Skills for Life: Healthy Lifestyle
Healthy lifestyle is a Skills for Life unit in which learners explore how lifestyle choices affect physical and mental wellbeing, set a personal health or wellbeing goal, plan steps towards it and take part in activities that support it. It is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with other units into a Skills for Life or Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma, from Entry 1 to Level 2. Literacy carries most of the assessment: describing, explaining and comparing lifestyle choices, justifying and planning a goal, and reflecting on progress. Numeracy is light and sits in tracking activity, sleep or steps, reviewing that data and planning steps with timescales.
- 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): 4 learning outcomes with assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3 (what a healthy lifestyle is, simple ways to support it, setting a personal health or wellbeing goal, taking part in activities towards that goal). Evidence is compiled in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: 4 learning outcomes with assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2 (key factors in a healthy lifestyle, how lifestyle choices affect physical and mental wellbeing, setting, planning and tracking a personal goal, taking part in and reviewing a range of activities). Evidence is compiled in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Purpose
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Reflecting on progress and evaluating activities
Entry 3 learners reflect on how activities helped them work towards their goal, Level 1 learners describe how activities support progress and outline one improvement, and Level 2 learners explain progress and evaluate the effectiveness of activities. The overview names reflective writing and discussions, and reflections can be written, audio, pictorial or digital.
Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Purpose, Proofreading, editing and improving
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils keep a three day diary after trying a breathing exercise, writing one sentence each day about how they felt.
- Year 8
- Pupils tell a partner which of two wellbeing activities they enjoyed more and why, then write up their reasons in a short paragraph.
- Year 9
- Pupils write an evaluation of a month of activities towards a goal, saying what worked, what did not, and one change they will make.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 4, assessment criterion E3 4.2, page 5; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 4, assessment criteria 4.2 and 4.3, page 7; Sources of evidence, page 12
“learner journals, diaries, logs, or reflective accounts (written, audio, pictorial or digital)”
Progression step 3
I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, showing empathy and respect.
I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions using a range of techniques to show impact.
I can reflect on, edit and redraft to improve the quality of my expression, and use a range of strategies to ensure greater clarity.
Progression step 4
I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, using a range of techniques, e.g. emotive language, hyperbole, choice of pronouns (you, we), to show impact.
I can share, talk and write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions showing empathy and respect.
Good to know
- The unit codes printed in the pack are "S613E1" for Entry 1 and S614E2, S614E3, S614L1 and S614L2 for the other levels, so check the Entry 1 code with WJEC before registering. The unit carries "20" guided learning hours (Unit overview, page 3).
- Writing is not the point: "extended written work is not required unless appropriate" and judgements should focus "on the meeting of standards, not on spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed" (Sources of evidence, page 12).
- Reflections and evidence can be spoken or visual: "tutor questioning (oral or written) and learner responses" and "audio or video recordings of discussions or presentations" are listed (Sources of evidence, page 12).
- Plural criteria have a minimum: "a plural reference within assessment criterion refers to a minimum of two" (pages 5 and 7).
- AI tools may be used only when acknowledged; AI 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).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory"; teachers may use, adapt or replace them (specification, section 4.1, page 18).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names GCSE Physical Education and Health, GCSE Food and Nutrition, VCSE Sport and Leisure, and the Foundation qualifications in Sport and Leisure and in Health and Social Care and Childcare as linked WJEC qualifications. Explaining the effects of exercise, sleep and diet, setting goals and evaluating activities are shared with GCSE Physical Education and Health and VCSE Sport and Leisure, and recording and charting activity data links with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy. Related Skills Suite units named in the pack are Exercise for all, Mental health and wellbeing, Food planning and preparation, Community participation, Music, dance and drama, Skills in the natural environment, Arts and crafts, Practical gardening and Values for life.
Source: WJEC Healthy lifestyle 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).