Foundation Engineering
Foundation Engineering is a two-year Entry Level to Level 1 work-related qualification for learners in Years 10 and 11, leading on to VCSE Engineering. Literacy sits mostly in Unit 1, where learners name, outline, describe and explain engineering roles, tools, processes and safety rules through talks, presentations, short reports and matching tasks, and in Unit 2, where they read risk assessments, write a task plan, record results and report faults. Numeracy sits in the Unit 2 workshop: reading dimensions and angles on drawings, marking out, measuring with steel rules, vernier callipers and micrometers, and working to tolerances that tighten from plus or minus 2 mm at Entry 1 to plus or minus 0.8 mm at Level 1. There are no formulae or written tests.
- 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
- Next step up
- VCSE Engineering, Level 1 and Level 2
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to Engineering: Centre marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence, maximum assessment time 9 hours (typically 7 to 9 hours), 36 guided learning hours, 48 points of the 112 qualification points, teacher-set tasks assessed in centre and moderated by WJEC, first available summer 2028
- Unit 2: Producing a Product: Centre marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence, maximum assessment time 21 hours (typically 19 to 21 hours), 84 guided learning hours, 64 points of the 112 qualification points, teacher-set practical workshop tasks assessed in centre and moderated by WJEC, first available summer 2029
Skills that use Purpose
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Giving talks and presentations about engineering
Appendix A maps speaking to every section of Unit 1, and the example tasks include spoken role and sector tasks at Entry 3 and presentations, question time interviews and safety briefings at Level 1. Spoken work is evidenced through observation records or video and audio recordings.
Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary, Purpose, Questioning
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils hold up a tool and tell the class its name and one job it is used for.
- Year 8
- Pupils give a one minute talk to a small group about an engineering product they use every day, then answer two questions from the group.
- Year 9
- Pupils give a three minute presentation on an engineering sector in Wales, such as aerospace or marine, using key words and examples, and answer questions from the class.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, example tasks, pages 24 to 27; Section 3.3, page 47; Appendix A, page 55
“the learner prepares and delivers a presentation outlining the main different”
Progression step 3
I can speak clearly, recognising the appropriate language for different audiences and purposes, and varying my expression, vocabulary, tone and gestures to engage the audience.
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 speak clearly, selecting and adapting my language appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes, conveying meaning effectively to the audience.
I can organise talk effectively to respond to how listeners are reacting by adapting what I say and how I say it.
Good to know
- There are no written tests. Both units are a "Portfolio of evidence" that is "Assessed in centre and moderated by WJEC" (Summary of assessment, page 5), so literacy and numeracy are shown through practical work, writing and talk.
- Spoken work counts: evidence types include "teacher/assessor questioning" with "responses to structured questions, either written or oral, to confirm understanding" (Section 3.3, page 47), and presentations are recorded on "observation records" (Section 3.6, page 48).
- Support varies by level: Entry 1 learners may need "use of symbols, or assistive technology" and Entry 2 learners may use "scaffolded templates" (Section 3.4, page 48).
- No marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar are mentioned; "judgements are made solely against the assessment criteria" (Section 3.6, page 48).
- The numeracy is measurement rather than calculation. Learners work "within general set tolerances" (Section 2.3.4, page 32), from plus or minus 2 mm to 0.8 mm for hand fitting (page 36), and the specification has no formulae, area, volume or calculator work, unlike VCSE Engineering.
- Appendix A (pages 55 and 56) maps listening, reading, speaking and writing to every Unit 1 section, speaking and writing to Unit 2 planning (2.2.1) and recording outcomes (2.4.3), and all four numeracy strands, including statistics, to 1.3.1, 1.3.2 and most of Unit 2.
Links with other qualifications
Foundation Engineering is the step below VCSE Engineering, which the specification names as a progression route. Both ask learners to read drawings, measure with vernier callipers and micrometers, work to tolerances, write a plan and risk assessment, record results and suggest improvements. VCSE Engineering steps these up with closer tolerances judged against full engineering drawings, unit conversions, area, volume and waste, spindle speed and Ohm's law calculations in a one hour written test, and reading a case study on an engineering project in Wales. The measuring and recording work also links with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy and GCSE Design and Technology, and the talks and reports build on GCSE English Language and Literature skills.
Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Engineering specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).