Personal statement examples for the new UCAS format

The strongest answers under the new format are specific, evidenced, and self-aware — in that order. Below are patterns that consistently work for the three questions, and the anti-patterns admissions tutors reject on sight. We do not publish full statements to copy; UCAS's similarity checker flags overlap above 30 percent.

What good answer 1 looks like (course motivation)

A specific intellectual trigger the applicant has followed somewhere: a paper, a contradiction, a problem they cannot let go of. It names the idea in one sentence, then spends the rest of the answer showing what they did with it — the questions it opened, the reading it pulled them into, the argument they now hold and why.

Anti-pattern: ‘From a young age I have been fascinated by…’ — this sentence answers no question and could be pasted into any subject.

What good answer 2 looks like (academic preparation)

Two or three moments from A-level, IB or Scottish Highers where a specific idea, method or proof taught the applicant a way of thinking the degree will build on. Not a syllabus summary. The applicant names the topic, the transferable skill, and where they took it beyond the classroom.

Anti-pattern: ‘My A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry have given me a strong foundation…’ — the university already knows what your subjects are.

What good answer 3 looks like (beyond education)

One or two super-curricular activities unpacked with reflection: what the applicant did, what surprised them, what they now think differently about. Ideally connected back to answer 1. A single Olympiad or essay prize done properly beats a paragraph of name-drops.

Anti-pattern: Hobbies with no bearing on the course. If the answer would be equally valid on a UCAS application for a different subject, it is too generic.

Common questions

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