Writing Sample Cover Sheet: Copyable Template and Filled Example

Decide what context the reader needs

Georgetown’s general writing-sample guidance recommends following the application instructions and labeling the work’s title and origin. Its law-school guidance specifically discusses a cover page with the writing context and any omitted sections. Those legal-application conventions are useful examples, not mandatory rules for every industry.

Before preparing the sheet, identify the requested kind of writing. A legal analysis, a press release and a research summary serve different purposes. If the request is unclear, ask the employer what it needs rather than attaching a collection of unrelated documents.

Copyable blank cover sheet

Use only the fields that apply. Replace the bracketed instructions with concise, accurate context. If the employer supplies its own cover-page format, use that instead.

[YOUR NAME]
[EMAIL OR OTHER REQUESTED CONTACT]
WRITING SAMPLE

Title: [TITLE OF THE ATTACHED WORK]
Written: [MONTH YEAR] | Revised: [MONTH YEAR, IF APPLICABLE]
Context: [COURSE, PERSONAL PROJECT OR PERMITTED WORK CONTEXT]

Purpose and audience
[Explain the original assignment or task and who the writing was for.]

Included in this submission
[State whether this is the full work or an excerpt. Identify omitted
sections and supply only the context needed to understand the excerpt.]

My contribution and editing
[State which parts you wrote and describe substantive editing or other
assistance accurately. Follow the employer's rules about permitted help.]

Permission and changes, if relevant
[For work prepared for another organization, state the actual permission
and approved changes. Explain redactions without revealing protected
information. Omit this section if it does not apply.]

Filled fictional cover-sheet example

This is an original teaching example for a student applying to a writing-focused role. Riley Park, the course and the paper are fictional. The cover sheet illustrates how to disclose an excerpt and editing help; the underlying five-page paper and two-page excerpt are not provided here.

RILEY PARK
riley.park@example.com
WRITING SAMPLE
Fictional teaching example — replace all details before use

Title: Explaining the Library Hold-Pickup Process
Written: April 2026 | Revised: September 2026
Context: Professional Writing course, fictional class assignment

Purpose and audience
The assignment asked students to turn a supplied set of fictional library
procedures into a clear explanation for first-time library users. I wrote
an overview followed by instructions and an explanation of common issues.

Included in this submission
This example cover sheet describes a proposed two-page excerpt from a
five-page class paper. The excerpt would contain the instructions and
common-issues sections; the introductory discussion and reflection would
be omitted. The library procedures in the assignment were invented.

My contribution and editing
I wrote the paper individually. A classmate commented on the order of the
instructions, and the instructor marked two unclear sentences. I revised
the organization and wording myself. The September revision corrected
wording and punctuation; it did not add a new research claim.

Permission and changes
This was a classroom exercise using fictional material, not a document
prepared for an employer or a real library. It contains no client records.

Why the example includes editing and excerpt notes

The context explains the original audience, so the reviewer does not mistake classroom instructions for a published library policy. The excerpt note identifies the included sections and the missing introduction. The editing note separates feedback from authorship: another person commented, while the applicant made the revisions.

Yale Law’s writing-sample guidance recommends explaining editing by others and describing the rest of a document when using an excerpt. Apply that transparency to the actual request. Do not say “entirely unedited” if a supervisor rewrote substantial passages.

Permission comes before redaction

For a document prepared for an employer, Yale and Georgetown Law advise obtaining permission and addressing confidential information. Removing names alone does not establish permission to share the work. If you cannot obtain an appropriate shareable version, choose another sample.

Do not expose private facts in the explanation of what you removed. Keep any statement about permission specific and true; a template phrase is not evidence that permission exists.

Package the cover sheet with the correct sample

Check whether the employer wants one combined file or separate uploads, and whether its length limit includes the cover sheet. Do not assume a law-school default page range applies to a communications or research vacancy.

Read the exported attachment in order: cover sheet, sample title and the included sections. Confirm that the excerpt note describes the pages actually attached. Check page numbers, citations and any cross-reference to an omitted section. If the excerpt begins in the middle of an argument, add the brief context needed to understand it or choose a different section.

The cover sheet should help a reader interpret your work. It does not replace the sample, repair unsupported claims inside it or turn someone else’s writing into your own.