Foundation Retail and Customer Service
WJEC Foundation Retail and Customer Service is a two-year, 120 hour work-related qualification for learners aged 14 to 16 working at Entry Level or Level 1, leading on to the VCSE in Retail and Customer Service. Both units are centre-marked portfolios built from teacher-set tasks. Literacy runs through everything: learners read short scenarios and case studies, describe and explain in writing or orally, give presentations, speak and listen to customers, follow and give instructions, use some Welsh greetings and reflect on their own performance. Entry learners can show much of this through talk, pictures and structured templates. Numeracy is light and practical, centred on a simple event budget and prices, handling money and counting stock, scheduling, and reading feedback such as rating scales and surveys.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- 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 Retail and Customer Service, Level 1 and Level 2
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to the Retail and Customer Service Sector: Centre marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence, maximum assessment time 9 hours (typically 7 to 9 hours), 36 guided learning hours, 48 points, teacher-set activities assessed in the centre and moderated by WJEC, available for moderation from summer 2028
- Unit 2: Retail and Customer Service in Action: Centre marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence, maximum assessment time 21 hours (typically 19 to 21 hours), 84 guided learning hours, 60 points, teacher-set activities around planning and running a retail-related event, assessed in the centre and moderated by WJEC, available for moderation from summer 2029
Skills that use Purpose
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Giving short presentations about retail
Many of the Level 1 example tasks are spoken, such as preparing and delivering a presentation on retail models or retail locations, walking the class through a gallery of retail businesses, or presenting a promotion idea or event plan to a group. Presentations and discussions can be captured by observation records or video as evidence.
Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary, Purpose
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils talk for one minute to a small group about their favourite shop, using a picture and three prompt words.
- Year 8
- Pupils give a two minute talk comparing shopping online and in store, using a simple slide and answering one question from the class.
- Year 9
- Pupils present a plan for a school stall to the class for three minutes, explaining why customers would come and adapting their explanation when listeners look unsure.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Examples of tasks LO1.1 and LO1.2, pages 21 and 22; Unit 2, Examples of tasks LO2.1 and LO2.2, pages 34 and 35; Section 3.6, page 42
“prepare and deliver a presentation describing the features of retail”
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 express issues and ideas clearly using area of learning and experience/discipline-specific vocabulary and examples.
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.
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Speaking and listening to customers
In Unit 2 learners demonstrate positive customer service at their event or in a role play, from basic greetings at Entry 1 to clear verbal explanations at Entry 3 and communicating professionally at Level 1. They follow problem-solving steps such as listening carefully, apologising, checking facts and offering solutions.
Literacy: Listening for meaning, Clarity and vocabulary, Questioning, Purpose
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils role play greeting a customer and answering a simple question about where an item is, using polite phrases.
- Year 8
- Pupils role play a customer who cannot find a product, listening carefully, asking one question to check what they need and explaining clearly where to go.
- Year 9
- Pupils role play handling a customer complaint about a faulty item, listening, apologising, checking the facts and offering two solutions in a calm, professional tone.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, LO2.4, page 29; Unit 2, Assessment criteria 2.4.1 to 2.4.3, pages 32 and 33; Unit 2, Examples of tasks LO2.4, pages 36 and 37
“show professional body language, clear explanations, and polite tone”
Progression step 3
I can listen to, understand, infer, interpret and recall the general meaning of what I have heard.
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 respond to others’ points of view by seeking clarity, summarising and explaining what I have heard, read or seen.
Progression step 4
I can understand and analyse general meaning and implied ideas.
I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions showing empathy and respect.
I can organise talk effectively to respond to how listeners are reacting by adapting what I say and how I say it.
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Reflecting on the event and own performance
In Unit 2 learners review the event and their own part in it, identifying strengths and weaknesses and how to improve. At Level 1 they explain strengths and weaknesses in planning, running the event, customer service, teamwork and following instructions, for example in a written reflection or table.
Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Purpose
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils complete a two column table after a group task, writing one thing they did well and one thing to improve.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a short paragraph reflecting on a class project, giving a strength and a weakness with an example of each.
- Year 9
- Pupils write a structured reflection after running a school stall, explaining strengths and weaknesses in planning, customer service and teamwork and a clear action for next time.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, LO2.6, page 30; Unit 2, Assessment criteria 2.6.1 and 2.6.2, page 33; Unit 2, Examples of tasks LO2.6, page 38
“complete a table or paragraph explaining each strength and weakness”
Progression step 3
I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, showing empathy and respect.
I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions using a range of techniques to show impact.
Progression step 4
I can use summary, discussion of issues, detailed explanations and logic when covering a topic.
I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, using a range of techniques, e.g. emotive language, hyperbole, choice of pronouns (you, we), to show impact.
Good to know
- Literacy runs through the whole qualification: Appendix A maps Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing to "All sections" of both units (page 48).
- Numeracy is mapped narrowly: "Developing Mathematical Proficiency" to LO1.4, LO1.5, LO2.1, LO2.3, LO2.4 and LO2.5, statistics to LO2.6 only, and nothing to number or to geometry and measurement (Appendix A, pages 48 and 49).
- Evidence does not have to be written. It can include teacher observation, "video/audio recordings" and teacher questioning with responses "either written or oral" (Section 3.3, pages 40 and 41).
- Support depends on level: Entry 1 learners "will require a high level of support, including verbal, visual and practical assistance", while Level 1 learners "should work independently" (Section 3.4, pages 41 and 42).
- Where a real event is not possible, "learners will be able to be assessed via role-play" (Unit 2, page 27), so customer service talk can be assessed in a simulated setting.
- The qualification can be taken in Welsh, with separate Welsh medium entry codes such as "6100N1" for Unit 1 (Section 4.1, page 45).
Links with other qualifications
This qualification leads directly to the WJEC VCSE in Retail and Customer Service, which the specification names as a progression route. Both ask learners to understand good and poor customer service, deal with complaints by listening and responding, use Welsh with customers and write promotional material. The VCSE steps this up: learners read a full case study with reviews and live chat transcripts, write an analytical report, staff guidance and customer replies in the right tone, and deliver a pitch with questions, and its numeracy moves from a simple event budget to customer service data, pricing strategies and costs. Budgeting and promotion also link with GCSE Business, and the event budget with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy.
Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Retail and Customer Service specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).