common errors with the rest of the team. Her processing time improved, and two other colleagues said the notes helped them.

Pitched at HEO:

When our processing team and the fraud team disagreed about who should check a new type of claim, cases were bouncing between us and backlogs grew. I arranged a joint workshop with both team leaders, mapped the process with them, and proposed a shared checklist with clear handover points. I agreed a four-week trial, tracked case times, and reported the results to both managers. Handbacks fell by about half, and the checklist was adopted across the region.

The second version shows cross-team influence, a designed solution and measured results, which is what higher levels look for.

Common mistakes

  • Examples below the grade: an SEO application built on tasks that look like AO work.
  • Overclaiming: describing a team's achievement as your own leadership.
  • Ignoring the department's own grade names and pay information in the advert.
  • Using old competency framework guides from before 2019.

Tick the Spec reads the advert, lists what it assesses, and shows which of your experiences cover each criterion, for free. For the statements themselves, see our personal statement guide and STAR examples.

Sources

All guides