Changing and Improving AO Example Statement (250 Words)
At AO level, assessors want evidence that you welcome change rather than resist it. A strong example shows you spotting a small problem in your own work, suggesting a fix or trying a new method willingly, and adjusting your approach when given feedback. Numbers help, but scope can stay small.
Example statement
SI worked part-time on reception at a small gym. Membership renewals were handled with paper forms and a shared spreadsheet, and members often waited in a queue while we searched for their details.
TMy job was front-of-house service, but I could see the admin process was causing the queues, so I decided to suggest improvements to my manager.
AI tracked how long each renewal took over one week and found the paper form was the slowest step. I drafted a shorter one-page form and asked my manager if I could test it at quiet times. She agreed, and I also set up a simple renewal reminder list so we could contact members before their memberships lapsed. Two colleagues worried the new form would miss information, so I compared the old and new forms field by field and added back the one field we actually needed. I asked members for feedback at the desk and adjusted the layout so the payment section was clearer. When the spreadsheet filters confused a colleague, I wrote a one-page guide and walked her through it step by step. After two weeks I reviewed the timings again and made one final change to the order of the questions.
RAverage renewal time dropped from around nine minutes to four, queues at peak times halved, and lapsed memberships fell by about 15% over two months. The manager then asked me to train the rest of the reception team on the new process fully.
Use this as a model, not a script. This is an original example written for this site. Adapt the structure to your own experience — copying it word for word risks plagiarism and will not reflect your evidence.
Why this scores well
- At AO level, assessors look for someone who notices a better way of working and suggests it, which this does from a frontline role.
- You tested the idea, listened to colleagues' concerns and adjusted the form, showing you act on feedback constructively.
- The outcome is measured in time saved and a 15% reduction in lapsed memberships, so the improvement is evidenced rather than asserted.
What AO level requires
| Grade | What assessors expect |
|---|---|
| AO ← this page | At AO, Changing and Improving means being open to new ways of working, suggesting simple ideas to improve your own tasks, and responding positively when someone gives you feedback. |
| EO | At EO, Changing and Improving means suggesting workable improvements to team processes, helping put them in place, and adapting your own approach when feedback or circumstances change. |
| HEO | At HEO, Changing and Improving means reviewing working practices, leading small-scale change with a clear method, involving the people affected, and measuring whether the change worked. |
Common mistakes at this level
- Ending with no result, or a result with no measure at all
- Sounding negative about the old process or the people who ran it
- Padding the Situation to five sentences and squeezing the Action into two
Frequently asked questions
Use an example where you changed your own approach instead. A time you adjusted how you organise your work after feedback, or taught yourself a new system and helped a colleague with it, shows the behaviour at AO level. Openness to change in your own work is the core of this grade.
No. Do not write 'this shows Changing and Improving'. Show the behaviour through your actions: what you spotted, what you suggested, how you adapted. Assessors match your evidence to the indicators themselves, and naming the behaviour wastes words without adding evidence.
Yes, if the advert allows it, but pitch each version at the behaviour being scored. A stock-room improvement could serve Changing and Improving (your suggestion and adaptation) or Delivering at Pace (speed under pressure). Rewrite the emphasis; never paste the identical statement twice.
Next step
Get the free AO statement template pack — the same STAR structure used in this example.
Download the template pack