LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

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Foundation Built Environment

WJEC Foundation Built Environment is a two year, 120 hour Entry Level and Level 1 course for learners in Years 10 and 11 who want a practical route into construction, leading on to VCSE Built Environment. Both units are teacher-set portfolios, marked in school and moderated by WJEC. Literacy runs through Unit 1, where learners name, describe and explain buildings, land, stakeholders and job roles through reading, discussion, role-play, posters and short written pieces, and through Unit 2, where they write safety guidance, set success criteria and review their own hand skills. Numeracy is practical and narrow: measuring in metric units, reading scales, checking angles and level, and marking out accurately before cutting. No calculations are set.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Entry Level and Level 1
First taught
September 2027
Amount of literacy work
Medium
Amount of numeracy work
Low
Specification
Open the specification
Next step up
VCSE Built Environment, Level 1 and Level 2
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Getting to Know the Built Environment: Centre marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence, maximum assessment time 9 hours (typically 7 to 9 hours), 36 guided learning hours, 60 of the qualification's 132 points, tasks set by the teacher, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, available from summer 2028
  • Unit 2: Practical Hand Skills: Centre marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence, maximum assessment time 21 hours (typically 19 to 21 hours), 84 guided learning hours, 72 of the qualification's 132 points, tasks set by the teacher, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, available from summer 2029

Skills that use Clarity and vocabulary

  1. Using building and trade vocabulary

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

    Unit 1 asks learners to name and then explain types of building, structural parts such as foundations and cladding, infrastructure, utilities and services, and trade and professional job roles. In Unit 2 they learn the names and uses of hand tools, materials and fixing methods, from bolster and coping saw to grout float and epoxy resin.

    Literacy: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Clarity and vocabulary

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils label a cross section drawing of a house with foundations, walls, roof structure and roof finishes, and learn the spellings in a weekly word check.
    Year 8
    Pupils match photos of ten hand tools to their names and uses, then write one sentence for each saying which material it is used on.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a short glossary of construction terms for a younger class, including substructure, superstructure and infrastructure, each with a definition and a local example.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Sections 1.1.1 to 1.1.3, pages 13 and 14; Unit 1, Section 1.4, page 17; Unit 2, Sections 2.2.1 and 2.4.1, pages 31 and 33

    “Different structural parts of a building”
    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 use strategies to correctly spell polysyllabic, complex and irregular words in the context of each area of learning and experience.

    • 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 use a variety of strategies and resources to spell familiar and unfamiliar vocabulary and area of learning and experience/discipline-specific words correctly.

    • 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.

  2. Discussing, debating and presenting ideas aloud

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

    Many Unit 1 tasks are spoken: pair interviews about building types, a role-played community or stakeholder meeting, a brownfield versus greenfield debate with a class vote, and job interview role-play. In Unit 2 learners act out tasks and must verbalise why they chose their PPE, and they can present their success criteria and how well tasks went. Spoken work is recorded through observation records.

    Literacy: Collaborative talk, Purpose, Questioning, Clarity and vocabulary

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils take turns in pairs to interview each other about their favourite local building, asking three prepared questions and reporting one answer back to the class.
    Year 8
    Pupils role-play a council meeting about a new supermarket, each speaking for one stakeholder such as a resident, a shop owner or a planning officer.
    Year 9
    Pupils hold a timed debate on whether a new housing estate should be built on a brownfield or a greenfield site, answering points from the other side, before a class vote.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Examples of tasks, pages 23 to 26; Unit 2, Examples of tasks, LO2.1 and LO2.7, pages 44 and 46; Section 3.6, page 49

    “One learner argues the case that developing brownfield land is better”
    Progression step 3

    • I can contribute to group discussion in different roles, taking responsibility for completing the task well.

    • I can explore challenging or contentious issues through a variety of authentic contexts, including sustaining a role.

    • I can organise talk so that different audiences in different contexts can follow what is being said, including using formal language.

    • I can ask and answer questions, building on and developing the ideas of others in group discussions.

    Progression step 4

    • I can sustain a convincing point of view, anticipating and responding to other perspectives.

    • I can use talk in a range of authentic contexts to explore challenging or contentious issues.

    • I can speak clearly, selecting and adapting my language appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes, conveying meaning effectively to the audience.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

The specification names VCSE Built Environment as the next step. Both qualifications build construction vocabulary, safe practical work, measuring and marking out, and reviewing one's own practical work. The VCSE steps these up: learners read a case study and technical documents such as briefs and method statements, justify choices of sites, methods and materials in writing, and write a structured evaluation, while its numeracy adds measuring to tolerances, reading plans, mixing to ratios, estimating quantities, costing within a budget and planning a critical path. Measuring and marking link with Mathematics and Numeracy, and land classification and development in Wales with GCSE Geography.

Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Built Environment specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).