A school CV builder for
Our school CV builder helps you turn GCSEs, a work experience placement, DofE and weekend jobs into a clear first CV, with expert wording matched to your job titles.
- Lead with your GCSEs and grades
- Expert wording for weekend and holiday jobs
- Traditional and modern ATS-friendly designs
- A school CV finished in under 10 minutes
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Writing a school CV around GCSEs, work experience and DofE
A school CV is usually the first CV you write: one page that shows an employer, training provider or college what you're studying, what you've done outside lessons and why you'd be reliable. Managers hiring school leavers don't expect a long work history. They look for signs that you turn up, take responsibility and get on with people. Our hiring research section explains why clear, specific lines matter.
What goes on a school CV?
Most pupils need the same handful of sections, with education above any work, because for now it's your strongest evidence:
- Contact details: name, mobile number, a sensible email and the town you live in, with no photo or date of birth.
- Personal statement: two or three lines saying what year you're in and what you're applying for.
- Education: your school and GCSEs or equivalents, plus A levels, BTECs or T Levels if you've stayed on.
- Work experience: your school placement, a weekend or holiday job, regular babysitting or help in a family business.
- Activities and achievements: the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, sports teams, music grades, cadets or school council.
- Skills: languages, computer skills or a first aid course, each one something you could prove.
Whichever of the CV designs further down you pick sets your sections out with clear headings and even spacing, and our full CV writing guide has tips for every part.
How do I show GCSEs and predicted grades?
List the grades you have, and mark any you're still waiting for as predicted. A Year 11 pupil might write "GCSEs (2027): Maths 7, English Language 6, Biology 6 (all predicted)"; in sixth form, put achieved GCSEs on one line and expected A level grades below. Write each grade the way your school or exam board reports it. If an advert asks for minimum grades in English or maths, list those subjects first. The FAQ explains what to change after results day.
How do I write up work experience week and a Saturday job?
Treat a placement or a part-time job as real work: give it a title, the employer's name, when it ran and what you were responsible for. A week's placement counts, and so does regular work for neighbours or family. Start each description with a verb:
- Work experience, a vet's surgery (one week, June 2026): cleaned consulting rooms, greeted owners and helped weigh animals.
- Sales assistant (Saturdays), a local bakery, since September 2025: served customers at the till and restocked shelves.
- Babysitter for two neighbouring families, since 2025: looked after three children aged 4 to 9.
Let these lines carry your skills: "served customers at the till" proves more than writing "customer service" in a list. Our article on hard and soft skills explains the difference.
Where do Duke of Edinburgh, clubs and volunteering go?
Give them an Activities and achievements section below education and work experience. Name the level and year of your Duke of Edinburgh's Award, then lead with the part that suits the job: volunteering for a care home, the expedition for a team role. For example: "Bronze DofE (2025): volunteered weekly at a charity shop and completed a two-day expedition with a team of five." Captain roles, music grades and cadet ranks get a line too: "Netball captain (2025 to 2026): ran practice when the coach was away."
How do I adapt my CV for an apprenticeship or college?
Start from one main CV and move the details each opening cares about to the top:
- Weekend or holiday job: list the days you're available, such as Saturdays and the summer holidays, and lead with anything involving customers or teamwork.
- Apprenticeship: name the trade or field you want, put the subjects and work experience linked to it first and mention good attendance.
- Sixth form or college: most use their own form, but a CV listing your expected grades and chosen subjects first gives you everything to copy in.
For wording ideas, browse the examples by industry, such as retail or hospitality, and borrow only lines that honestly fit your own work.
Turn your grades and weekend job into a CV with Rocket Resume
Putting a part-time job into CV wording is the hard part for most pupils. Rocket Resume breaks your CV into short steps, and once you enter a title like retail assistant or waiter, it offers expert, AI-enhanced wording for that job, so weekend work reads like real experience. All of the layouts are ATS-friendly, make a short history look complete and can be swapped without retyping. With grades and dates to hand, it takes under 10 minutes.
- Answer whether you've worked before, then pick a design. Every word stays put if you switch later.
- Enter any weekend or holiday job and pick wording suggested for that title. Your school and GCSE grades go in next.
- Change any suggested words that don't sound like you, and move education above work experience if your grades say more.
- Proofread every line, download it and print copies for shops that accept CVs over the counter.
Pick the look of your school CV
What the builder handles on a pupil's first CV
Move your grades up the page
On the final screen, drag education above work history so an employer sees your school and GCSE grades before your jobs.
Wording for your first jobs
Enter a job title like kitchen porter or shop assistant and pick from expert, AI-enhanced suggestions. Edit each line until it's accurate.
A finished look for a short CV
Each professional design handles headings and spacing, so a CV with school, one placement and a few activities still looks complete.
A copy for each opening
Copy your CV inside My Library so an apprenticeship version leads with your subjects and a shop version with weekend work.
Why clear wording matters, even on a first CV
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School CV questions from pupils and leavers
What should a school leaver put on a CV?
Your contact details, a short personal statement, your school and grades, any work experience or part-time job, your activities and achievements, and a few skills with proof behind them. Leave off a photo and your date of birth.
What goes on a CV at 15 or 16 with no job?
Your school and GCSE subjects come first, then work experience week, your Duke of Edinburgh's Award, clubs or teams, and any help in a family business or regular babysitting. Add a line about what each one involved. In the builder, answer No experience at the start.
Should I put predicted grades on my CV?
Yes, if you haven't had your results yet. Write "predicted" next to each grade so it's clear, and update your CV once results day comes. Colleges and employers use them to judge whether you're likely to meet their entry requirements.
Do I need a personal statement on a school CV?
Yes, but keep it short: two or three lines on the year you're in, one or two strengths with proof, and what you're applying for. For example: "Reliable Year 11 pupil with weekend shifts at a bakery and a Bronze DofE Award, looking for café work at weekends."
Do sixth forms and colleges ask for a CV?
Most use their own application form rather than a CV. Writing your CV first still saves time, since the dates, grades and activities are ready to copy across, and you can take a copy to an interview. Some apprenticeship employers do ask for a CV.
How long should a school CV be?
Most pupils and school leavers fill one page. If yours spills onto a second, cut the weakest lines first, such as primary school details or hobbies unconnected to the job.
Can I hand my CV in to shops for a Saturday job?
Yes. Local shops and cafés often take CVs in person. Print a few copies, go on a quiet weekday afternoon, ask for the manager and say which days you can work. Leave your CV even if they aren't hiring right now.
Pick your industry, then build your CV
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