An agreement should state who drafts each part of an application, who may edit it, who gives final approval, and who submits it. The agreement should give the personal statement a defined review for the applicant's own voice: UCAS advises that it should sound as though the applicant wrote it. The British Council says education agents can help identify and apply to UK education providers, but that general description does not decide who performs the final check or submission in a particular case.
Separate drafting, editing and approval
A promise to help with an application can combine different jobs. The written allocation should distinguish:
| Stage | Points to settle |
|---|---|
| Drafting | Who supplies the applicant's factual material, who prepares the first version and who checks the facts. |
| Editing | Whether the work is proofreading, language editing or substantive revision; who may change structure, examples or meaning. |
| Approval | Who reviews each document, approves final wording and approves later changes. |
| Submission | Who enters the details, checks current instructions, sends the application and retains any confirmation. |
Editing is too broad to leave undefined. Proofreading addresses grammar, spelling and clarity, while a substantive edit can change the account or its emphasis. The agreement should state the permitted scope of edits and who decides whether a change is acceptable. This is a practical allocation checklist, not a claim that a particular contract or official process requires one fixed division of labour.
Give the personal statement a named reviewer
The agreement should identify who drafts or revises the personal statement, who checks that it sounds as though the applicant wrote it, who verifies the factual material and who gives final approval. If a support role prepares a draft, a defined applicant review before submission is a practical safeguard. If the applicant writes the final version, the support role can be limited to the edits expressly allowed in the agreement. The arrangement may vary, but it should not be left implicit.
Treat submission as a separate action
The British Council's description of help identifying and applying does not establish who will submit a particular application. The agreement should name the person who will use any relevant account, enter information, upload any required documents, complete the final check and send the application. It should also assign responsibility for checking the education provider's current instructions and any applicable deadline, and for retaining any submission confirmation.
If another person is expected to represent or act for the applicant, the parties should confirm what that person may do and whether the education provider requires any authorisation. The cited points do not answer that provider-specific question.
What must still be confirmed?
Before the work starts, the applicant and the support contact should be able to answer:
- Is the scope advice only, or does it include drafting, editing and submission?
- Who has the final decision on each document?
- Who can change wording after review?
- Who may use the relevant account and send the application?
- Where are the current official instructions, applicable deadlines and submission confirmations recorded?
Neither of the cited points specifies a deadline, submission channel, fee, refund condition or case-specific authorisation requirement. Those matters must be checked in current official instructions and in any written agreement or instruction; they should not be inferred from a general promise of help. Recording who drafts, edits, approves and submits makes the handover explicit.