APS Pitch CheckerThe APS leadership capabilities in plain English: what they look like from APS3 to EL1
Short answer: The Integrated Leadership System groups APS behaviours into five areas: strategic direction, achieving results, working relationships, personal drive and integrity, and communicating with influence. The same five apply at every level, and what changes from APS3 to EL1 is your scope, independence and influence.
Most APS job ads and position descriptions borrow language from the Integrated Leadership System (ILS), the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC)'s capability framework. Here's what its five areas mean in plain English, and how expectations step up from APS3 to EL1.
What the ILS is (and isn't)
The ILS describes the behaviours the APS expects at each classification level, from APS1 through to the Senior Executive Service. It's cumulative: what's expected at one level becomes the baseline for the next. Agencies use it to write position descriptions and selection criteria, and panels often use it to judge whether your examples match the level you're applying for.
It isn't a checklist you have to quote. Panels want evidence that you work at the level, not their own framework repeated back to them. It's also not the only framework in play. Agencies may use their own capability frameworks or the APS Work Level Standards, and from 2026 the APSC has been rolling out a new non-SES Performance Framework, which agencies are implementing over the next few years. The official source is the APSC's ILS pages. The summary below is our own plain-English reading, not official text.
The five capability areas in plain English
For APS1-6 roles the ILS groups behaviours into five clusters. EL and SES versions use slightly stronger names for the same five ideas.
| Area (APS / EL wording) | Plain English | What evidence looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Supports strategic direction / Shapes strategic thinking | You understand why your work matters and how it fits the agency's goals. You spot issues early. | You noticed a trend, linked a task to a bigger objective, or suggested a change that helped the program. |
| Achieves results | You get the right things done, well and on time, and improve how they're done. | A deadline met under pressure, a backlog cleared, a process made faster or more accurate. |
| Supports / Cultivates productive working relationships | You work well with colleagues, clients and stakeholders, and (at higher levels) develop others. | A disagreement resolved, a stakeholder brought on board, a colleague you trained or coached. |
| Displays / Exemplifies personal drive and integrity | You act ethically, take responsibility, stay steady under pressure and keep learning. | Raising an error you found, handling a sensitive matter properly, learning a new area fast. |
| Communicates with influence | You write and speak clearly for your audience, listen, and persuade with evidence. | A brief that led to a decision, a plain-English rewrite, a tricky conversation handled well. |
How expectations change by level
The same five areas apply at every level. What changes is scope (your own work, then a team's, then a program's), independence (following procedures, then adapting them, then designing them) and influence (within your team, then across teams, then with senior and external stakeholders).
APS3
You do defined tasks accurately within established procedures, manage your own workload, and know when to ask or escalate. Good examples show reliability, care with clients and data, and small improvements you suggested.
APS4
You handle a wider range of work with some independence, use judgement within guidelines, and start helping others, for example by sharing knowledge or checking work. Examples should show initiative inside the rules and good escalation.
APS5
You take responsibility for a body of work or a process, coordinate input from others, improve how things are done and draft advice for supervisors. Examples should show you owning something end to end.
APS6
You work with limited supervision on complex tasks, manage projects or relationships across teams and organisations, give considered written advice, and may supervise or mentor staff. Examples should show judgement where there wasn't an obvious answer.
EL1
You lead a team or a significant piece of work: setting direction, managing people and performance, handling risk, and advising senior executives and external stakeholders. Examples should show how you got results through others, not only by yourself.
Action verbs that fit each level
Verbs aren't magic, but they signal the level of responsibility you held. Use them only when they're accurate.
| Level | Verbs that suit |
|---|---|
| APS3 | processed, checked, resolved, recorded, followed up, explained, suggested |
| APS4 | prioritised, investigated, escalated, drafted, trained, updated, improved |
| APS5 | coordinated, analysed, designed, implemented, consulted, recommended, owned |
| APS6 | managed, negotiated, advised, evaluated, led (a project), mentored, resolved (complex issues) |
| EL1 | directed, delegated, set priorities, briefed (executives), managed performance, shaped, built capability |
Using the ILS in your pitch
- Read the position description and underline the capability phrases. Group them under the five areas.
- Pick examples that show the target level, not your current one. If you're going for APS6 from APS5, choose times you worked with limited supervision or across teams.
- Don't name the capability, show it. "I negotiated a revised timeline with three councils" says more than "I cultivate productive working relationships".
- Cover all five areas across your examples if the ad doesn't narrow the focus. One example often covers two or three.
- Check the balance. Paste your draft into the free APS Pitch Checker to see whether actions and results dominate, which is where level shows.
For level-specific structures and word budgets, see the pitch guides by level and word limit.
See how your draft reads
The APS Pitch Checker flags "we"-heavy writing, missing results and duty language, the usual reasons an example reads below the level.
Open the checkerFAQ
Do I need to name the ILS capabilities in my pitch?
No. Panels want evidence, not the framework repeated. Show the capability through what you did, and match your examples to the level.
Is the ILS still used in 2026?
Yes. The APSC still publishes it, and many position descriptions use its language. Agencies may also use their own frameworks, and the APSC's newer non-SES Performance Framework is being rolled out alongside it.
What's the difference between APS6 and EL1 expectations?
APS6 focuses on complex work with limited supervision and stakeholder management. EL1 adds leading people and a work area: setting direction, managing performance and advising senior executives.
Where is the official ILS information?
On the Australian Public Service Commission website. This page is an unofficial plain-English summary.
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Disclosure: Mint sells the APS Pitch Kit mentioned above. This guide is independent general information, not affiliated with the APSC or any agency. Examples are fictional. Last updated 2026-10-19.