MeritKeep

Get £8,000 of unbudgeted spend approved

Write a one-page memo asking a finance director you have never met to approve £8,000 that is not in the budget. They will read it between two other meetings and will not ask you a clarifying question — they will simply decline if anything is unclear. Include what happens if the answer is no. That section is the one most people skip, and it is usually the one that gets the yes.

Part of the Business Writing & Communication course~60 minutesEvidence: a write-upWe mark it against a checklist you can read first
01 · What counts as done

What you have to hand in

  • One page or less.
  • The recommendation and the number appear in the first two sentences.
  • At least two rejected alternatives, each with its reason.
  • A "if we do nothing" section with a concrete consequence.
  • Any estimate is marked as an estimate, with its basis.
02 · How it will be marked

The checklist, published before you start

We score your work against each line below, and every score has to quote the part of your work it is based on. You read all of it first, so you can argue with any score on the specifics.
  • Leads with the decision30% of the grade

    The reader knows what they are being asked to approve within the first two sentences.

    1. AbsentThe ask appears in the final paragraph, or not at all.
    2. DevelopingThe ask is present early but competes with context for attention.
    3. Competent— this is the pass markThe first two sentences state the recommendation and what approval means.
    4. StrongThe opening states the recommendation, the cost and the consequence of declining.
  • Shows the options considered25% of the grade

    Rejected alternatives appear with the reason each was rejected.

    1. AbsentOnly the preferred option is mentioned.
    2. DevelopingAlternatives are listed without reasons.
    3. Competent— this is the pass markEach rejected option carries a specific reason.
    4. StrongReasons are comparable against a stated criterion, so a reader could disagree usefully.
  • Uncertainty is marked25% of the grade

    Claims are separated from evidence, and confidence is stated where it is low.

    1. AbsentEstimates are presented as facts.
    2. DevelopingSome hedging, but unattributed or vague.
    3. Competent— this is the pass markWeak claims are marked as weak, with the basis named.
    4. StrongMarked, sourced, and the reader is told what would change the recommendation.
  • Nothing that does not earn its place20% of the grade

    No throat-clearing, no restated conclusions, no padding.

    1. AbsentA third of the document could be cut without loss.
    2. DevelopingNoticeable padding in one or two sections.
    3. Competent— this is the pass markTight throughout; each paragraph does distinct work.
    4. StrongTight, and the structure makes the brevity feel generous rather than terse.
03 · What this proves

The skills a pass would prove

Pass, and these skills count as proven, with this piece of work attached as the evidence.

This brief is part of the Business Writing & Communication course

Starting it starts the course: every skill above, in the order they depend on each other, with this brief at the end as the thing you hand in — marked against the checklist you have just read and nothing else.

About three minutes to set up: what you want to do with Business Writing & Communication, where you are starting from, and how many hours a week you actually have. The subject we already have from this page.Start the Business Writing & Communication course
See the whole Business Writing & Communication course, or every graded brief we run.

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