Phase 6 · Prepare for the review
The Communication Task
What it is at each level, the rules that govern it, how it is marked, and how to prepare for it.
Who this is for:Candidates at any stage
An invigilated written task, taken after your interview, forming part of the assessment of the Interpersonal Skills and Communication attribute. It is closed book, and the rules are strict.
What the task is
Institution of Civil Engineers
- It is based on current issues within the industry, and you are expected to respond as an engaged civil or infrastructure engineer, not a technical expert.
- At IEng level (IPR): the objective is to confirm you can produce straightforward documents without assistance and report factual information clearly. 60 minutes. Two questions set, one answered, producing a technical memo, technical note or similar.
- At CEng level (CPR or CPRP): the aim is to test your ability to take a piece of information, digest it, organise your thoughts and put them forward logically and clearly in writing. 90 minutes. Two questions set, each made up of a scenario and a response format, one answered.
- It is marked against three criteria: knowledge and relevance; use of English (grammar and syntax); and clarity and presentation.
- ICE says it would expect any candidate who can write clearly, and who is familiar with current issues in the industry, to be able to respond well.
- Communication Task — IEng level
- 60minutesTwo questions set, one answered. The response is a straightforward document such as a technical memo or note.
- Communication Task — CEng level
- 90minutesTwo questions set, each a scenario paired with a response format. One is answered.
- Questions set, and answered
- two set, one answered
- Marking criteria
- knowledge and relevance; use of English (grammar and syntax); clarity and presentationThe task forms part of the assessment of the Interpersonal Skills and Communication attribute.
From Professional Review Communication Task Guidance (candidate), Institution of Civil Engineers.
The rules on the day
Institution of Civil Engineers
- Closed book. No internet, AI software tools, search engines, contacting another person or accessing other devices — except the Teams meeting, the login email from ICE, and the Communication Task page itself.
- Two sides of A4 of reference material, optional, prepared in advance — hard copy or an MS Word document. Copying and pasting from it is not permitted; it is to refer to only. The font size should be what you use in your working day and readable if printed. No other notes are permitted.
- The only programs that should be open are: MS Teams with only the ICE meeting (if online); MS Word or similar for your response; a single blank A4 template; and the Communication Task instructions.
- An invigilator is present throughout. If they notice unauthorised materials they will ask you to stop, record a note, and inform your reviewers.
- You must not talk to anyone, and if online you should be alone in the room and free of distractions.
- Join or be seated 15 minutes before the start. If you arrive after the start time in your notification letter you will not be allowed to join that sitting.
- Online: turn your video and audio on, keep your video on throughout, state your name and membership number to confirm identity, and turn off background effects — so make sure nothing personal is visible behind you.
- You get a 15-minute warning before the end, then 15 minutes to save as PDF and upload. Access is revoked afterwards; if you miss it, the invigilator can reinstate access after recording an explanation.
- If you need to leave your seat, tell the invigilator by chat or by raising your hand. You will not be granted extra time. Leaving for a significant time, or without telling them, is treated as breaking the rules.
- Mobile phones on silent and to one side.
- Reference material allowed
- 2sides of A4, optionalPrinted hard copy or an MS Word document. Copying and pasting from it is not permitted — it is for reference only. No other notes are allowed.
- Closed book
- no internet, no AI tools, no search engines, no contacting anyone, no other devicesThe only permitted online access is the Teams meeting, the login email from ICE and the Communication Task page itself.
- Join or be seated before the start
- 15minutes earlyArrive after the start time written in your notification letter and you will not be allowed to join that sitting.
- Time to upload your response
- 15minutes after the end timeA 15-minute warning is given before the end. Access is revoked afterwards; if you miss the window the invigilator can reinstate it after recording an explanation.
From Professional Review Communication Task Guidance (candidate), Institution of Civil Engineers.
The CEng scenario themes and response formats
ICE does not publish the questions in advance, but it does publish the themes and the formats. Scenarios are based on: Presidential themes; decarbonisation; sustainable communities; climate impacts; infrastructure and resource resilience; transport and connectivity; asset management; water and sanitation; energy supply; the productivity challenge; digital and data; emerging technologies and innovation; security of assets; the future of engineering and ethics; education and skills; and diversity and inclusion.
You can expect two of the following response formats, one for each scenario:
- 01A piece for a journalist, for inclusion in an industry supplement.
- 02A summary note to inform civil or infrastructure engineering students at your local university undertaking coursework.
- 03A letter to a local resident group explaining how the issues will affect them.
- 04A blog for people with a technical background but without specialist knowledge in civil or infrastructure engineering.
- 05A piece for students in your local secondary school explaining the main issues.
- 06A briefing note to your local government representative outlining the main points.
ICE also says you should be familiar with the two most recent Presidential addresses — and notes that themes from an inaugural address typically appear in questions after about six months.
What the format actually changes
The format is not decoration. It decides the register, the structure and what you leave out — and getting it wrong costs you on both "knowledge and relevance" and "clarity and presentation".
A letter to residents is not a shorter version of an industry article. It answers "what does this mean for me", it does not assume any technical vocabulary, and it says what will happen and when. A briefing note to a government representative is structured for someone who will read the first paragraph and skim the rest — so the recommendation goes at the top. A piece for secondary school students needs one idea, made concrete, without condescension.
The single most common failure is writing the same essay regardless of the audience. The second is spending too long on the technical content and running out of time before the part that answers the audience's actual question.
A way to spend the time
- 01
Read both, choose fast
Five to ten minutes at most. Choose the one where you have something to say, not the one that sounds more impressive. You cannot change your mind at forty minutes.
- 02
Identify the audience before the content
Write down who is reading it and what they want from it. Everything else follows from that, and it takes ninety seconds.
- 03
Plan on paper
Three to five headings and the one-line point of each. ICE lets you upload your plan as a supporting document if you wish. Writing without a plan is where structure marks are lost.
- 04
Write in the format asked for
A letter has a salutation. A briefing note has a recommendation near the top. A blog can have subheadings. Use the conventions of the document you were asked to produce.
- 05
Leave ten to fifteen minutes to check
Grammar and syntax are one of three marking criteria. Read it once for sense and once for errors — the two passes catch different things.
- 06
Save as PDF and upload
You have 15 minutes after the end. Do it immediately rather than re-reading; access is revoked when the window closes.
Your two sides of A4
They are optional, and they are the only thing you may bring. What is useful on them:
- Structures for each response format — the shape of a briefing note, of a letter, of an article.
- A handful of facts you are confident are right: figures you would be comfortable being questioned on.
- Prompts for the competing considerations in the main themes — cost, carbon, disruption, equity, resilience.
- The two most recent Presidential themes.
What is not useful: pre-written paragraphs. You cannot copy and paste from your reference material, and an attempt to transcribe a memorised passage reads exactly like what it is.
Related pages and tools
- Practice tasksFifty original practice tasks across both levels, with a learning mode and a genuinely closed-book timed simulation.
- Current issuesBackground on the themes the Communication Task draws from, with the competing considerations and no prescribed view.
- CommunicationThat you can explain engineering clearly to whoever needs to understand it, in writing and out loud, and that you work well with people.
- Review dayWhat to prepare, what to bring, what is prohibited, and how the day runs online and in person.
- Plagiarism and AIWhat help is legitimate, what is not, and where ICE draws the line — in the submission and in the review itself.