Foundation Hospitality and Catering
VTCT Skills Foundation Hospitality and Catering is an Entry Level and Level 1 qualification for learners aged 14 to 16, assessed by two VTCT-set assignments marked in the centre: a Unit 1 knowledge assignment (30%) in Year 10 and a Unit 2 practical assignment (70%) in Year 11. Literacy runs through both units: learners identify, list and outline industry, safety, nutrition and service knowledge, write plans for making and serving a dish, follow recipes and instructions, speak politely and listen carefully to customers, and reflect on their own performance. Numeracy is light and practical: measuring ingredients, timing a plan, knowing key temperatures, portioning, checking use-by dates and keeping costs down, with no written calculation required.
- Awarding body
- VTCT Skills
- 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 Hospitality and Catering, Level 1 and Level 2
How this qualification is assessed
- UWHC3 (Unit 1): Foundations of the Hospitality and Catering industry: Non-examined assessment set by VTCT Skills (a new assignment brief each year, released in December of Year 10 and submitted in April), completed by each learner under supervision within a maximum of 6 hours 30 minutes, four tasks of 8 marks each, marked in the centre with a VTCT level-based mark scheme, internally quality assured and externally moderated by VTCT Skills, 30% of the qualification grade (75 UMS), 40 guided learning hours, one resit allowed in the following year for a fee
- UWHC4 (Unit 2): Develop skills to plan, prepare and serve a simple dish (also titled Introduction to Hospitality and Catering techniques based on a theme): Non-examined assessment set by VTCT Skills, including practical skills (brief released to learners in December of Year 11 and submitted in April), completed by each learner under supervision within a maximum of 8 hours 30 minutes, three tasks of 12, 16 and 12 marks, marked in the centre with a VTCT level-based mark scheme, internally quality assured and externally moderated by VTCT Skills, 70% of the qualification grade (175 UMS), 100 guided learning hours, no resit
Skills that use Strategic competence
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Planning and keeping to cooking times
The plan for making a dish must include the time needed, given as preparation and cooking minutes, and the Curriculum for Wales mapping links Unit 2 LO2 to cooking times. Learners also follow timed routines such as scrubbing hands for at least 20 seconds, and must complete the practical assignment within 8 hours 30 minutes.
Numeracy: Measurement, Strategic competence
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils use a kitchen timer to boil pasta for the time on the packet and write down the start and finish times.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a preparation and cooking time for each step of a cheese on toast plan and add them to find the total time.
- Year 9
- Pupils make a timed plan for soup and bread rolls so both are ready together, then compare their planned and actual times.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2 (UWHC4), LO2 content 2.5, page 61; LO3 content 3.2, page 66; Section 5.1, page 16; Section 11.1, page 81
“10 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking”
Progression step 3
I can carry out practical activities involving timed events and explain which unit of time is the most appropriate.
I can use and interpret calendars, timetables and schedules to plan events and activities, and make calculations as part of the planning journey.
I can read and use analogue and digital clocks.
Progression step 4
I can prioritise and organise the relevant steps needed to complete the task or reach a solution.
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Portioning food and balancing a meal
Unit 1 criterion 3.3 asks learners to identify simple steps for planning a balanced meal, including different food groups in the right amounts and portions that are not too large or too small. Unit 2 serving methods include portioning evenly with a ladle or spoon and cutting sandwiches into halves or quarters; this is judging amounts rather than calculating them.
Numeracy: Strategic competence, Conceptual understanding
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils cut sandwiches into halves and quarters and arrange them so that each plate has an equal share.
- Year 8
- Pupils ladle soup into four bowls using the same number of ladles for each and check that the bowls look even.
- Year 9
- Pupils plan a plate with carbohydrate, protein, vegetables and a small amount of fat, weigh each portion and compare it with a portion guide.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1 (UWHC3), content 3.3, page 48; Unit 1 assessment criterion 3.3, page 51; Unit 2 (UWHC4), LO2 content 2.6, pages 61 to 63
“Portion sizes help avoid waste and maintain health”
Progression step 3
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.
Progression step 4
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.
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Checking use-by dates
When preparing ingredients learners check use-by dates, keep chilled items in the fridge until needed and avoid leaving food out for too long, and the Unit 1 Welsh context says staff should check use-by dates and label food correctly. Centres provide resources for labelling and date coding, but no criterion asks for date calculations.
Numeracy: Measurement, Strategic competence
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils read the use-by dates on five food packets and sort them into use today, use this week and do not use.
- Year 8
- Pupils plan a three day menu around ingredients with different use-by dates so that the shortest dated items are used first.
- Year 9
- Pupils label a batch of homemade soup with the date made and a use-by date three days later, then check a fridge for items that must be thrown away.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2 (UWHC4), LO3 content 3.6, page 70; Unit 1 (UWHC3), LO2 Welsh context, page 41; Section 7.2, page 27
“Check use-by dates on ingredients”
Progression step 3
I can use and interpret calendars, timetables and schedules to plan events and activities, and make calculations as part of the planning journey.
Progression step 4
I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.
Good to know
- There is no examination. Each unit is a VTCT-set assignment that is "externally set, internally marked and internally quality assured by the centre and externally moderated by VTCT Skills" (Section 3.7, page 12), so literacy and numeracy are shown in written answers, plans and supervised practical work.
- The Unit 1 criteria use only identify, list and outline (Unit 1 assessment criteria, pages 51 and 52), and the content notes that "learners are not expected to evaluate risks or suggest ways to reduce them" (page 41) and "learners are not expected to interpret legislations/regulations" (page 42).
- Plans can avoid extended writing: the plan can be "A visual plan with pictures" or "A simple written plan depending on ability" (Unit 2, 2.5, page 61), and a learner who is unwell can "Use a note or message if speaking feels difficult" (Unit 2, 3.1, page 65).
- No marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar are mentioned; work is marked with a "level-based mark scheme containing holistic descriptors" (Section 5.3.2, page 18).
- Teachers cannot help with the writing once the assignment starts: it is not appropriate to "Provide feedback on any evidence produced by the learner" (Section 5.4.7, page 22), and the assessment "does not permit collaboration or discussion between learners" (Appendix 1, page 85).
- Welsh is built in: safety signs are taught in Welsh and English, such as Llawr gwlyb for Wet floor (Unit 1, 2.3, page 44), and learners may "Use simple Welsh greetings (where appropriate)" during service (Unit 2, 4.4, page 74).
- The numeracy is practical and light: the Curriculum for Wales mapping lists "portion sizing, meal planning" for Unit 1 and "measuring ingredients, cooking times" for Unit 2 (Section 11.1, page 81), and costing appears only as "costing where applicable" in the resources (Section 7.2, page 27).
- Centres must check that learners can "comply with the relevant literacy, numeracy, and academic aspects of the qualification" (Section 2.2, page 7).
- The document gives Unit 2 two titles, "Introduction to Hospitality and Catering techniques based on a theme" (Sections 3.5, 4 and 7.2) and "Develop skills to plan, prepare and serve a simple dish" (Section 3.2 and the unit specification, page 53).
Links with other qualifications
This is VTCT Skills' alternative to the WJEC Foundation Hospitality and Catering, and it leads to VTCT's own VTCT Skills Level 1/2 VCSE Hospitality and Catering, also on this page, where the WJEC Foundation leads to the WJEC VCSE Hospitality and Catering. Both Foundations ask learners to follow recipes, name equipment and food groups, speak to and listen to customers, measure ingredients, portion food, check dates and reflect on practical work. The WJEC version stretches literacy further, with Level 1 criteria that ask learners to explain, reading short scenarios, and writing guides, posters and leaflets in teacher-set portfolios, and covers the Eatwell Guide and timers. VTCT keeps Unit 1 to identify, list and outline in a timed VTCT-set assignment, adds written making and serving plans and Welsh greetings in service, and its numeracy stays at measuring, times, temperatures, portions, use-by dates and cost awareness. The measuring and portioning link with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy, the nutrition and cooking methods with GCSE Food and Nutrition, and the writing and spoken service with GCSE English Language and Literature. The specification also names Customer Service, Working in Wales, Teamwork and Understanding Self and Others, all WJEC Skills Suite units, and the WJEC Food Planning and Preparation unit overlaps with planning and making a dish.
Source: VTCT Skills Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Hospitality and Catering Qualification Specification, HC1W1, qualification number C00/5369/1, version P1, first published 01/09/2026.