Prison Officer Written Exercise: Incident Form Model Answer

The written exercise is the quietest part of the prison officer Online Assessment Centre (OAC), and the one candidates prepare for least. That's a mistake. It is scored, it has a strict time limit, and the skill it tests is exactly what you will do on the job: writing a clear, factual record of what happened and what you did. This guide explains the format, what it is marked on, and how to structure an answer, with a full model answer to study.

The format

According to the OAC preparation guidance:

• The written assessment lasts 25 minutes in total.
• You spend about 2 minutes reading the overview information and about 23 minutes completing the form.
• The task is to complete an incident form with tick-boxes, incident detail boxes and a response box.
• You are assessed on Making Effective Decisions and Caring, plus the grammar and clarity of your written English.

A note on versions: when HMPPS described the OAC on its jobs blog in 2023, the written test involved considering "2 situations you might face when working with prisoners" and writing your response. The current preparation guidance describes a single incident form. Formats change, so check your invitation and follow the instructions on screen.

What the markers are looking for

Making Effective Decisions

Your form should show that you gathered the facts, weighed up the risks and took sensible, proportionate action. Explain why you acted as you did, not just what you did.

Caring

Show that you paid attention to the welfare of the people involved. Did you check whether anyone was hurt? Did you notice someone was distressed? Did you make sure support was offered?

Written English

Write short, complete sentences with correct spelling and punctuation. Avoid slang, text speak and emotional language. Someone reading your report a month later should understand exactly what happened.

How to structure an incident report

Use this order for the free-text boxes. It works for almost any scenario.

1. Date, time and location. Be precise: "At approximately 14:10 on B wing, landing 2, outside cell 2-14."
2. Who was involved. Use names or numbers as given in the brief. Identify yourself and any staff.
3. What you saw and heard yourself. Report facts, not opinions. "Prisoner A shouted…" rather than "Prisoner A was being aggressive".
4. What others told you. Make clear it is reported: "Prisoner B told me that…"
5. What you did, in time order. Each action, with the time where you know it.
6. Why you did it. Briefly: "to separate the two men and prevent the argument escalating."
7. Welfare. Injuries, distress, and who was informed: healthcare, supervisor.
8. Follow-up and recommendations. What should happen next and who needs to know.

Then read it back once, checking times, names and spelling.

Using the 25 minutes

• 0–2 minutes: read the overview. Note times, names and locations as you go.
• 2–5 minutes: tick the boxes and jot a quick timeline in the response area or on paper.
• 5–20 minutes: write the detail in time order.
• 20–23 minutes: add welfare, follow-up and recommendations.
• 23–25 minutes: proofread.

If you run short, cut description, not facts. A short, accurate report beats a long, rambling one.

Model answer

The scenario (written for this site)

You are an officer on C wing. At about 10:35, during the morning domestic period, you hear raised voices near the servery. When you arrive, Prisoner Jones and Prisoner Ahmed are standing face to face. Jones is shouting that Ahmed has taken his place in the queue for hot water. Ahmed has a small cut on his hand. He says it happened when Jones knocked a flask out of his hand. Two other prisoners are watching. Your colleague, Officer Bell, is on the landing above.

Incident details (model)

At approximately 10:35 on [date], I was on the ground floor of C wing during the morning domestic period. I heard raised voices from the servery area and went there straight away.

When I arrived at approximately 10:36, I saw Prisoner Jones standing face to face with Prisoner Ahmed, about half a metre apart. Prisoner Jones was shouting that Prisoner Ahmed had "pushed in" to the queue for hot water. Prisoner Ahmed was not shouting. I saw that he was holding his left hand and that it was bleeding from a small cut. Two other prisoners were standing nearby watching.

I called to Officer Bell on the landing above to come down and support me. I stood between the two men and asked them both, calmly, to step back. I asked Prisoner Jones to walk with me a few metres away so that I could hear what had happened. He did so. Officer Bell arrived at approximately 10:37 and stayed with Prisoner Ahmed.

Prisoner Jones told me that Prisoner Ahmed had pushed in front of him and that, when he complained, a flask "got knocked". He said he had not meant to hurt anyone. Prisoner Ahmed told Officer Bell, who told me, that Prisoner Jones had knocked the flask out of his hand and that the lid had cut him.

I asked the two watching prisoners to return to their landing, which they did.

At approximately 10:40 I radioed for healthcare to see Prisoner Ahmed about the cut on his hand. Healthcare staff attended at approximately 10:48 and treated him on the wing. I asked Prisoner Jones whether he was hurt; he said he was not, and I saw no injuries.

I informed the wing supervising officer of the incident at approximately 10:50. Both prisoners were calm by that time. Prisoner Jones returned to his cell and Prisoner Ahmed went to healthcare for a further check.

Response / recommendations (model)

I recommend that the supervising officer reviews CCTV of the servery area to establish how the flask was knocked and whether it was deliberate. Both prisoners should be spoken to separately before the next domestic period. Staff should consider whether the hot-water queue needs closer supervision at busy times. Prisoner Ahmed's injury has been recorded by healthcare. I will check on both prisoners at the start of the afternoon session to make sure the situation has not continued.

Why this answer works

• Times and location are given throughout.
• Facts are separated from accounts. "I saw" versus "Prisoner Jones told me".
• Actions are explained: getting support, separating the men, moving the onlookers away.
• Welfare is covered: the injury is treated, the other prisoner is checked for injury, and there is a follow-up check.
• The language is neutral. There are no judgements like "Jones was clearly lying".
• Recommendations are realistic and proportionate.

Checklist before you submit

• Every action has an approximate time.
• I said who did what, using names or numbers from the brief.
• I separated what I saw from what I was told.
• I covered injuries and welfare, and who was informed.
• I explained why I made each key decision.
• I included follow-up or recommendations.
• No slang, abbreviations or emotional language.
• I proofread for spelling, capitals and full stops.

Common errors

• Writing opinions as facts: "He was off his head" or "she was kicking off".
• No times, or times out of order.
• Forgetting the injured person, or forgetting to check the other person for injuries.
• Over-dramatic language, or invented detail not in the brief.
• Running out of time before the recommendations.
• Long, run-on sentences that are hard to follow.

Practise properly

Set a 25-minute timer and write a full answer to the scenario above before you read the model. Then compare. The Complete pack on our pricing page has ten timed incident-form exercises with model answers, plus feedback on your own written answers.

prisonofficertest.co.uk is an independent practice site. It is not affiliated with HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice, the Scottish Prison Service, the Northern Ireland Prison Service or any prison operator. Always check your own invitation and the recruiter's current guidance.