Guidance
Writing for public services
How to write service content people understand first time, including the Commonwealth's rules on terminology, tone, and reading level.
How we write
Write for the person who is tired, distracted, and worried about getting it wrong, because that is who most public services are used by. Assume nothing about how much they already know.
Use the words people use. If your department calls it a 'digital identity credential' and everyone else calls it an account, call it an account.
- Address the reader directly as 'you'
- Use the active voice and put the action first
- One idea per sentence, one subject per paragraph
- Front-load headings with the words people scan for
- Never use a longer word where a shorter one is exact
Reading level
Aim for a reading age of nine for anything a member of the public has to act on. This is not a simplification of the content; it is a removal of everything between the reader and the content.
Legal wording that cannot be simplified should be summarised in plain language first, with the exact wording provided beneath it.
Terminology
The Commonwealth uses one word for one thing. A service that calls something an 'application' in the service, a 'request' in the confirmation email, and a 'case' on the phone has created three things in the reader's mind.
Agree your terminology before you write, record it, and check it at every assessment.
Error messages
An error message must say what went wrong, and what to do about it. 'Invalid input' does neither.
Write errors in the same voice as the rest of the service. Never blame the reader, and never make them guess which field was wrong.
Related guidance
Meeting accessibility requirements
What a Commonwealth public service must do to be usable by disabled people, how it is tested, and what to publish when something is not yet fixed.
Using the Commonwealth Design System
The components, patterns, and styles Commonwealth services share, and when it is right to build something that is not in the system.
Services this guidance applies to
Commonwealth Notify
Send emails, text messages, and printed letters from your service without building or contracting your own messaging system.