GCSE Dance
Literacy matters most in the Unit 3 on-screen examination, where learners write short and extended answers that analyse and evaluate three set works and an unseen work using precise dance terminology, and in the Unit 1 reflective log on their own choreography. Numeracy is light and practical: counting phrases, rhythm and tempo, working to set performance times, and describing space through levels, turns, planes, pathways and formations. The biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is the ability to watch a dance closely and write a clear, evaluative paragraph about it using the correct terms.
- First taught
- September 2026
- Amount of literacy work
- Medium
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the WJEC specification (PDF)
How this GCSE is assessed
- Unit 1: Choreography: Non-examination assessment, choreography to a WJEC stimulus plus a reflective log, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, 40%, 96 marks
- Unit 2: Performance: Non-examination assessment, live performance of two pieces of repertoire, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, 30%, 72 marks
- Unit 3: Dance Appreciation: Digital only examination 1 hour 45 minutes, 30%, 72 marks
Skills that use Measurement
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Counts, rhythm, tempo and timing
Rhythm, timing and change of tempo are named technical skills and choreographic devices, so learners count phrases, halve and double speeds and fit material to music. Performances must meet set times, with a solo lasting 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Numeracy: Measurement, Strategic competence, Calculation, Conceptual understanding
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils learn a phrase in counts of eight, then time their performance with a stopwatch and record it in minutes and seconds.
- Year 8
- Pupils perform a motif at half speed and double speed and work out how many counts of eight each version now takes.
- Year 9
- Pupils plan a solo to last 1 minute 30 seconds by working out how many counts of eight fit at the music's BPM, then time a run to check.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Appendix A, Choreographic Devices, page 25; Unit 2, page 12
“a structure of movement patterns in time; a movement with a regular succession of strong and weak elements”
Progression step 3
I can carry out practical activities involving timed events and explain which unit of time is the most appropriate.
I can time events in minutes and seconds, and order the results.
Progression step 4
I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.
I can use the four operations and the connections between them, e.g. apply division as the inverse of multiplication.
Progression step 5
I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.
I can draw on my understanding of the basic structures of mathematics and can apply them in different contexts.
Good to know
- No marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar or accuracy of language are mentioned anywhere in the specification.
- Unit 3 is a digital only examination of 1 hour 45 minutes, 72 marks and 30% of the qualification, so written answers are typed on screen, not handwritten (page 4). It includes an unseen work as well as three set works (page 15).
- The Unit 1 reflective log is in a non-prescribed format with no word limit printed; Unit 1 AO3 is worth 5% of the qualification (pages 4 and 20).
- Set performance times: a solo lasts 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes and a group piece 2 to 4 minutes, with each Unit 2 dancer actively performing for a minimum of 1 minute 30 seconds (pages 10 and 12).
- The specification says nothing about calculators or dictionaries, and numeracy is not assessed in its own right.
Links with other GCSEs
Appendix B ticks listening, reading and speaking for all three units and writing for Units 1 and 3, while the four numeracy strands are ticked for Unit 1 only, pages 28 and 29.
Source: WJEC GCSE Dance specification, teaching from 2026, for award from 2028, © WJEC CBAC Ltd 2025 (no version number printed).