How to write the ESA MR letter

# How to write the ESA mandatory reconsideration letter

A mandatory reconsideration (MR) letter is not a rant and it is not an essay. It is a short, structured argument that gives a DWP decision maker three things: what they got wrong, the evidence, and the correction you want.

The structure that works

1. Header block. Your name, address, National Insurance number, and the date of the decision you are challenging. First line: "I am requesting a mandatory reconsideration of the decision dated [date]."

2. One-paragraph summary. State the outcome you want ("I ask you to revise the decision and place me in the Support Component / re-assess my work capability").

3. Activity-by-activity argument. This is the core. For each Work Capability Assessment activity where the report understates your reality:

Quote what the report says ("the assessment notes I can walk 200 metres").
State what actually happens ("on most days I cannot walk 50 metres without severe discomfort; on my worst days I use a wheelchair").
Say which descriptor you meet and why ("this meets descriptor 1f — cannot mobilise more than 50 metres").

4. Evidence list. Number every enclosure: GP letters, prescription lists, care logs, statements from family or carers. Refer to each one in the argument above ("see enclosure 3").

5. Ask for the reply in writing, and say you will be appealing to tribunal if the decision is upheld. Ask for the assessment report if you have not yet received it.

Rules of thumb

Dates and frequency beat adjectives. "Three times a week I cannot get out of bed before noon" beats "my condition is severe".
One activity per paragraph. The decision maker must be able to tick boxes as they read.
No new medical theories. You are not diagnosing; you are evidencing functional reality.
Keep a copy of everything you send, and send it by a trackable method.

The private, free way to do it

The ESA MR letter builder walks you through exactly this structure, activity by activity, and produces a printable letter. It runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded, stored or sent anywhere.

Independent information directory · Source-checked 2026-10-09 · Independent information — not legal or benefits advice; not affiliated with the DWP.