Skills for Life: Exercise For All
Exercise for all is a 20 hour Skills for Life unit in which learners take part in a range of physical activities safely, work with others, learn the benefits of exercise, and set and review fitness goals. It is one unit that learners combine with others into a Skills for Life or Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma. Literacy sits in describing and explaining benefits, following spoken and visual instructions, communicating positively in groups and reflecting on progress. Numeracy sits in setting measurable goals and tracking progress with timers, counts and charts, which the pack encourages but the criteria do not strictly require.
- 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): Four learning outcomes (benefits of physical activity, taking part safely, working with others, simple fitness goals), with two to four assessment criteria each 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 (benefits of physical activity, taking part in a range of activities, working cooperatively with others, setting and working towards fitness goals), with three or four assessment criteria each 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 Strategic competence
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Timing activities and measuring heart rate
Entry Level suggested activities use a timer or countdown for safe movement, and the Level 1 and Level 2 amplification links intensity to raising heart rate and cardiovascular fitness and lists warm-ups, cool-downs and timing in activity routines. No criterion asks for a measurement, so this is taught context.
Numeracy: Measurement, Strategic competence
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils time 30 second bursts of activity with a stopwatch and count how many steps they march on the spot in each.
- Year 8
- Pupils take their pulse for 15 seconds before and after skipping, multiply by four to get beats per minute and compare the two figures.
- Year 9
- Pupils measure their heart rate in beats per minute at rest, after walking and after sprinting, and use the results to rank the three activities by intensity.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Suggested activities, page 14; amplification LO1 and LO2, pages 10 to 11
“using a timer or countdown to take part in safe, space-appropriate activities”
Progression step 3
I can time events in minutes and seconds, and order the results.
I can read and use analogue and digital clocks.
Progression step 4
I can represent and use compound measures, using standard units.
I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.
Good to know
- The unit codes are "S610E1" to "S610L2" (Unit overview, page 3), one code per level from Entry 1 to Level 2, and the unit is 20 guided learning hours.
- Evidence does not have to be written: "Whilst evidence may be verbal, written, practical or visual, extended written work is not required unless appropriate", and judgements are "not on spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed" (Sources of evidence, page 14).
- Possible evidence includes "progress tracking charts showing effort, repetition or improvements" and "learner journals or logbooks recording activities, fitness goals and personal reflections" (Sources of evidence, page 15).
- Centres need sports kit and space: "Centres may need access to basic sports equipment, accessible indoor/outdoor activity space, and optional adapted equipment for inclusion" (Resources required for delivery, page 15).
- AI can be used only if acknowledged. When properly referenced it "can be acceptable", but learners "cannot be credited for any work they produce for assessment which is not their own" (section 4.6, page 21).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory"; teachers may use them, adapt them or write their own (section 4.1, page 18).
- Plural criteria mean at least two: "a plural reference within assessment criterion refers to a minimum of two" (pages 6 and 8).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names GCSE Physical Education and the VCSE in Sport and Leisure as related WJEC qualifications; both go further with SMART targets, fitness testing and analysing test results, and GCSE Physical Education and Health covers heart rate and training zones. Foundation Sport and Leisure is a close step down from the VCSE, and VCSE Public Services includes a health and fitness training programme. Graphing and comparing results links with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy. Related Skills Suite units named in the pack are Healthy lifestyle, Mental health and wellbeing, Teamwork, Personal safety, Healthy relationships, Personal development planning and Building a growth mindset.
Source: WJEC Exercise for all 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).