Skills for Life: Community Participation
Community participation is a Skills for Life unit in which learners find out about local services, learn about active citizenship and sustainability, and plan, take part in and evaluate a community activity or project. It is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with others into a Skills for Life or Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma. Literacy sits in describing, comparing and explaining services, working with others, and reflecting on and evaluating their contribution, which can be spoken, recorded or written. Numeracy is light and suggested only: planning time, money and resources, and keeping simple logs and charts.
- 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 (knowing the community and local services, active citizenship and sustainability, and taking part in a simple community activity or project), each with assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes (understanding the community and local services, the impact of active citizenship and sustainability, planning and taking part in a community activity or project, and evaluating it), each with assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Understanding, response and analysis
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Researching information about community services
For Level 1 and Level 2 the amplification asks learners to research and describe a range of community services and facilities, and suggested activities include research online or through interviews, then a brief report or presentation. Research notes and information sheets are listed evidence. The research itself is in the amplification and suggested activities only.
Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Reading strategies
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils scan a leaflet from a local leisure centre to find its opening times, prices for young people and two activities on offer.
- Year 8
- Pupils read the websites of two youth services and note the main points of each on a fact sheet.
- Year 9
- Pupils interview a member of staff from a local service with prepared questions, then combine the answers with online information into a short information sheet.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Amplification, learning outcome 1, page 8; Suggested activities, page 9; Sources of evidence, page 10
“Research notes or information sheets about local services or community organisations”
Progression step 3
I can make use of reference/digital sources to select, summarise and synthesise information, referencing as appropriate.
I can use a range of strategies for finding information, e.g. skimming for gist, scanning for detail.
Progression step 4
I can research a wide range of reference and digital sources to develop a full understanding of a topic or issue.
I can use a range of strategies, e.g. speed reading, close reading, annotation, prediction, to skim texts for gist, key ideas and themes, and scan for detailed information.
Good to know
- The unit codes are S604E1, S604E2, S604E3, S604L1 and S604L2, and the unit is 20 guided learning hours (Unit overview, page 3).
- No special equipment is needed: "Assessment of this unit should not require any specific resources" (Resources required for assessment, page 11).
- Written work is kept light: "extended written work is not required unless appropriate", and judgements focus on the standard, "not spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed" (Sources of evidence, page 9).
- Evidence can be recorded rather than written, such as "Short learner reflections (written, audio, video, or scribed)" (Sources of evidence, page 9).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory" and teachers may adapt them or write their own (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- AI rules apply to the portfolio: misuse includes "Using AI to complete parts of the assessment so that the work does not reflect the learner's own work, analysis, evaluation or calculations" (specification, section 4.6, page 21).
- Appendix A maps the unit to Numeracy but not Literacy (specification, Appendix A, page 28), while the pack says Literacy develops "through discussions, presentations, and written reflections" (Unit overview, page 4).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names GCSE Social Studies and VCSE Public Services as related WJEC qualifications, and Democracy in action, Equality, diversity and inclusion, Ethical choices, Everyday law, Faith and belief in the community, Sustainability in action, Teamwork, Values for life and Sustainable economic development as closely related Skills Suite units. Describing local services and evaluating sustainability also links with GCSE Geography, and planning time and money for an event links with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy.
Source: WJEC Community participation 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).