Foundation Digital Technology
Foundation Digital Technology is a two year Entry Level and Level 1 qualification for learners aged 14 to 16, leading on to GCSE Digital Technology. Literacy sits mainly in the Unit 1 topic tests, where learners read multiple choice, objective and short answer questions and use technical terms such as CPU, RAM, MFA and phishing, and in the NEA units, where they write goals, success criteria and annotations, write text and narration for their product and reflect on their work. Numeracy sits in Unit 2: learners collect audience data, enter it in a spreadsheet, total and filter it and present it in pictograms, bar, pie and line charts. Coordinates, scores, timings and time plans add smaller numeracy demands in the games, quizzes and videos.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level and Level 1
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- Medium
- Amount of numeracy work
- Medium
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: The Digital World: Three digital topic tests of 20 minutes each (1 hour in total), 30%, 60 marks, set and marked by WJEC, taken in digital or paper format within a four week window under invigilated conditions
- Unit 2: Designing Digital Solutions: Non-examination assessment, suggested timing of approximately 16 hours, 35%, 70 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, assignment brief available via the WJEC Portal
- Unit 3: Creating and Communicating with Digital Media: Non-examination assessment, suggested timing of approximately 14 hours, 35%, 70 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, assignment brief available via the WJEC Portal
Skills that use Reading strategies
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Reading test questions and technical content
Unit 1 is three 20 minute topic tests made up of multiple choice, objective and short answer questions. Learners read questions closely about digital systems, online safety and digital working practices and pick out what each one asks.
Literacy: Reading strategies
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils answer ten multiple choice questions on parts of a computer, underlining the key word in each question before choosing.
- Year 8
- Pupils read a short article on cloud storage and answer short questions, skimming for the main idea and scanning for two named benefits.
- Year 9
- Pupils sit a timed 20 minute practice test on online safety with multiple choice and short answer questions, then check which questions they misread.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section 3.2, Unit 1, page 28; Unit 1, pages 11 to 18
“objective test questions (OTQ) and short answer questions”
Progression step 3
I can read words and sentences from different texts using a range of strategies to make meaning.
I can use a range of strategies for finding information, e.g. skimming for gist, scanning for detail.
Progression step 4
I can read, with concentration, printed and digital texts that are new to me and update, broaden and deepen my understanding of information, ideas and issues.
I can use a range of strategies, e.g. speed reading, close reading, annotation, prediction, to skim texts for gist, key ideas and themes, and scan for detailed information.
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Reading critically to spot phishing, scams and fake websites
Learners know how to recognise and respond to online threats such as phishing emails, scams and unsafe or fake websites, and safe downloading practices such as checking the web address and reviews. This depends on reading digital texts for clues about their reliability.
Literacy: Reading strategies, Understanding, response and analysis
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils read two emails, one real and one fake, and highlight three clues that show which one is a scam.
- Year 8
- Pupils compare a real shopping website with a fake one, checking the web address, spelling and reviews, and write which they would trust and why.
- Year 9
- Pupils rate five messages and download pages for reliability, explaining the language tricks scammers use, such as urgency and threats.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.2.2, page 15
“how to recognise and respond to online threats, such as:”
Progression step 3
I can use inference and deduction to understand the text, and can consider the reliability of what I read.
Progression step 4
I can use inference and deduction to understand more complex texts, and can consider the reliability and impact of what I read.
I can evaluate the usefulness and reliability of texts.
Good to know
- Unit 1 questions are mostly short: the tests use "multiple choice questions (MCQ), objective test questions (OTQ) and short answer questions" (Section 3.2, page 28), each lasting 20 minutes.
- No marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar are mentioned. All marks sit under AO1 to AO4 (Section 3.1, page 27), and "The Assessment Pack will include all detailed information relating to assessment." (page 27).
- Spreadsheet number work is assessed by level of skill: learners use "suitable spreadsheet skills (data analysis) from each level of complexity" (Unit 2, Section 2.1.3, page 20), and Appendix A lists "Using formulas (COUNT, SUM)" as More advanced (page 37).
- Presentations and other spoken work need teacher records: "performance evidence (e.g. presentations) must be documented using observation records" (Section 3.3, page 30).
- Appendix C (pages 41 and 42) maps Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing to every section of all three units, and maps Developing Mathematical Proficiency, number, geometry and measurement, and statistics to Units 2 and 3 only, with nothing for Unit 1.
Links with other qualifications
The qualification leads on to GCSE Digital Technology, where the same survey, spreadsheet and chart work grows into cleaning and analysing a larger WJEC data set with formulas and pivot tables, and the written planning and evaluation become longer. Survey design, frequency totals and bar, pie and line charts support the statistics work in Mathematics and Numeracy, and reading and writing about online safety links with English and Personal and Social Education.
Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Digital Technology specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).