Personal Project
The WJEC Entry Level Personal Project is a stand-alone 60 hour qualification, graded Entry 1, Entry 2 or Entry 3, in which learners choose a topic that interests them and carry out a simple project. They submit a project plan and a final project, assessed against the four Integral Skills. Literacy runs through the criteria as speaking and listening more than writing: saying what they want to achieve, finding information and saying where it came from, sharing ideas, presenting and reflecting. Entry 3 written work should not normally exceed 1000 words. Numeracy is light and sits in keeping to time and to the order of steps.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level
- Guided learning hours
- 60
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- Medium
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
- Planning and organising (learning outcomes 1 to 3): Assessment grid with seven criteria (plan a simple project, say what they want to achieve, use resources and time), each awarded 1, 2 or 3 points for Entry 1, Entry 2 or Entry 3, 21 points, 30% weighting. Internally assessed by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC.
- Critical thinking and problem solving (learning outcomes 4 and 5): Assessment grid with six criteria (find and use simple information, notice and talk about problems), each awarded 1, 2 or 3 points, 18 points, 20% weighting. Internally assessed by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC.
- Creativity and innovation (learning outcome 6): Assessment grid with three criteria (try out ideas, select colours, materials or designs, present their work), each awarded 2, 4 or 6 points, 18 points, 20% weighting. Internally assessed by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC.
- Personal effectiveness (learning outcomes 7 and 8): Assessment grid with seven criteria (share and talk about ideas, think about what they have learned), each awarded 1, 2 or 3 points, 21 points, 30% weighting. Internally assessed by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC. All four grids are applied to one two-part final entry: the project plan and the final project.
Skills that use Understanding, response and analysis
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Finding and reading simple information
Learners find or recognise information linked to their project: pictures, words or symbols at Entry 1 and Entry 2, and simple information from books, websites or people at Entry 3. Content also asks them to recognise when information is relevant. This is an assessment criterion for every project.
Literacy: Reading strategies, Understanding, response and analysis
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils scan a short leaflet about a local place and highlight three facts they could use in a poster.
- Year 8
- Pupils skim two short web pages on a hobby and pick out which facts are relevant to their question.
- Year 9
- Pupils gather information on a topic they choose from a book, a website and a person they interview, and note the main points from each.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Critical thinking and problem solving, learning outcome 4, assessment criterion 4.1, page 12; section 2.2, page 8
“Find simple information linked to their project, using books, websites or people”
Progression step 3
I can use a range of strategies for finding information, e.g. skimming for gist, scanning for detail.
I can identify ideas and information that interest me to develop further understanding.
Progression step 4
I can research a wide range of reference and digital sources to develop a full understanding of a topic or issue.
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Saying where information came from and checking it
Learners say or show where their information came from, and at Entry 3 state it, and at every level check with an adult or peer whether it seems right. Sources, including AI tools, must be acknowledged, and spoken projects can name the source aloud. These are assessment criteria.
Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Reading strategies
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils write the title of the book or website next to each fact on their worksheet.
- Year 8
- Pupils add a short source list to a project page and ask a partner whether one fact sounds right.
- Year 9
- Pupils name their sources aloud during a short talk and explain why they trusted one source more than another.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Critical thinking and problem solving, learning outcome 4, assessment criteria 4.2 and 4.3, page 12; section 4.2, page 17
“State where their information came from”
Progression step 3
I can make use of reference/digital sources to select, summarise and synthesise information, referencing as appropriate.
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.
Good to know
- The qualification has its own codes: "WJEC Qualification Code 9000Q0", with 9000C0 for Welsh medium entries (pages 2 and 21), and is worth 60 guided learning hours.
- Writing is limited: at Entry 1 and Entry 2 "Candidates are not required to produce extended written work", and at Entry 3 written evidence "should not normally exceed 1000 words" (section 4.2, page 16).
- Word counts are flexible: "Word counts are intended as guidance only and must not restrict a candidate's ability to meet the assessment criteria" (section 4.2, page 16).
- Sources must be acknowledged in writing or aloud: "For spoken evidence, this can be by the candidate verbally identifying the source during their presentation or discussion" (section 4.2, page 17).
- There are two required pieces: "Learners should submit their project plan and their final project" (section 2.5, page 9).
- AI tools may be used "When properly referenced", but misuse includes "copying or paraphrasing whole responses of AI-generated content" (section 4.4, page 19).
- There are no set tasks in the specification; suggested activities are in a separate document, the "Personal Project Guidance for Teaching and Assessment" (section 2, page 7).
Links with other qualifications
The Entry Level Personal Project leads on to the WJEC Personal Project Level 1 and Level 2, which assesses the same four Integral Skills with more independence. Because the topic is the learner's own choice, a project can grow out of any GCSE, VCSE or Foundation subject the learner enjoys, but no subject content is assessed. The planning, teamwork and reflection criteria overlap with Skills Suite units such as Teamwork and Personal development planning, which can be taken alongside it at Entry Level.
Source: WJEC Entry Level Personal Project specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).