LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

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Skills for Life: Faith and Belief in the Community

Faith and belief in the community is a Pearson Skills for Life unit in which learners explore their own beliefs and influences, a festival, ritual or anniversary, and an interfaith task such as an annotated menu for several faith groups, then outline or explain how faith and beliefs lead to pluralism and diversity in Wales. It is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with others into a Pearson Skills for Life Award, Certificate or Diploma at Entry 1 to Level 2, internally assessed and graded Pass or Fail. Literacy runs through every level: making statements about beliefs, researching faith groups, and describing and explaining festivals and pluralism. Numeracy is light: timelines and population data, suggested in Annexe C.

Awarding body
Pearson
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
Specification
Open the specification
How this unit is assessed
  • Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): One assessment criterion at each of Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3: outline, then identify the benefits of, faith and beliefs in Wales, considering life events, cultural views and the community. Evidence is from centre devised assignments (Pearson's Authorised Assignment Brief can be used or adapted), internally assessed by the centre and quality assured by Pearson standards verification. Graded Pass or Fail. 20 guided learning hours.
  • Level 1 and Level 2: One assessment criterion at each of Level 1 and Level 2: describe (Level 1) or explain (Level 2) how faith and beliefs lead to pluralism, diversity and, at Level 2, inclusion in approaches to life events in the community and in Wales. Evidence is from centre devised assignments, internally assessed by the centre and quality assured by Pearson standards verification. Graded Pass or Fail. 20 guided learning hours.

The literacy and numeracy skills in this qualification

  1. Writing and talking about own beliefs and influences

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    Learners make statements about what they believe and what has influenced them, from simple statements with prompts at Entry 1 to a full account at Level 2 of how materials, people and experiences have shaped their beliefs. This is in the essential information for assessment decisions, which describes the evidence expected at each level.

    Literacy: Purpose, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils write five 'I believe' sentences about fairness, family and friendship and share one with a partner.
    Year 8
    Pupils choose an object, a book and a person that have shaped their views and write a short paragraph on each explaining why.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a reflective piece explaining how a news story, a family member and an experience have changed what they believe, linking each influence to a belief.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit SfL 11, Essential information for assessment decisions, Entry 1 to Level 2, pages 56 to 57

    “explain how their thinking and beliefs have been influenced by a wide range of materials, people and experiences”
    Progression step 3

    • I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions using a range of techniques to show impact.

    • I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, showing empathy and respect.

    Progression step 4

    • I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions showing empathy and respect.

    • I can use summary, discussion of issues, detailed explanations and logic when covering a topic.

  2. Explaining a festival, its origins, symbols and rituals

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    Learners choose a festival, ritual or anniversary and say what happens, then at Level 1 link its origin, celebration and meaning, and at Level 2 explain its symbols and rituals and how they link to the festival. This is required in the essential information for assessment decisions.

    Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Clarity and vocabulary, Vocabulary, spelling, grammar

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils label a picture of a Diwali celebration with the correct words, such as diva lamp and rangoli, and say what each is for.
    Year 8
    Pupils write a short account of Hanukkah covering its origin, how it is celebrated and what the menorah means.
    Year 9
    Pupils give a two minute talk explaining how the fast and the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan are linked, using the correct vocabulary.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit SfL 11, Essential information for assessment decisions, Entry 1 to Level 2, pages 56 to 57

    “link its origins, how they celebrate it, explaining any symbols or rituals”
    Progression step 3

    • I can write a comprehensive account of a topic, theme or viewpoint.

    • I can express issues and ideas clearly using area of learning and experience/discipline-specific vocabulary and examples.

    Progression step 4

    • I can use summary, discussion of issues, detailed explanations and logic when covering a topic.

    • I have experienced a range of area of learning and experience/discipline-specific and general academic vocabulary, and can use them in my own communication.

  3. Researching the needs of different faith groups

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    In the interfaith task learners find out about the festivals and dietary requirements of faith groups, from naming two festivals at Entry 1 to researching four groups at Level 1 and at least five at Level 2, and use what they find in an annotated menu. Level 2 learners use a variety of sources, including some they choose. This is described in the essential information for assessment decisions.

    Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils read two short fact cards and list the foods that Muslims and Hindus may avoid.
    Year 8
    Pupils read information on three faiths and sort the dietary rules into a table under each faith.
    Year 9
    Pupils research four faith groups and write notes for a shared school lunch menu, explaining which dishes suit which groups and why.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit SfL 11, Essential information for assessment decisions, Entry 1 to Level 2, pages 56 to 57; Levels of supervision and support, page 58

    “They research four faith groups and their annotated menu takes all four traditions into account.”
    Progression step 3

    • I can make use of reference/digital sources to select, summarise and synthesise information, referencing as appropriate.

    • I can collate and make connections, e.g. prioritising, categorising, between information and ideas from different sources including digital and audio-visual texts.

    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 summarise, synthesise and analyse information to gain in-depth understanding, e.g. of causes, consequences, patterns, using different sources.

  4. Explaining pluralism, diversity and inclusion in Wales

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    The criterion asks learners to outline faith and beliefs in Wales at Entry 1 and 2, identify their benefits at Entry 3, describe how they lead to pluralism and diversity at Level 1, and explain how they lead to pluralism, diversity and inclusion at Level 2. Learners explain how interfaith events build cultural awareness. This is required by the assessment criteria.

    Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Purpose, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils read short accounts from people of different faiths in Cardiff about a wedding and list one way each celebration is different.
    Year 8
    Pupils discuss in groups how a school can include pupils of different faiths at Christmas and Eid, then report two ideas to the class.
    Year 9
    Pupils write an explanation of how an interfaith event in their area helps people of different beliefs live together, using the words pluralism and inclusion correctly.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit SfL 11, Assessment criteria, Entry 1 to Level 2, page 55; Essential information for assessment decisions, Level 1 and Level 2, page 57

    “Explain how faith and beliefs lead to pluralism, diversity and inclusion in approaches to life events in the community and in Wales.”
    Progression step 3

    • I can read to identify different people’s viewpoints on various subjects and develop empathy.

    • I can organise talk so that different audiences in different contexts can follow what is being said, including using formal language.

    Progression step 4

    • I can read to identify different people’s viewpoints on various subjects, using them to arrive at my own conclusions.

    • I can adapt my writing style, choosing and using the best structures for different contexts and purposes, e.g. to successfully describe, explain, persuade, discuss.

  5. Using timelines and population data on faith

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    Annexe C names timelines and population data as the numeracy links, for example a timeline of a festival's origins or census data on faith in Wales. No assessment criterion asks for any calculation or data handling, so this is suggested only, and numeracy demand is low.

    Numeracy: Interpreting data, Representing data, Calculation

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils place the key events in the story of Passover on a timeline with dates in the right order.
    Year 8
    Pupils read a bar chart of religion in Wales from the census and write three sentences about what it shows.
    Year 9
    Pupils compare census figures on faith in their local authority and in Wales, work out each group as a percentage, and comment on the differences.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Annexe C, Unit SfL 11 row, page 162

    “interfaith harmony. Timelines, population data”
    Progression step 3

    • I can extract and interpret information from an increasing range of diagrams, timetables and graphs (including pie charts).

    • I can represent data using:

      • lists, tally charts, tables, diagrams and frequency tables
      • bar charts, grouped data charts, line graphs and conversion graphs
      • pictograms where one symbol represents more than one unit using a key
      • Venn and Carroll diagrams.
    Progression step 4

    • I can interpret mathematical information; drawing inferences from graphs, diagrams and data, including discussion on limitations of data.

    • I can express one quantity as a percentage of another.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

Describing and explaining beliefs, festivals and rituals links most closely with WJEC GCSE Religious Studies, which needs the same explaining at greater length and depth, and the Pearson 'What matters' mapping to Religion, Values and Ethics and Humanities (page 58) also links it to WJEC Foundation Humanities. Compared with the WJEC Faith and belief in the community unit, also 20 hours, Pearson asks for one criterion per level and its guidance centres literacy on personal belief statements, a festival account and an interfaith menu, while the WJEC unit spreads defining, comparing, discussing and evaluating across three learning outcomes. Discussion and reflection work is shared with the WJEC Skills Suite units Ethical choices, Values for life and Equality, diversity and inclusion.

Source: Pearson Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life Award, Certificate and Diploma Qualifications specification, Issue 1, August 2026, Unit SfL 11: Faith and belief in the community.