LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

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GCSE Cymraeg Language and Literature

GCSE Cymraeg Language and Literature is a first-language literacy qualification: learners analyse a novel, short stories, poems and a film, read and summarise unseen texts, write in many forms, and are assessed on group discussion and an individual researched presentation. WJEC maps no numeracy to any unit, so there are no numeracy skills here. The single biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is close, evaluative reading of Cymraeg literature backed by purposeful quotation and accurate Cymraeg, including mutations and verb forms.

First taught
September 2025
Amount of literacy work
High
Amount of numeracy work
Low
Specification
Open the WJEC specification (PDF)
How this GCSE is assessed
  • Unit 1: Narrative: Written examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 30% of the Single Award (15% of the Double Award), 60 marks
  • Unit 2: Identity: Non-examination assessment, group discussion in threes up to 15 minutes on a visual text, 20% of the Single Award (10% of the Double Award), 40 marks, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
  • Unit 3: Attitudes: Non-examination assessment, poetry appreciation and comparison (500 to 1,500 words) and individual oral presentation (up to 5 minutes), 20% of the Single Award (10% of the Double Award), 60 marks, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
  • Unit 4a: Linguistic Connections (Single Award only): Written examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 30%, 60 marks
  • Unit 4b: Linguistic Connections (Double Award only): Written examination 2 hours, 22.5%, 90 marks
  • Unit 5: Respond and Create (Double Award only): Non-examination assessment, group discussion up to 10 minutes and creative writing task (500 to 1,000 words, maximum 3 hours), 20%, 60 marks, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
  • Unit 6: Communicating Meaning (Double Award only): Written examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 22.5%, 60 marks

Skills that use Reading strategies

  1. Analysing a novel or short story and the author's craft

    Assessed: In the exam

    Unit 1 examines one studied novel and Unit 6 (Double Award) an extract from one of three set short stories. Learners recall detail, analyse character, theme, form and atmosphere, and discuss the author's motivation with reference to social, cultural and historical context.

    Literacy: Reading strategies, Understanding, response and analysis

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils keep a character log while reading a Cymraeg class novel, noting how the main character reacts to three key events with a quotation for each.
    Year 8
    Pupils write a paragraph on how an author creates atmosphere in one chapter of a class novel, commenting on two stylistic features with quotations.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a timed answer on how an author presents a theme in a Cymraeg short story, linking it to its social or historical context.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.1.1, page 12; Unit 6, Sections 6.1.1 and 6.1.2, page 24

    “respond to a novel sensitively and in detail in order to appreciate the author's craft in forming the content, plot, themes and characters”
    Progression step 3

    • I can infer ideas which are not explicitly stated, e.g. writer’s viewpoints or attitudes.

    • I can read closely, identifying and noting features of texts, e.g. introduction, sequence, illustrations, formality, key vocabulary.

    Progression step 4

    • I can gain a full understanding of texts using inference, deduction and analysis.

    • I can read closely, follow up and use additional material in texts to extend my understanding.

    Progression step 5

    • I can read closely, analysing the content, language and impact of texts to deepen my understanding.

    • I can gain full understanding of texts using inference, deduction and analysis, understanding the context of the texts that influence the reader.

  2. Appreciating and comparing poems, including strict metre

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    Unit 3 Task 1 is a written appreciation and comparison of at least 4 poems by at least 3 poets on a WJEC theme, covering strict metre, free metre and vers libre. Learners interpret implicit meaning, comment on metre and style and quote purposefully.

    Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Reading strategies

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils read two short poems on the same theme, such as nature, and write a paragraph saying which they prefer, quoting one line from each.
    Year 8
    Pupils compare an englyn and a vers libre poem on the same subject and explain in writing how each form suits its message.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a 500-word comparison of two poems by different poets on a shared theme, quoting purposefully and commenting on metre and style.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Sections 3.1.1 and 3.1.2, pages 15 to 16

    “appreciate the metre and style which characterise the poems and comment on their suitability for the content and message of the poem”
    Progression step 3

    • I can show understanding of and use the main ideas and significant details in different texts on the same topic.

    • I can infer ideas which are not explicitly stated, e.g. writer’s viewpoints or attitudes.

    Progression step 4

    • I can compare and contrast themes and issues across a range of texts including digital and audio-visual texts.

    • I can compare the viewpoint of different writers on the same topic, e.g. rats are fascinating or a menace.

    Progression step 5

    • I can confidently compare and contrast themes and ideas in a range of texts, including digital and audio-visual texts, exploring how they vary in purpose and effect.

    • I can read closely, analysing the content, language and impact of texts to deepen my understanding.

Good to know

Links with other GCSEs

The only number work is optional use of statistics in the Unit 3 presentation, so numeracy support is best left to other subjects.

Source: WJEC GCSE Cymraeg Language and Literature (Single and Double Award) specification, Version 6, for Year 10 cohort starting September 2026 onwards, first award from 2028.