Keeping a clear record of your Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) is one of the most useful habits you can build on the SQE route. A good record makes confirmation straightforward, jogs your memory when you come to evidence your work, and helps you see which competences you have covered and which you still need. This guide explains what to record, how to map it to the competences, and how a training record fits into confirmation.
Why a record matters
When the time comes to confirm your QWE, a solicitor needs to be satisfied that your experience demonstrates the required competences and that the work genuinely happened. That is far easier when you have a contemporaneous record of what you did, rather than trying to reconstruct it from memory months or years later. A record also helps you spot gaps early, so you can seek out experience that fills them while you still have the chance.
What to record
You do not need anything elaborate. A simple log kept regularly is more valuable than a polished document written at the end. For each placement, it helps to capture:
- The role and dates, including the organisation, your job title, and the period you worked there.
- The nature of the work, in plain terms: the kinds of matters you handled and your responsibilities.
- Specific examples of tasks you carried out, such as documents you drafted, research you did, or clients you dealt with.
- Which competences each piece of work demonstrates, mapped to the Statement of Solicitor Competence.
- Your supervisor's details, so you know who can later confirm the work.
Mapping work to the competences
The competences in the Statement of Solicitor Competence cover areas such as ethics and professionalism, working with clients, applying legal knowledge and judgement, drafting and communication, and managing your own work. As you record each task, note which of these it touches. You need exposure to at least two competences overall, but most candidates find their work covers several once they look at it systematically. Mapping as you go is much easier than trying to do it all retrospectively.
How the record fits into confirmation
Your training record is your own working document, and you complete it yourself rather than having someone fill it in for you. When it comes to confirmation, the confirming solicitor uses what you have recorded, alongside any supporting evidence and your supervisor's feedback, to assess your experience. At QWE Confirmed we help you identify which competences your work demonstrates and provide a training record template for you to complete, with written guidance, so you are not working it out alone. The record stays yours; the confirmation is provided by the solicitor.
Handling confidential information
Legal work often involves confidential client material, and your record should not expose it. Describe the nature of the work rather than reproducing sensitive documents, and redact or anonymise anything you do keep. A well-kept record can demonstrate the substance of your experience without compromising confidentiality.
Logging as you go
A short weekly note of the matters you worked on builds, over months, into a detailed record that makes confirmation simple and jogs your memory on the detail.
Spotting a gap early
Reviewing your record, you notice you have little covering one competence area. You seek out work that fills it before your placement ends.
Reconstructing after the fact
Even without a contemporaneous log, experience can still be confirmed, but it is harder. A record kept at the time would have saved the effort of piecing it together later.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official format for the training record?
The SRA does not mandate a single template. What matters is that your record clearly evidences your experience and the competences it demonstrates. We provide a template for you to complete.
Do I fill in the record myself, or does someone do it for me?
You complete your own record. We help you identify which competences apply and give you a template and written guidance, but the record is yours.
What if I did not keep a record at the time?
Experience can still be confirmed retrospectively. You may need to reconstruct an account of your work, which is easier with your supervisor's input and any documents you still have.
How many competences should my record cover?
At least two of the competences in the Statement of Solicitor Competence. Recording your work systematically usually reveals that you have covered several.
How do I keep confidential material out of my record?
Describe the nature of your work rather than reproducing sensitive documents, and redact or anonymise anything you retain.
What to do now
If you are not sure how to record your experience or map it to the competences, we can help. Tell us about your work using our short form, and we will respond within 24 hours with which competences your experience is likely to demonstrate and how to record it, with no obligation and no payment.