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 Questioning
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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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Following and giving instructions in a team
In Unit 2 learners follow demonstrations, policies, verbal instructions and written instructions such as task sheets, emails and notices, by listening carefully, asking questions, taking notes and reporting back. Level 1 learners also give clear instructions to others and show effective relationships with customers and colleagues.
Literacy: Listening to understand, Collaborative talk, Questioning
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils listen to a three step spoken instruction for setting up a display, carry it out and say back what they did.
- Year 8
- Pupils follow a written task sheet to set up a classroom stall, note any step they are unsure of and ask a clarifying question before starting.
- Year 9
- Pupils lead a small group setting up a stall, giving clear spoken instructions, checking each person understands and agreeing changes when a problem comes up.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, LO2.5, page 29; Unit 2, Assessment criteria 2.5.1 and 2.5.2, page 33
“verbal instructions (spoken by a manager or colleague)”
Progression step 3
I can use techniques to remember the main points of presentations, e.g. make notes, summarising, reviewing.
I can contribute to group discussion in different roles, taking responsibility for completing the task well.
I can ask and answer questions, building on and developing the ideas of others in group discussions.
Progression step 4
I can use different techniques to help me remember, record and respond to what I hear.
I can undertake a range of responsibilities to structure and develop group talk, including in more formal situations.
I can recognise a range of options for action and reach agreement to achieve the aims of the group.
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).