Skills for Life: International Language: Communicating Personal Information (Spoken)
International language (spoken): communicating personal information is a 10 hour Skills for Life unit, from Entry 1 to Level 2, offered in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish. 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 is the whole unit: learners listen for personal details and speak about themselves, from single words at Entry 1 to a short conversation with open questions at Level 2, often translating into English or Cymraeg. Numeracy is light, limited to saying numbers, dates and times.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 10
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- High
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Two learning outcomes (understand basic spoken personal information, give basic personal information orally), with separate 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. 10 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Two learning outcomes (understand spoken personal information, engage in a conversation relating to personal information), with separate assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 10 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Clarity and vocabulary
-
Speaking about yourself with clear pronunciation
Learners give personal information orally, using familiar words at Entry 1, short phrases at Entry 2 and simple sentences at Entry 3, and must pronounce familiar words clearly enough to be understood, then most words clearly and accurately by Entry 3. At Level 1 they make simple spoken requests about personal information. These are required by the assessment criteria.
Literacy: Developing vocabulary, Clarity and vocabulary
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils repeat greetings, numbers and their name, age and town after the teacher, then say them to a partner who checks the sounds against a model recording.
- Year 8
- Pupils say four sentences about where they live and go to school, recording one attempt and marking the words they need to practise.
- Year 9
- Pupils give a short spoken introduction covering family, town and hobbies without notes, and a partner scores how many words were clear and accurate.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria E1 2.1 to E3 2.2, page 5; Level 1, learning outcome 2, assessment criterion 2.1, page 6
“Pronounce familiar words clearly enough to be understood in a familiar context.”
Progression step 3
I can listen to build my vocabulary, develop my pronunciation, intonation/accents and sentence structure, and use these in my own communication.
I can speak clearly, recognising the appropriate language for different audiences and purposes, and varying my expression, vocabulary, tone and gestures to engage the audience.
Progression step 4
I can make informed choices about vocabulary, idiomatic language and syntax in order to express myself with fluency, accuracy and clarity.
I can listen to build my vocabulary and sentence structure, and use these in my own communication.
-
Using present, past and future time frames
Entry 2 and Entry 3 learners use present tense verbs in the first and third person, and Level 2 learners should know verbs about work, school or college in the present, past and future time frames, together with future plans and past activities. This is amplification content rather than a named assessment criterion, although it helps learners add detail in a Level 2 conversation.
Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils say what they play and what their friend plays, changing I play to he or she plays in the language.
- Year 8
- Pupils describe a normal school day and then say one thing they did last weekend, using a sentence builder for the past tense.
- Year 9
- Pupils answer three questions about their studies now, a past holiday and the job they would like in the future, using a different time frame in each answer.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Amplification, learning outcomes 1 and 2, pages 9 and 11
“appropriate verbs relating to work / school / college in the present, past and future time frames”
Progression step 3
I can make appropriate choices about vocabulary, idiomatic language and syntax in order to express myself with fluency and clarity.
Progression step 4
I can make informed choices about vocabulary, idiomatic language and syntax in order to express myself with fluency, accuracy and clarity.
Good to know
- There is one unit for each language. The title is "available in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish", and for unit codes the pack says "Please refer to the Skills for Life and Work qualifications specification." (Unit overview, page 3), where every code is still listed as TBC (section 3.1, page 13).
- Literacy is the integral skill named for the unit: "Learners will have opportunities to develop their literacy skills, with an emphasis on speaking and listening." (Unit overview, page 4). Appendix A of the specification has no row for this unit.
- Spoken work can be evidenced without writing: sources include "audio recording of candidate", "video recording of role-play" and "teacher observation notes", and "extended written work is not required unless appropriate" (Sources of evidence, page 14).
- Judgements are on the criteria, not accuracy of writing: "Assessor judgements should focus on meeting the standard, not spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed." (Sources of evidence, page 14).
- Suggested assessment tasks are optional: "These tasks are not mandatory." (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- AI use must be acknowledged. Properly referenced AI use "can be acceptable", but "Failing to acknowledge use of AI tools when they have been used as a source of information" is malpractice (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.6, page 21).
- The unit starts from scratch: the units "assume that learners have no previous experience of the language being learnt" (Planning courses, page 7), with Entry Level pitched at CEFR pre-A1 to A1 and Levels 1 and 2 at A2 to B1 (page 8). Staff should have "subject-specific expertise in language teaching" (page 14).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names VCSE Travel and Tourism and GCSE Business as qualifications the international language units can complement, and greetings, nationality, travel and talk about where people live and work fit both. Learners already taking GCSE French, GCSE German or GCSE Spanish are pointed towards a new language rather than the same one. Within the Skills Suite the unit pairs with International language (written): communicating personal information, the Social activities units and the Skills for Work Education and employment units, which share vocabulary for school, work and hobbies. Translating answers into English or Cymraeg draws on GCSE English Language and Literature, GCSE Cymraeg Language and Literature and GCSE Core Cymraeg, and the Level 2 questions about skills and future jobs echo the Interview and confidence techniques unit.
Source: WJEC International language (spoken) - communicating personal information 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).