plain-english-content

Open content up so anyone can understand it the first time they read it, without losing substance, nuance or precision. Aim to open up, not dumb down. Apply the GOV.UK style guide approach: plain English, user needs first, active voice, front-loaded structure and accessible formatting.

Use this skill for reports, research write-ups, guidance, documentation, summaries, and public-facing prose where clarity and accessibility matter. When writing a report, default to this style. When briefing a research agent, pass this skill so the report follows the same style.

Content design principles

• Start from the user need. Write what the reader needs to know to do or decide something, not what the writer wants to say.
• Front-load everything. Put the most important point first in the document, each section, each paragraph and each sentence. Use the inverted pyramid: conclusion first, then detail, then background.
• Keep one idea per sentence and one topic per paragraph. Split sentences that contain more than one idea.
• Be specific and concrete. Give the number, name and date. Cut vague abstractions like "a range of", "going forward" and "in terms of".
• Cut everything that does not add meaning. Shorter is clearer. Remove duplication.

Plain English

• Open content up, do not dumb it down. Keep the substance, nuance and precision. Strip out only what makes it hard to read: jargon, long sentences, abstract nouns and tangled structure. Make the content clear enough for a non-specialist and precise enough for an expert.
• Use the active voice. Say who does what. Write "We reviewed the data", not "The data was reviewed".
• Keep sentences short: about 15 to 20 words, and rarely more than 25. Keep paragraphs short.
• Use everyday words. Replace jargon and formal wording with plain alternatives:
  • use, not utilise or leverage
  • help, not facilitate or empower
  • work with, not collaborate, liaise or engage with
  • make or provide, not deliver
  • about, not in relation to or with regard to
  • so, not in order to
  • start, not commence
  • end, not terminate
  • buy, not purchase
  • enough, not sufficient
  • solve, fix or deal with, not tackle or combat
  • effect on, not impact on
• Do not use impact as a verb.
• Avoid metaphors and cliches: drive, unlock, deep dive, robust, key, ring-fence, hub, portal, landscape, ecosystem and going forward.
• Address the reader as "you". Write about the organisation as "we". Use "they", "them" and "their" rather than gendered pronouns. Write "disabled people", not "the disabled".
• Use contractions for a warmer tone when appropriate, such as "we'll" and "you'll". Avoid negative contractions: write "cannot", not "can't". Avoid "should've", "could've" and "would've".