Police Initial Recruitment Test (PIRT/SEARCH) Written Exercises and Report Writing Syllabus

List the 'Five W's and One H' used to record complete information about an incident.

Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

For each of the Five W's and One H, what question does it answer about an incident?

Who (people involved), What (happened), When (time/date), Where (location), Why (reason/motive), How (the manner or method it occurred).

Why is capturing the Five W's and One H essential in police note-taking?

It ensures all critical facts of an incident are recorded completely, providing an accurate, reliable account for reports, statements and any court proceedings.

Define 'fact' as distinct from opinion and hearsay.

A fact is something known to be true that can be verified or directly observed/established by evidence.

Define 'opinion' in the context of distinguishing information types.

Opinion is a personal belief, judgement or interpretation that is not established as verifiable fact.

Define 'hearsay' and explain its reliability concern.

Hearsay is information a person reports having heard from someone else rather than witnessing directly; it is second-hand and less reliable because it cannot be directly verified by the reporter.

Classify these as fact, opinion or hearsay: (a) 'The till contained £200.' (b) 'I think he is the thief.' (c) 'My neighbour told me she saw him run off.'

(a) Fact, (b) Opinion, (c) Hearsay.

What does 'cross-checking details for consistency' involve in report writing?

Comparing facts (names, dates, times, figures, spellings) across the report and the source material to ensure they match and do not contradict one another.

Give an example of an internal inconsistency a cross-check should catch.

An incident stated as occurring on '14 May' in one paragraph but '15 May' in another, or a person's name spelled two different ways.

Why is consistency of detail especially important in documents that may be used in court?

Contradictions undermine the credibility and reliability of the account and can be challenged, weakening the case and the writer's professional reputation.

What is the recommended approach to sentence length in clear police writing?

Keep sentences short and simple, generally one main idea per sentence, to aid clarity and reduce the chance of grammatical error or confusion.

What is a paragraph, and when should you start a new one?

A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea or topic; start a new paragraph when you move to a new point, theme, time period or speaker.

What is a 'topic sentence' and where does it usually appear in a paragraph?

A topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph and usually appears at the beginning, with following sentences providing supporting detail.

Identify and correct the error: 'Their going to interview the witness over there.'

'Their' (possessive) should be 'They're' (they are): 'They're going to interview the witness over there.'

What is the difference between 'its' and "it's"?

'Its' is the possessive form ('the car and its driver'); "it's" is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has' ('it's raining').

Distinguish the commonly confused words 'there', 'their' and "they're".

'There' = a place; 'their' = possessive (belonging to them); "they're" = contraction of 'they are'.

Distinguish 'affect' from 'effect'.

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence ('the weather affected visibility'); 'effect' is usually a noun meaning the result ('the effect was poor visibility').

What is a 'run-on sentence' and how is it commonly fixed?

A run-on joins two complete sentences without proper punctuation or a conjunction; fix it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma plus a conjunction (e.g. 'and', 'but').

Why should police writing generally use the active voice rather than the passive voice?

Active voice ('The officer arrested the suspect') is clearer and states who did what, whereas passive voice ('The suspect was arrested') can obscure who performed the action.

What is 'proofreading' and what does it primarily aim to catch?

Proofreading is reviewing your finished writing to find and correct errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, facts and consistency before submission.

Name two practical proofreading techniques useful under time constraints.

Reading slowly (or mentally 'hearing' the words) to catch errors, and checking specifically for one type of error at a time (e.g. a focused scan for facts/figures, then spelling).

Why should you reserve time for proofreading even if it means writing slightly less?

Uncorrected spelling, grammar and factual errors reduce clarity, accuracy and professionalism and lose marks; a clean, accurate response scores better than a longer error-filled one.

What does the abbreviation 'PIRT' stand for in UK police recruitment?

Police Initial Recruitment Test.

What planning tool can a candidate quickly sketch before writing to ensure logical structure and full coverage?

A brief plan or outline listing the key points/headings in the order they will be addressed, often grouped under introduction, main points, and recommendation/conclusion.

When forming a recommendation, why should you consider the consequences of the proposed action?

Considering consequences shows balanced judgement, demonstrates the action's benefits outweigh drawbacks, and strengthens the justification with foresight.

What is 'jargon' and why should it be limited in writing for a general audience?

Jargon is specialist or technical terminology (including police codes and acronyms); it should be limited because a general reader may not understand it, harming clarity.

Give an example of replacing a wordy phrase with a concise equivalent.

'Due to the fact that' becomes 'because'; 'in the event that' becomes 'if'; 'a large number of' becomes 'many'.

When summarising a briefing pack, how do you decide which information is relevant?

Select information that directly relates to the task question and supports the issue or recommendation; omit detail that does not contribute to answering the set task.

What is the risk of including an opinion as if it were a fact in an official report?

It misleads the reader, reduces accuracy and credibility, and can be challenged or discredited, especially in formal or legal contexts.

Why should figures, dates and names from a briefing pack be copied with particular care?

They are precise facts where a single transcription error creates inaccuracy and inconsistency; cross-checking them against the source prevents costly mistakes.

What overall impression should a well-written exercise response give an assessor?

That the candidate read and understood the material, organised it logically, communicated clearly and accurately in an appropriate tone, justified conclusions with evidence, and checked the work for errors.