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 Vocabulary, spelling, grammar
-
Using literary and linguistic terminology and quotation
Across Units 1, 3, 5 and 6 learners must use the terms of literary criticism, poetic metre and film appreciation confidently, and quote or reference purposefully to support points.
Literacy: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Clarity and vocabulary, Understanding, response and analysis
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils build a class wall of Cymraeg literary terms such as 'cyffelybiaeth', 'trosiad' and 'cyflythrennu' and label an example of each in a poem.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a point, evidence and explanation paragraph on a poem that uses two literary terms correctly and embeds one short quotation.
- Year 9
- Pupils annotate an unseen poem using terms for cynghanedd, metre and imagery, then use at least four of them in a timed written response.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Section 3.1.1, page 15; Unit 5, Section 5.1.1, page 21
“understand and use linguistic and literary terminology.”
Progression step 3
I can use varied, appropriate and precise vocabulary including area of learning and experience/discipline-specific words for different purposes.
I can express issues and ideas clearly using area of learning and experience/discipline-specific vocabulary and examples.
Progression step 4
I have experienced a range of area of learning and experience/discipline-specific and general academic vocabulary, and can use them in my own communication.
I can read to build my vocabulary and develop sentence structures, and use these effectively in my own communication.
Progression step 5
I can use a range of discipline-specific and general academic vocabulary accurately and precisely.
I can use a range of discipline-specific and general academic vocabulary in my own communication.
-
Accurate grammar, mutations, punctuation and spelling
AO2 (50% of each award) requires a range of sentence structures with appropriate grammar, accurate punctuation and spelling. Units 4a and 4b include a text editing task at word, sentence and text level, and Units 1 and 6 ask for writing that is accurate, clear and refined.
Literacy: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Punctuation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils complete a weekly starter correcting soft, nasal and aspirate mutations in five sentences taken from their own writing.
- Year 8
- Pupils edit a paragraph with planted errors in verb conjugation, gender agreement and punctuation, explaining each correction.
- Year 9
- Pupils complete a timed text editing task at word, sentence and text level, then proofread their own extended writing against the same checklist.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 4a, Section 4.1.3, page 18; Section 3.1 Assessment objectives, page 26
“using a range of sentence structures / appropriate grammar, correct punctuation and spelling”
Progression step 3
Welsh-medium statement: I can apply mutations in many obligatory contexts, including:
- soft mutation after ‘ei’ masculine, e.g. ei goes ef, and when nouns and adjectives follow ‘yn’, e.g. yn gyflym
- nasal mutation after ‘fy’, e.g. fy nghoes i, or special preposition ‘yn’, e.g. yng Nghaerffili
- aspirate mutation after ‘ei’ feminine, e.g. ei choes hi, and for nouns with human referents.
Welsh-medium statement: I can form plurals, e.g. by adding a suffix (merch>merched), changing the stem (bachgen>bechgyn), a combination of both (braich>breichiau) and removing a suffix (coeden>coed).
I can use a range of punctuation accurately (including apostrophe for possession) to clarify and expand meaning.
Progression step 4
Welsh-medium statement: I can identify the use of mutations, and recognise omissions in obligatory contexts, and/or the use of the inappropriate mutation type when another type is expected.
Welsh-medium statement: I can write grammatically accurate sentences with attention to conjugated verbs, verb tense, and person correspondence and gender agreement.
I can use the full range of punctuation accurately (including colons, semicolons and parenthesis) to clarify, organise and expand meaning.
Progression step 5
Welsh-medium statement: I can identify the various uses of mutation and apply all three processes (soft mutation, nasal mutation and aspirate mutation) in a wide range of mutatable contexts.
Welsh-medium statement: I can write grammatically accurate sentences conjugating prepositions, and ensuring verb tense and person correspondence and gender agreement.
I can use the full range of punctuation in order to vary pace, clarify meaning, avoid ambiguity and create deliberate effects.
Good to know
- Unit 3 Task 1: 'Learners should be allowed to use dictionaries/thesaurus when completing the task.' 2 hours 30 minutes are allocated and the written task is 500 to 1,500 words (pages 15 and 30).
- Units 2 and 3: learners may take in 'up to one side of an A4 page containing short bullet points (size 11 font or above)' (pages 28 and 30).
- Unit 3 Task 2: the teacher must 'ensure that the learner does not read their presentation'. The presentation lasts up to 5 minutes including questions and may use 'relevant statistics, facts, examples and quotes' (page 30).
- Unit 5 Task 2: 500 to 1,000 words. 'Learners are allowed to revise and redraft work. Learners are allowed to complete the task electronically.' A maximum of 3 hours is allowed (pages 22 and 31).
- Accuracy: AO2 is 50% of both awards and requires 'appropriate grammar and, in written communication, accurate punctuation and spelling' (page 26). There is no separate SPaG mark.
- Units 4a and 4b reading includes 'a text editing task that will focus on understanding text at word, sentence and text level' (page 5).
- Appendix A ticks no numeracy strand for any unit (page 38), and the specification makes no reference to calculators.
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.