LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

← All qualifications

GCSE Integrated Science

Integrated Science (Single Award) asks learners to read a pre-release Resource Folder worth a third of the Unit 1 paper, judge how reliable health and climate information is, write balanced evaluations, and write up a scientific enquiry alone under high control using precise scientific terms. Its numeracy load is heavy: Appendix D lists units, percentages, significant figures, substituting into equations, plotting graphs and, at higher tier, standard form, rearranging equations and gradients, all applied to energy costs, efficiency, density, motion and practical data. The single biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is routine, confident handling of practical data: measuring with units, calculating means and values from equations, and plotting and explaining graphs.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Level 1 and Level 2
First taught
September 2026
Amount of literacy work
Medium
Amount of numeracy work
High
Specification
Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Living on Earth: Written examination (tiered), 1 hour 30 minutes, 72 marks, includes pre-release Resource Folder, 45%
  • Unit 2: Science in a Changing World: Written examination (tiered), 1 hour 30 minutes, 72 marks, 45%
  • Unit 3: Scientific Enquiry: One enquiry from a choice of two: practical task (1 hour) and written task (1 hour), 28 marks, externally marked by WJEC, 10%

Skills that use Financial literacy

  1. Calculating the cost of electricity and payback time

    Assessed: In the exam

    Learners calculate the cost of using appliances, including electric vehicles, with units used (kWh) = power (kW) x time (hours) and cost = units used x cost per unit, then use data to find payback times.

    Numeracy: Financial literacy, Calculation, Strategic competence, Conceptual understanding, Logical reasoning

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils read the power rating on classroom appliances and work out which one costs most to run for an hour, given a price per kWh.
    Year 8
    Pupils calculate the weekly cost of running a kettle, a games console and a phone charger at home, using kWh = kW x hours and a current price per unit.
    Year 9
    Pupils compare the yearly running costs of a petrol car and an electric car from given data and work out how many years the electric car takes to pay back its extra cost.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.3.1b, page 22

    “use data to determine the payback time of electrical appliances, including electric vehicles.”
    Progression step 3

    • I can manage money, compare costs from different retailers and determine what can be bought within a given budget.

    • I can make comparisons between prices and understand which is best value for money.

    • I can multiply numbers and decimals by a multiple of 10, e.g. 15 x 30, 1.4cm x 20.

    Progression step 4

    • I can appreciate the basic principles of budgeting, saving (including understanding compound interest) and borrowing.

    • I can use efficient methods for multiplication and division of whole numbers and decimals, including decimals such as 0.6 or 0.06.

    • I can prioritise and organise the relevant steps needed to complete the task or reach a solution.

    Progression step 5

    • I can prioritise and organise the relevant steps needed to complete the task or reach a solution.

    • I can interpret answers within the context of the problem and consider whether answers, including calculator, analogue and digital displays, are sensible.

    • I can justify my procedures, predictions and conjectures.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

The Appendix D mathematics overlaps closely with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy, and the carbon footprint, air quality and energy cost work overlaps with Geography.

Source: WJEC GCSE Integrated Science (Single Award) specification, teaching from 2026, for award from 2028, © WJEC CBAC Ltd 2025.