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UK Cover Letter for a Graduate Job: One Page That Works

Published / Reviewed: 3 November 2026 · Reading time: 7 min · Reviewed by: NationsDocs Editorial Desk · Scope: UK only. This post is about the UK format; USA, Canada, and Pakistan formats differ and are covered separately.

Checklist before you send

• One page, 3 to 5 paragraphs, roughly 250 to 400 words.
• Address a named person where you can find one, otherwise Dear Sir or Madam.
• Two proven examples, matched to the advert, not a list of qualities.
• One specific reason for this employer, not copied praise.
• UK spelling and UK date order, and the same header as your CV.
• Sign off correctly: Yours sincerely for a named person, Yours faithfully for Dear Sir or Madam.
• A fresh letter for every job, never a reused letter with the wrong company name.

Agree first: a short CV needs a letter that explains it

A graduate CV is often short, and that is normal. The cover letter is where you explain what that short CV means: why this role, why this employer, and which two or three pieces of experience actually fit the job. Done well, it takes one page and about ten minutes of a recruiter's attention. Done badly, it repeats the CV in longer sentences and gets skimmed. This post gives you the UK structure that works, paragraph by paragraph, with the UK formatting rules that mark a letter out as written for a UK employer.

The UK shape: one page, 3 to 5 paragraphs

The UK National Careers Service describes a cover letter as a short letter, usually 3 to 5 paragraphs long, written fresh for every job and tailored to the company and the specific role. Most UK careers guides put the same letter at roughly 250 to 400 words on a single side of A4. Treat that as a working range, not a rule printed in law: the advert's own instructions always come first, and some employers ask for a shorter covering note or a supporting statement instead. If the advert gives a word count or a question to answer, follow it exactly, even if it breaks the usual shape. One page is the expectation for a graduate role. Two pages for a first job reads as poor judgement, not extra effort.

Paragraph by paragraph: what each one must do

1. Opening: name the role and where you saw it

State the job title, where you found it, and one line about who you are: your degree subject and stage, or your recent graduation. If there is a reference number in the advert, include it. This paragraph answers the recruiter's first question, which is simply whether this letter belongs to this vacancy.

2. Why you: two pieces of proof, not a list

Pick the two strongest requirements in the advert and prove each one with a real example from study, a placement, part-time work, volunteering, or a society role. One proven example beats five claimed qualities. The National Careers Service suggests backing statements with facts and using the STAR method: the situation, the task, the action you took, and the result. Keep the result honest and modest. A result you cannot defend in an interview is worse than no result at all.

3. Why them: one specific reason, not flattery

Show that you researched this employer: a project, a service, a value they publish, or a team structure that fits what you want to learn. One specific sentence proves research. A paragraph of praise proves only that you can copy an About page. Keep this paragraph short, and keep the focus on what you would contribute, not only on what the role would give you.

4. Close: thank, invite, and sign off correctly

Thank the reader, say you look forward to hearing from them, and confirm how to reach you. Make sure the contact details on the letter match the ones on your CV exactly. Then sign off the UK way: if you addressed a named person, end with Yours sincerely; if you opened with Dear Sir or Madam, end with Yours faithfully. Getting this the wrong way round is a small error that UK recruiters notice at once.

UK formatting rules that mark the letter out

• Address a person by name when you can. Check the company website for the head of the department, the head of human resources, or the recruitment manager. If no name exists, Dear Sir or Madam is the accepted fallback.
• Use UK spelling and UK dates. Write organisation, not organization, and date the letter in day, month, year order, for example 1 November 2026.
• Match your CV. Use the same font and size as your CV, so the two documents look like one application. Keep the header, your name, phone number, and email identical on both.
• No photograph. UK applications do not carry a photo, and adding one can raise fairness concerns for the employer.
• Email body or attachment? Follow the advert. If it asks for a CV by email and says nothing about an attachment, a covering message in the email body is usually right. If it asks for a cover letter as a document, attach it as a clean .docx or PDF and keep the email itself short.
• Write a new one every time. A letter reused across employers fails on the details: the wrong company name in a reused letter is one of the most common and most avoidable mistakes in graduate applications.

A fictional example, paragraph by paragraph

The example below is fictional, invented only to show the structure. It is not a real person's application, and the employer named in it does not exist.

Opening (fictional): Dear Ms Hartley, I am writing to apply for the Graduate Marketing Assistant role advertised on your careers page, reference GM-118. I am a final-year marketing student, due to graduate next summer.

Why you (fictional): During a placement year I ran a small email campaign for a local charity, writing the copy and tracking which subject lines were opened. Open rates rose across the three sends, and the charity kept the format after I left. That work taught me to test one change at a time instead of guessing.

Why them (fictional): I am drawn to your team's focus on clear, plain-English guides for small businesses, because that is the kind of writing I want to keep improving.

Close (fictional): Thank you for considering my application. My CV is attached, and I would welcome the chance to discuss the role at interview. Yours sincerely.

Notice what the example leaves out: no repeated CV, no list of every module studied, no claim the writer cannot prove, and no praise that could belong to any employer. Your own letter should be this specific about your own real experience.

Five mistakes that cost graduates interviews

• Repeating the CV. The letter should explain two achievements and why they matter for this job, not list every role again.
• One letter for every employer. Recruiters recognise a generic letter in the first paragraph, and a wrong company name ends the application immediately.
• Running over one page. If it needs scrolling on a laptop screen, cut it. Shorter is safer than longer for a graduate role.
• Claims with no proof. Phrases such as hard worker and team player add words, not signal. Replace each one with an example.
• Ignoring the advert's instructions. A reference number, a question to answer, or a format request left out of the letter reads as carelessness, whatever the rest of the letter says.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a UK cover letter be?

One page, usually 3 to 5 paragraphs and roughly 250 to 400 words for a graduate role. The advert's instructions override any general range.

Do I need a cover letter if the advert says it is optional?

Send one anyway, unless the advert says not to. The National Careers Service advises including a cover letter whenever you apply for a job using a CV, because it is your chance to explain motivation and fit that a CV alone cannot show.

Should the letter go in the email body or as an attachment?

Follow the advert. If it asks for an attached cover letter, attach it. If it only asks for a CV by email, write the covering message in the email body, and do not send an empty email with two unexplained attachments.

Should I mention a gap in my history, or a disability?

Only if you choose to. A short gap can be explained in one line by naming the skills gained while out of work. You do not have to mention a disability at this stage; if you do, advice is available from organisations such as Disability Rights UK. The choice is yours, and either choice is acceptable.

How do I write a UK cover letter with no work experience?

Do not apologise for the experience you do not have. Use study, a placement, part-time work, volunteering, or a society role as proof instead, and match each example to one requirement in the advert. One specific example, such as organising an event or completing a project to a deadline, proves more than a paragraph of claimed qualities. Keep the same one-page, 3 to 5 paragraph shape, and keep every claim one you could defend in an interview.

How do I start a UK graduate cover letter?

Open with the job title, where you saw it, and one line about who you are, for example your degree subject and stage. That opening answers the recruiter's first question, which is simply whether this letter belongs to this vacancy. Avoid opening with a generic claim about being passionate or hard working; the proof for those words belongs in the middle paragraphs, in examples.

How does a UK cover letter differ from a USA one?

The UK letter is shorter and more formal in its sign-off, uses UK spelling and date order, and carries no photograph. The first post in this job-documents cluster, The Complete Guide to Resumes and CVs by Country, explains how the UK format differs from the USA, Canada, and Pakistan formats, and the second post, ATS-Friendly USA Resume, covers the screening format US employers use.