Scholarship application evidence organiser: one checklist per school
A Braintree Coaching Australia organiser for parents applying for independent school scholarships: a blank checklist to fill in from each school's own page, a completed example for a fictional school, a week-before check and a note on what to leave out.
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About this resource
Scholarship application evidence organiser: one checklist per school
Quick answer. Schools ask for different things. Build one checklist per school from that school's own scholarship page, record the link and the date you checked it, and gather only what that school asks for.
This page is a blank organiser you can print, a filled-in example for a made-up family and a made-up school, a list for the week before the closing date, and a short section on what to leave out. It does not tell you what any school requires. It gives you somewhere to write down what the school itself says.
What might a school ask for in a scholarship application?
These are the kinds of item a school's page may list. A given school may ask for some of them, none of them, or something not here.
- An application form or an online portal
- Test registration, and which provider runs the test
- School reports, and which terms or semesters they cover
- A NAPLAN report
- References
- A portfolio or audition (usually for non-academic awards)
- Identity documents
- A written statement
- A fee
If the school's page names a test provider, record the provider the school names. For ACER Scholarship Tests, the ACER scholarships page is the place to read how registration works. Otherwise, register the way the school's page says.
How do I set up one checklist per school?
- Open the school's scholarship or admissions page. Keep it open while you fill in the sheet.
- Print one copy of the organiser for that school. Write the school's name and the entry year at the top.
- Go down the rows. For each one, write "yes", "no" or "not mentioned" under Asked for by this school?
- Where the answer is yes, copy the school's wording exactly into Exact wording, paste the page link into Source URL and write today's date under Date checked.
- Fill in the last two columns as you collect each item.
- Find the closing date on the school's page and write it at the top of the sheet, with the date you read it.
Keep each school's sheet separate. Where two schools ask for the same document, you still record each school's own wording and source.
The organiser
| Requirement type | Asked for by this school? | Exact wording | Source URL | Date checked | Have it? | Where it is saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application form or portal | ||||||
| Test registration and provider | ||||||
| School reports (which terms or semesters) | ||||||
| NAPLAN report | ||||||
| References | ||||||
| Portfolio or audition (non-academic awards) | ||||||
| Identity documents | ||||||
| Written statement | ||||||
| Fee | ||||||
| Interview, if the page lists one | ||||||
| Anything else the page lists |
The last row is there because a school's list may include something not on this page. Add a row for it rather than leaving it off the sheet.
If the school lists an interview, practice for it is covered separately in scholarship interview questions.
What does a filled-in organiser look like?
This example is invented. "Ridgeway Hill College" is a fictional school and the Harts are a fictional family. The dates and details are made up for the example and describe no real school.
School: Ridgeway Hill College (fictional) · Entry year: Year 7 · Closing date as stated on the page: (copied from the school's page, with the date read)
| Requirement type | Asked for by this school? | Exact wording | Source URL | Date checked | Have it? | Where it is saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application form or portal | Yes | "Complete the online scholarship application through the parent portal." | school page, link pasted | day read | Account made; form half done | Portal login in the family notebook |
| Test registration and provider | Yes | "Candidates sit the scholarship test on the date set by the school." | school page, link pasted | day read | Not yet | Note on the fridge calendar |
| School reports | Yes | "The two most recent school reports." | school page, link pasted | day read | Yes | "Scholarship 1" folder, scanned copies |
| NAPLAN report | Not mentioned | |||||
| References | Yes | "One reference from the current school." | school page, link pasted | day read | Asked the teacher | Email thread "Ridgeway reference" |
| Portfolio or audition | No | |||||
| Identity documents | Yes | "Copy of the child's birth certificate or passport." | school page, link pasted | day read | Yes | "Scholarship 1" folder |
| Written statement | Yes | "A short statement from the student about their interests." | school page, link pasted | day read | Draft started | Shared document "Ridgeway statement" |
| Fee | Not mentioned | |||||
| Interview, if listed | Not mentioned |
"Not mentioned" is a complete answer, and the Harts do not guess at those rows. Their sheet for a different school would have different rows filled in, because that school's page says different things.
What should I check a week before the closing date?
Seven days before the date on the school's page:
- Re-open the school's page and read the closing date and the list again. Update Date checked.
- Compare the page to your sheet. If the wording changed, copy the new wording.
- Confirm every "yes" row has a "have it?" answer and a place it is saved.
- Check that any reference or report that someone else must supply has been asked for, and note the reply.
- Read the written statement aloud once. It should sound like the student.
- Open each file you plan to upload and check it opens and is the right one.
- Work out how the school wants it sent (portal, email or post) and note it on the sheet.
- Ask the school's admissions office about anything marked "not mentioned" that you are still unsure about.
What should I leave out?
Leave out anything the school's page does not ask for. A school that asks for two reports has not asked for five. A school that asks for a short statement has not asked for a long essay.
Extra material costs you time and makes the real documents harder to find. Nothing on the organiser is a reason to collect more than the school's page lists.
Also leave out:
- Items copied from another family's list, or from a different school's sheet
- Things you assume a school wants but cannot find on its page (mark them "not mentioned" and ask)
- Information about your child that the school has not asked for
Where to go next
- The wider picture of scholarship papers and providers: private school scholarship exams and Australian scholarship exams compared
- Free practice to try before choosing a course: free mock tests
Written by James Rush, Braintree Coaching Australia. The layout was tried against one school's public scholarship page; a named teacher or parent review has not yet been recorded. If you find an error, please tell us. Last updated 15 October 2026.
Questions parents ask about this resource
Sources and review
- Answer check not yet recorded.
- Named teacher review not yet recorded.
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