Foundation Humanities
WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Humanities is a two year, 120 hour course for learners aged 14 to 16, assessed entirely by portfolio across two of five subject units (Business, Geography, History, Religious Studies and Social Studies) and the mandatory Unit 6 on sustainable communities in Wales. Literacy carries the course: learners read different types of evidence, compare perspectives, use key terms, explain causes and impacts, and write informed viewpoints, with discussion and presentations where tasks ask for them. Numeracy is light and depends on the units chosen: revenue, costs, profit and loss and pricing in Business, temperature and rainfall data in Geography, and measuring a campaign's success in Social Studies.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level and Level 1
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- High
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Business (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 2: Geography (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 3: History (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 4: Religious Studies (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 5: Social Studies (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 6: Creating sustainable communities in Wales (mandatory): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 7 hours, 30%, 50 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC. Learners take two of Units 1 to 5 plus Unit 6, ideally in the final year
Skills that use Reading strategies
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Reading sources and using them as evidence
Each subject unit asks learners to use evidence to assess impact, for example the Geography unit says learners will use different types of evidence, and the History unit uses evidence about evacuees and the Black Death. Learners pick out the main points from several sources and use them to draw conclusions.
Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Reading strategies
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils read two short accounts by evacuees and highlight one positive and one negative experience in each.
- Year 8
- Pupils use a letter, a photograph and a textbook extract about evacuation to answer whether evacuation was a good experience, picking one detail from each.
- Year 9
- Pupils use four different types of source about the Black Death to explain its impact on a community, saying which source was most useful and why.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section 1.1, page 8; Unit 2 overview, page 15; Unit 3 overview, page 17; Unit 4 overview, page 19
“will use different types of evidence to assess their impact”
Progression step 3
I can show understanding of and use the main ideas and significant details in different texts on the same topic.
I can collate and make connections, e.g. prioritising, categorising, between information and ideas from different sources including digital and audio-visual texts.
I can use a range of strategies for finding information, e.g. skimming for gist, scanning for detail.
Progression step 4
I can summarise, synthesise and analyse information to gain in-depth understanding, e.g. of causes, consequences, patterns, using different sources.
I can evaluate the usefulness and reliability of texts.
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Judging how effective a campaign or initiative is
In Unit 5 learners evaluate one campaign in Wales, such as Keep Wales Tidy or Show Racism the Red Card, including its effectiveness, impact and reach. In Unit 6 they study a local sustainability initiative, its strengths and weaknesses, its impact and how it could be improved, which means reading campaign materials and reports critically.
Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Reading strategies
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils read a Keep Wales Tidy poster and leaflet and say what message each gives and who it is for.
- Year 8
- Pupils read a charity web page and a news report about a foodbank appeal and list what the campaign did well and what it could improve.
- Year 9
- Pupils read reports on a local beach clean or tree planting scheme, judge its strengths, weaknesses and impact, and recommend a next step.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 5, Section 5.2.2, page 22; Unit 6, Section 6.3.3, page 25
“the strengths and weaknesses of the initiative”
Progression step 3
I can use my understanding of different kinds of texts to consider whether a text is effective in conveying information, ideas and views.
I can use inference and deduction to understand the text, and can consider the reliability of what I read.
Progression step 4
I can evaluate the usefulness and reliability of texts.
I can use inference and deduction to understand more complex texts, and can consider the reliability and impact of what I read.
Good to know
- Appendix A (pages 35 and 36) maps Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing to all six units. For numeracy it maps the number system and statistics strands to all units, mathematical proficiency to every unit except Unit 4, and geometry and measurement to Units 2, 3, 5 and 6.
- The only explicit calculation in the content is in Business: "Learners should know that Revenue - Cost = Profit or Loss." (Unit 1, Section 1.1.2, page 12). Calculator use is not mentioned.
- No marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar are mentioned. Marks sit under AO1 (40%), AO2 (30%) and AO3 (30%) (Section 3.1, page 27), and "The Assessment Pack will include all detailed information relating to assessment." (page 27).
- Spoken work is evidenced by the teacher: "Where required, performance evidence (e.g. presentations) must be documented using observation records" (Section 3.4, page 29), and "Written evidence must be annotated to show how it meets the marking criteria." (page 29).
- Learners can redraft once: teachers "may allow a learner one opportunity to improve their evidence and resubmit it", but feedback must "avoid directing learners on how to improve their mark" (Section 3.5, page 29).
- The content uses four stems that set the depth of reading and writing, from "Learners should be aware of" to "Learners should be able to" (How to read the amplification, page 11).
Links with other qualifications
Each optional unit leads towards the matching GCSE, Business, Geography, History, Religious Studies or Social Studies, which the specification calls "a broad basis for progression onto GCSEs in the Humanities area" (page 9). Those GCSEs step up the same literacy, from reading a few sources to judging bias and reliability, and from short viewpoints to extended evaluative writing. GCSE Business extends profit and loss to break-even, cash flow and income statements, and GCSE Geography and GCSE Social Studies extend climate and campaign data to averages, percentages and graphs. The reading, writing and speaking here also support GCSE English Language and Literature.
Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Humanities specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).