RICS APC Submission Tips

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What is this blog about?

In this week’s blog, we look at a top tip for writing up your RICS APC or AssocRICS final assessment submission; using the active voice.

This is important as you need to write up your submission concisely and clearly. This includes telling a logical and coherent story about what you did (level 2) and advised (level 3).

Using the active voice, rather than the passive voice, will help you to do this.

What is the active voice?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the active voice as;

‘the grammatical form in which the subject performs the action of the verb’.

In contrast, when using the passive voice, the subject has the action of the verb done to it.

Here is an example:

· Active voice – I am sitting my APC interview in March.

· Passive voice – The APC interview will be sat by me in March.

Which is written more concisely? Which is easier to follow?

Why should I use the active voice?

The passive voice is sometimes used by candidates to sound more formal, or it is the voice used in professional reports.

For example, ‘the property was built in 1965’. This is absolutely fine as we are interested in when the property was built – not who built it (who is unknown or whose identity is irrelevant). In the case of a professional client report, we are interested in the facts and the passive voice communicates these effectively.

However, the overall effect of using the passive voice in your RICS APC or AssocRICS submission is that your work becomes less direct and harder to follow. It also become less ‘relevant’ to you, which in our view creates a barrier and detachment with the reader (your assessors!).

The passive voice also tends to use more words than the active voice – contrary to trying to write concisely within the RICS word counts!

So, ensure that you use the active voice to tell an engaging, concise story to your assessors about your experience.

How do I know which voice I am using?

Typically, if you are writing in the passive voice then the word ‘by’ will feature in your sentences. You can see this in the example above.

To re-write your work in the active voice, focus on who the subject is (i.e., you – so write, ‘I…’) and then add in the verb and the object.

I hate grammar…

Some of us love it, some of us hate it!

If you hate it, why not download an app such as Grammarly? It’s a game changer if you find grammar hard to get your head around, or if you need support in structuring your sentences effectively.

Which do you prefer?

Active voice:

I used a laser distometer to measure a retail shop in Bristol. I took sufficient dimensions to calculate the Net Internal Area (NIA) back in the office. I excluded the WCs and took check measurements for accuracy.

Passive voice:

A retail shop in Bristol was measured using a laser distometer. Sufficient dimensions were taken to calculate the Net Internal Area (NIA) back in the office. The WCs were excluded and check measurements were taken for accuracy.

The active voice is far easier to understand and concisely conveys what you did and how (level 2). It makes it easier for your assessors to understand your experience and examples, and it will thus allow better questions to be asked.

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