Australian Public Service · Selection criteria
How to Write a 2-Page Pitch for APS Roles (With Example)
A complete guide to the document that decides most APS applications: the two-page pitch. Structure, paragraph-by-paragraph framework, an annotated full example, and the specific mistakes that get pitches filtered out by PageUp before a panel ever reads them.
In thirty seconds
- The 2-page pitch has replaced traditional point-by-point selection criteria responses across most APS recruitment.
- It's a narrative document — not a list — but it must still address every capability listed in the job ad. Most candidates get one of those two things wrong.
- Word count varies by department and level. Most are 750–1,500 words. Don't shrink the font to fit more in; the panel will notice.
- PageUp (the dominant APS ATS) does literal keyword matching. Use the exact capability names from the ad, not synonyms.
- Open with your strongest claim. "I am writing to apply for..." wastes the first 15 words on PageUp scoring and loses you points before the panel reads a thing.
The two-page pitch is now the most common way the Australian Public Service evaluates candidates. Where applications used to ask for a separate written response to each selection criterion, most agencies now ask for a single narrative document — typically called a pitch, statement of claims, or suitability statement — that addresses all the capabilities together.
It sounds easier. It isn't. The pitch format demands more strategic thinking, not less, because you have to thread every required capability into a coherent story while staying under the word limit and using the exact language the panel and the ATS are looking for. Most candidates underestimate it, run long, and lose marks for things that have nothing to do with their actual capability.
This guide walks through the structure that works, the language conventions that matter, and ends with a full annotated example you can use as a template.
What you're actually being asked for
750–1,500
Typical word range for APS pitches; check each ad — some specify exactly
2 pages
The hard limit; AFP and most agencies penalise longer responses
PageUp
The ATS used by most APS agencies — does literal keyword matching against the ad
The pitch replaces traditional selection criteria responses for a reason. The APS isn't just testing whether you can list duties; it's testing whether you can write a structured, persuasive document at the appropriate level of seniority — because that's a core part of working in the public service. Your pitch is also a writing sample. The panel reads it as evidence of how you'd communicate in role.
Word counts vary widely:
- APS6 and below: typically 500–800 words, 1–2 pages
- EL1: typically 750–1,000 words, 2 pages
- EL2: typically 1,000–1,500 words, 2 pages — sometimes specified exactly (Defence often asks for 1,000 words; Home Affairs has asked for 1 page in Arial 11pt)
- SES (Bands 1–3): highly variable; check the package — often longer, sometimes with separate ILS responses
If the ad specifies a word count, treat it as binding. Going over signals you can't follow instructions. Going significantly under signals you didn't have enough to say.
The structure that works
A strong APS pitch follows a four-paragraph architecture. Some pitches use 5–6 paragraphs at higher levels, but the underlying logic is the same.
Paragraph 1
Opening claim
Three to four sentences. State who you are professionally, the role you're applying for, and your strongest claim against the role's requirements. This is also where you signal the capabilities your pitch will focus on.
Lead with substance — the panel needs to know within the first 30 words why you're worth reading. The PageUp scoring engine also reads the start of the document with extra weight, so this is keyword real estate too.
Paragraphs 2–4
Capability themes (the body)
The bulk of the pitch. Each paragraph addresses one or two grouped capabilities from the job ad — using a structured example that demonstrates evidence of the capability. STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result), CAR (Context, Action, Result), and CAO (Context, Action, Outcome) all work; pick one and use it consistently.
Use the exact capability names from the ad as part of your prose. If the job ad refers to "Supports Productive Working Relationships," that exact phrase should appear in your pitch — not "stakeholder management" or "team collaboration." PageUp matches literally.
Paragraph 5
Agency fit
One paragraph showing you understand the agency's mission, current strategic priorities, and what's actually happening in the role's environment. Not a regurgitation of the agency's home page — that reads as cynical. Demonstrate you've read recent annual reports, ministerial statements, or media coverage.
For senior roles especially, this is where you signal that you understand why the role exists right now, not just that the role exists.
Closing
Why you, why now
Two to three sentences. Restate your fit, name what you bring that's distinctive, and signal your interest in the role. Not boilerplate enthusiasm — a specific commitment to the work.
The opening line decides everything
The single most damaging convention in APS pitch writing is the formal opener. "I am writing to apply for the role of..." was acceptable when humans were the only readers. PageUp's keyword scoring weights the first 50 words heavily, and using them on a generic phrase wastes the chance to land your strongest capability claim where it counts most.
"I am writing to apply for the position of EL1 Senior Policy Officer with the Department of Health. With over six years of experience..."
"I bring six years of evidence-based policy development across Commonwealth and state health portfolios, with a recent record of leading reform projects that have shaped Cabinet-level decisions on aged care funding."
The good version says everything the bad version eventually says — and includes capability-relevant terms (evidence-based policy, Commonwealth, leading reform, Cabinet-level) in the first sentence the panel and the ATS read.
A full annotated example
Below is a complete two-page pitch (around 950 words) for a fictional EL1 Senior Policy Officer role with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Annotations are in gold beneath each section.
Sarah Chen
Application for EL1 Senior Policy Officer · Climate Adaptation Branch · Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Paragraph 1 — Opening claim
I bring seven years of evidence-based policy development across Commonwealth and state environmental portfolios, including a current role leading the development of Australia's National Coastal Adaptation Framework. My pitch demonstrates against the four core capabilities of this role: shapes strategic thinking, achieves results, cultivates productive working relationships, and communicates with influence — drawn from extensive cross-jurisdictional, scientific, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholder work.
Opens with 7 years' relevance + signals all four capabilities by name in the first 60 words. PageUp reads this as a high-relevance opening.Paragraph 2 — Shapes strategic thinking + Achieves results
In my current role at the Department of Environment, I lead a cross-functional team developing the National Coastal Adaptation Framework — a Commonwealth-state initiative addressing accelerating coastal erosion across 11,000 km of Australian coastline. The brief required policy options that balanced environmental science, community resilience, infrastructure investment, and First Nations sea country governance. Working with 14 stakeholder groups across all jurisdictions, I designed a four-stage consultation process, synthesised technical input from CSIRO and three university research centres, and produced a draft framework that was endorsed at the Environment Ministers' Meeting in October 2024 with no substantive amendments. The framework is now in implementation across all states. Departmental leadership recognised the work with the Secretary's Award for Policy Innovation in 2024.
Single STAR example covering two capabilities. Specific numbers (11,000 km, 14 stakeholders, 2024). Real outcomes (endorsed at EMM, Secretary's Award). The exact phrase "shapes strategic thinking" doesn't appear here — the example is doing the work — but the capability would still be flagged because the action language matches.Paragraph 3 — Cultivates productive working relationships
Productive working relationships across the Commonwealth-state divide are central to climate policy work, and I have built and maintained these throughout my career. As lead Commonwealth representative on the Coastal Hazards National Working Group, I have chaired 18 meetings across two years, negotiating positions with state agencies whose priorities have at times directly conflicted (notably between Queensland's tourism interests and Tasmania's marine ecosystem priorities). I have invested significantly in the relationships with First Nations Sea Country Officers across the working group, including travelling to four community consultations in remote coastal locations to ensure cultural and place-based knowledge was substantively reflected in the framework — not added as an afterthought. State counterparts have explicitly noted in feedback that the framework reflects genuine consultation rather than tick-box engagement.
Names the capability ("productive working relationships") explicitly in the opening. Specific evidence: 18 meetings, named conflicts, 4 community consultations. The closing phrase ("genuine consultation rather than tick-box engagement") signals self-awareness about quality of engagement, which panels notice.Paragraph 4 — Communicates with influence
Communicating with influence at EL1 level requires translating technical complexity into actionable advice for decision-makers at varying levels of expertise. In the past two years I have drafted 23 ministerial briefs, three Cabinet submissions, and one Senate Estimates briefing pack covering the National Coastal Adaptation Framework. The Cabinet submissions were progressed without amendment — a metric I track because it is a clear signal of communication quality at the Department-Cabinet interface. I have also presented at three external conferences (the Australian Coastal Society, the Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific Conference, and the IPCC AR7 Australian launch) and authored two peer-reviewed articles on adaptive coastal policy in Australian Journal of Public Administration.
Quantified at the appropriate level for EL1 (23 briefs, 3 Cabinet submissions, named publications). The "progressed without amendment" detail is the kind of thing only someone who actually does this work would think to mention — strong authenticity signal.Paragraph 5 — Agency fit
I am drawn to this role because of the Department's recent strategic shift toward integrated climate adaptation policy across the energy, environment and water portfolios — particularly the consolidation of climate, environment and water policy under one Department in 2022. The 2024–25 Corporate Plan's commitment to climate-resilient infrastructure investment and the Net Zero Plan's adaptation priorities both speak to where my work has been heading, and where I am ready to contribute at greater scale. The Climate Adaptation Branch's mandate aligns directly with the policy work I have led, and the timing — with the next phase of the National Climate Risk Assessment due in 2026 — represents a critical moment for the kind of cross-portfolio integration I have been pursuing in my current role.
Specific knowledge (2022 portfolio consolidation, 2024–25 Corporate Plan, NCRA 2026). This level of specificity demonstrates real engagement with the agency, not boilerplate.Paragraph 6 — Closing
I bring proven capability across all four selection criteria, an established record of leading complex multi-jurisdictional policy work, and the kind of deep engagement with First Nations stakeholders that climate adaptation policy must increasingly demonstrate. I would be honoured to bring this work into the Department at a moment when the policy agenda you are building is the agenda I have been preparing to lead. I welcome the opportunity to discuss further.
Concise, specific, ends without cliché. Avoids "thank you for considering my application" filler.Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- Use the exact capability language from the ad
- Open with your strongest claim, not "I am writing to apply"
- Use STAR/CAR consistently — pick one and stick with it
- Quantify achievements with real, defensible numbers
- Reference the agency's actual current priorities
- Calibrate to seniority (EL1 ≠ EL2; SES ≠ APS6)
- Stay within the word/page limit
- Use a clean 11pt font with sensible margins
- Submit the same pitch for multiple roles
- Substitute synonyms for capability names
- Shrink fonts/margins to cram in more text
- Use buzzwords ("synergy," "passionate about driving")
- Address each criterion as a separate heading
- Open with formal letter conventions
- Generate metrics you can't defend in interview
- Copy-paste from your resume verbatim
The 2-page pitch is a writing sample, an evidence document, and a strategic positioning piece — all in 1,000 words. Most candidates treat it like a cover letter and lose to the candidates who treat it like the structured exam it is.
A few more things worth knowing
Read the Work Level Standard. Every APS classification (APS1–6, EL1, EL2, SES Band 1–3) has a published Work Level Standard that defines the kind of work, decision-making, and judgement expected at that level. Your pitch should pitch at that level — not above it (which reads as overreach) or below it (which reads as underqualified). Most candidates skip this; the panel doesn't.
Reference the ILS where relevant. The Integrated Leadership System defines APS leadership capabilities at EL1, EL2, and SES levels. Many job ads draw their capability language directly from the ILS. If the ad mentions "shapes strategic thinking," "cultivates productive working relationships," "achieves results," "exemplifies personal drive and integrity," or "communicates with influence," those are ILS terms — use them exactly.
Save as .docx unless the ad specifies otherwise. PageUp parses .docx most reliably. PDF can work but introduces risk depending on how it was generated.
Have it reviewed by someone who knows the APS. External eyes catch things you can't. Someone who has worked in the APS can flag tone, level mismatch, missing capabilities, and language conventions you didn't realise were off. Generic resume writers often miss these — APS pitches need APS-aware editing.
Senior writers who actually know the APS
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