Practice: Write a capability statement

SkillSTAR gives us a structure to build detailed evidence. A capability statement helps us communicate it. The capability statement is a format you can use with your own learners to help them recognise and communicate what they can do. In this step you will have a go at writing one for yourself

What is a capability statement?

A capability statement is a concise way of communicating what someone can do. It goes beyond describing a task to making a clear and credible statement about capability.

This is the kind of evidence that can be: – shared beyond study – included in a portfolio – or contribute to a broader record of learning over time

This is a tool you can use with your own learners to help them recognise and communicate what they can do. In this step you will have a go at writing one for yourself.

Your turn

1. Name the skill

Think about something that you do well and then think about what skills you are using when you do that. (There is a list and descriptors of some common skills below if you need a little help.)

2. Describe the situation.

Where were you and what were you doing when you used that skill?

3. Describe the task.

What were you trying to achieve or get done? What tasks did you need to do?

4. Tell us about what action you took?

What did you, what decisions did you make?

5. Tell us about what happpened

Describe the result? What got finished, changed, improved or dropped and what did you learn?

The goal is to write this in a way that you can share with others to enable them to understand and trust what you can do.

An example – Dr Ramirez’s capability statement for learner-centred assessment

One of my strengths is designing assessment that helps learners connect theory with professional practice. As a Health Sciences educator, I regularly create authentic assessment activities that encourage learners to apply their knowledge to real-world situations.

In a recent subject, I redesigned a case study assessment so that learners were required not only to recommend an intervention, but also to explain the evidence, professional judgement, and decision-making that informed their recommendation. My goal was to help learners recognise and articulate the skills they were developing alongside their disciplinary knowledge.

I developed reflection prompts, provided examples of effective responses, and incorporated opportunities for learners to discuss their decisions with peers. I also used feedback conversations to help learners identify the capabilities they were demonstrating through the assessment.

As a result, learners produced richer reflections and were better able to explain their thinking, justify their recommendations, and connect their learning to professional practice. Through this experience, I strengthened my ability to design authentic assessments that make capability more visible and support learner confidence, employability, and lifelong learning.

Share your capability statement

Share your statement in the comments below and take a little time to review other statements and consider:

• Is the evidence clear enough to understand?
• Does it show what the person can actually do?
• Would you trust this as an indication of their capability?

Leave some feedback, you might suggest:

• one way to make the evidence more specific
• one way to strengthen the connection between evidence and capability
• one small addition that would increase trust

And remember the goal is not to wordsmith perfectly. It is to make capability visible in a way that others can both understand and trust and the more we practice talking about skills and capability the more fluent we become.

AI Tip

Use AI to help you draft and experiment with language. You can ask it to write your statement in a formal, professional, or more conversational tone and compare the results.

You can also ask AI to:

• simplify your wording
• make your example more specific
• highlight the skill more clearly
• or suggest stronger action and result statements

A simple prompt to try: “Here is my capability statement. Can you rewrite it to make the skill, actions, and impact clearer and more specific?”

Remember, AI is there to support your thinking, not replace it. Use it to explore different ways of expressing what you can do, then choose the version that feels most like you.

Some skills – for reference

You may wish to draw on or adapt the following:

Problem-solving

Identifies challenges, tests approaches, and adapts strategies to reach a solution.

Critical thinking

Evaluates information and perspectives to make informed and reasoned judgements.

Analytical reasoning

Interprets information, identifies patterns, and draws conclusions to inform decisions.

Communication

Conveys ideas clearly and effectively for a specific purpose and audience.

Collaboration

Works with others, contributing ideas and responding to input to achieve a shared outcome.

Adaptability

Adjusts approach in response to change, feedback, or new information.

Self-management

Plans, monitors, and reflects on progress to achieve goals independently.

Digital capability

Uses digital tools and environments to create, communicate, and solve problems effectively.