Skills for Life: Art and Crafts
Arts and crafts is a 20 hour Skills for Life unit, offered from Entry 1 to Level 2, in which learners explore what art and craft is, express ideas or feelings through their work, and choose and use materials, tools and techniques safely. It is one unit that learners combine with others into a Skills for Life or Skills for Life and Work Award, Certificate or Diploma. Literacy runs through the criteria: describing and comparing art forms, using the right terminology at Level 2, presenting ideas, explaining how work meets its purpose and analysing choices. Numeracy is light, limited to the language of shape, pattern and form.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- Medium
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Three learning outcomes (know what art and craft is, express simple ideas or feelings through art and craft, use basic materials and tools to create a simple piece of work), with evidence compiled into a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC, 20 guided learning hours, unit codes S601E1, S601E2 and S601E3
- Level 1 and Level 2: Three learning outcomes (know the key characteristics of art and craft, develop and express ideas or feelings through art and craft, select and use suitable materials, tools and techniques to create a piece of work), with evidence compiled into a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC, 20 guided learning hours, unit codes S601L1 and S601L2
Skills that use Conceptual understanding
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Describing shape, pattern and form
The amplification lists shape, line, pattern, form and space as elements of design that learners describe at Levels 1 and 2, and Entry 1 learners point out colours, materials or shapes in their work. This draws on the language of two dimensional and three dimensional shape. There is no measuring or calculation in the criteria, so numeracy demand is low.
Numeracy: Shape and space, Conceptual understanding
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils name the 2D shapes they can see in a Kandinsky painting and use them in their own small design.
- Year 8
- Pupils design a repeating tile pattern using reflection and rotation on squared paper and describe the symmetry they used.
- Year 9
- Pupils describe the 3D forms in a sculpture using words such as cylinder, prism and sphere, then build a model combining at least two of them.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 2, assessment criterion 2.2, page 5; Amplification, learning outcome 1, page 9
“elements of design: colour, shape, line, texture, pattern, form, space”
Progression step 3
I can use mathematical language to accurately describe two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.
Progression step 4
I can draw on my understanding of the basic structures of mathematics and can apply them in different contexts.
Good to know
- The unit codes are "S601E1", "S601E2", "S601E3", "S601L1" and "S601L2", and the unit is 20 GLH in the Skills for Life suite (Unit overview, page 3).
- Spelling is not assessed and long writing is not needed: "extended written work is not required unless appropriate" and judgements should focus on the standard "not spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed" (Sources of evidence, page 11).
- Spoken evidence counts: sources include a "short verbal explanation, audio recording, or written description of the work" and "presentation of work to peers" (Sources of evidence, page 11).
- Appendix A of the specification maps this unit to literacy and digital competence but not numeracy (Specification Appendix A, page 28).
- AI tools can be used "When properly referenced", but "Copying or paraphrasing whole responses of AI-generated content" is AI misuse (Specification section 4.6, page 21).
- Suggested assessment tasks are provided in each pack but "These tasks are not mandatory" (Specification section 4.1, page 18).
Links with other qualifications
The describing, comparing and evaluating in this unit match the annotation and evaluation in GCSE Art and Design, and the pack also names the VCSE in Creative and Media Production and Technology and the Foundation qualifications in Expressive Arts, Design and Technology, and Creative and Media Production and Technology. Talking about ideas and using technical vocabulary build on GCSE English Language and Literature. Within the Skills Suite, the pack suggests delivering it alongside Digital film and media, Equality, diversity and inclusion, Ethical choices, Community participation and Sustainability in action.
Source: WJEC Arts and crafts unit delivery and assessment pack, read with the WJEC Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life and Skills for Work specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).