Appealing Review – need feedback on my responses before submission (EP - rejection)

Hi everyone,

I would really appreciate any feedback before I submit my administrative review — especially whether my responses are clear, concise, and focused on caseworking error rather than re-arguing the evidence.

My profile, including refusal feedback is attached here: link

Below are my draft responses to each assessment point:

MC

1: “Primarily internal or self-authored”
→ The assessment states that the evidence is “primarily internal or self-authored”. However, the application included a recommendation letter from a senior technology leader at ****, external to my employing organisation, with whom I collaborated on the development of a digital platform beyond my immediate workplace. This referee is independent of my employer and provided a supporting letter based on direct professional collaboration. His LinkedIn profile and professional details were included in the application. The **** platform website link was also submitted as external supporting evidence. Accordingly, the evidence submitted was not solely internal to my employer nor entirely self-authored.

2: “Predominantly internal/testimonial in nature”
→ In addition to recommendation letters, the application included project documentation such as feasibility study materials, technical presentations, and project delivery evidence. These were submitted as supporting documentary evidence of work undertaken alongside testimonial references.

3: “limited independently verifiable third-party”
→ The **** platform website link was included as publicly accessible evidence, with associated public social media channels demonstrating visible community engagement and audience reach.

Taken together, I respectfully request review of whether the submitted evidence was fully considered in reaching this conclusion.

OC2:

1: “primarily self-authored… rather than independently verifiable indicators of impact”
→ The application included the **** platform website link as part of the submitted evidence. This was submitted as part of a project delivered outside my primary employment, alongside supporting documentation under Optional Criterion 2.

2: “recognition by established organisations”
→ The application included voluntary IT work delivered through The **** Project, a UK nonprofit organisation, supported by a certificate and written recognition. This was submitted as evidence of contribution beyond my immediate occupation through an established organisation in support of Optional Criterion 2.

3: “ET scale”
→ The reference to “ET scale” in the assessment creates some uncertainty, as the application was submitted under the Exceptional Promise route rather than Exceptional Talent. I respectfully request clarification on whether the evidence relating to adoption and impact was assessed against the appropriate threshold for Exceptional Promise.

OC3:
→ The assessment states that the evidence consists of internal task screenshots and self-authored descriptions and does not include independently verifiable documentation of individual impact or quantified outcomes.
The application included project documentation relating to the **** mission-management platform, including references to large-scale operational usage and project outcomes, as well as supporting evidence of delivery and client-facing impact.

I respectfully request review of whether this submitted material was fully considered when assessing independently verifiable impact and quantified outcomes.”

Administrative review only succeeds where there’s a genuine caseworking error - evidence that was submitted but overlooked, or a criterion assessed against the wrong threshold. Reading through your draft responses, most of them re-state what was included in the application rather than identifying where the panel’s process went wrong. “The application included X” asks the assessor to reconsider their judgment, which isn’t what administrative review is for. The one response that does land is the ET/EP threshold point under OC2 - if they genuinely assessed your evidence against Exceptional Talent scale when you applied under Promise, that’s a procedural error worth flagging.

The harder truth is that the panel’s core criticism - evidence being primarily internal, self-authored, and lacking independently verifiable third-party validation - is a judgment call, not a processing mistake. Screenshots, internal awards, performance reviews, and colleague letters are exactly the kind of evidence they’re describing. An administrative review won’t change how they weigh that material, because the issue isn’t that they missed it. They saw it and concluded it didn’t meet the bar.

If the ET/EP threshold point is genuine, submit the review on that narrow ground alone and keep it tight. But I’d honestly spend more energy strengthening the evidence for a fresh application - external metrics for the platform (users, traffic, third-party mentions), recognition beyond your employer, and documentation that doesn’t rely on your own descriptions of your own work. That’s where the real gap is.

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@Dadi

I believe the rejection feedback is clear, and your arguments are weak. Regardless of what the outcome will be, I usually recommend that you appeal, but even in doing that, argue with facts and do it well.This increases your chances of reconsideration and helps you get better feedback that can be useful if you decide to reapply.

For context:

  1. ‘Primarily internal or self‑authored’

→ The assessment states that the evidence is ‘primarily internal or self‑authored’. However, the application included a recommendation letter from a senior technology leader at ****, external to my employing organisation, with whom I collaborated on the development of a digital platform beyond my immediate workplace. This referee is independent of my employer and provided a supporting letter based on direct professional collaboration. His LinkedIn profile and professional details were included in the application. The **** platform website link was also submitted as external supporting evidence. Accordingly, the evidence submitted was not solely internal to my employer nor entirely self‑authored.

The feedback is primarily that your documents are internal or self‑authored.

Now, basing your argument mainly on a reference letter, which is clearly stated in the guidance as not sufficient, is not strategic.

You need to argue with facts from the guidance and the evidence you submitted, and respond to each feedback point properly.

All the best.

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