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 The number system
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Reading dimensions and angles on engineering drawings
Learners interpret dimensional information on drawings and charts, including angles, chamfers, diameters, linear dimensions and radii. Example tasks run from measuring a feature and matching it to the drawing at Entry 1 to producing an isometric or orthographic view with key dimensions at Entry 3 and a full engineering drawing at Level 1.
Numeracy: Angle, Shape and space, The number system
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils find the length, width and hole diameter on a simple dimensioned drawing of a keyring and circle each one.
- Year 8
- Pupils read the radius of a rounded corner and the size of a 45 degree chamfer from a drawing and mark them out on card.
- Year 9
- Pupils draw a small bracket in orthographic and isometric views to scale, adding linear dimensions, a diameter and a radius.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.1.1, page 30; Unit 2, LO2.1 example tasks, page 39
“the learner interprets angles, chamfers and radii from an engineering”
Progression step 3
I can use angle as a measure of rotation.
I can use mathematical language to accurately describe two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.
I can read and write numbers to 1 million and numbers to 3 decimal places.
Progression step 4
I can measure and draw angles.
I can apply understanding of bearings and scale to interpret maps and plans, and to create plans and drawings to scale.
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Measuring with steel rules, vernier callipers and micrometers
Learners know the purpose of the digital calliper, micrometer, steel rule and vernier calliper, and use measuring equipment such as an engineer's square, feeler gauges, micrometer, steel rule and vernier calliper to check the accuracy of their work. Level 1 learners measure accurately with micrometers and vernier callipers and check squareness, flatness and gaps.
Numeracy: Measurement, The number system
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils measure five classroom objects in millimetres with a steel rule and write each length in mm and in cm and mm.
- Year 8
- Pupils measure the same rod with a steel rule and with digital callipers, record both readings to the right number of decimal places and explain the difference.
- Year 9
- Pupils read a vernier calliper scale and a micrometer to 0.01 mm on prepared test pieces, then check their answers against a digital calliper.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.3.1, page 15; Unit 2, Section 2.4.1, page 32; Unit 2, LO2.4 example tasks, page 42
“the learner accurately measures components using micrometers and vernier callipers”
Progression step 3
I can read and interpret scales or divisions on a range of measuring instruments.
I can record measurements in different ways, e.g. 1.3kg = 1kg 300g, 4.2cm = 4cm 2mm.
I can read and write numbers to 1 million and numbers to 3 decimal places.
Progression step 4
I can read and interpret scales on a range of measuring instruments.
I can choose the appropriate degree of accuracy to present answers.
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).