LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

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Skills for Life: International Language: Communicating Personal Information (Written)

International language (written): 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 read short texts for personal details and write about themselves, from single correctly spelt words at Entry 1 to written facts, opinions, answers and requests at Level 2, often translating into English or Cymraeg. Numeracy is light, limited to writing 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
Unit pack
Open the unit delivery and assessment pack
How this unit is assessed
  • Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Two learning outcomes (understand material relating to communicating personal information, write about personal information), 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 key facts and information in texts relating to personal information, produce texts about 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 Vocabulary, spelling, grammar

  1. Writing words, phrases and sentences about yourself

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

    Learners respond in writing with individual words at Entry 1, short phrases at Entry 2 and basic set sentences at Entry 3. At Level 1 they use and adapt set phrases to write facts about personal information, and at Level 2 they use routine language to produce written material, such as a profile or short email. This is required by the learning outcome 2 assessment criteria at every level.

    Literacy: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Connectives and syntax

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils label a picture of themselves with single words in the language for name, age, town and a hobby.
    Year 8
    Pupils use a sentence builder to write five sentences about where they live, their school and their family.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a short profile of about 60 words for an exchange website, adapting set phrases so every sentence is true for them.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria E1 2.1, E2 2.1 and E3 2.1, page 5; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria 2.1, page 6

    “Use routine language to produce written material about personal information”
    Progression step 3
    • I can use varied, appropriate and precise vocabulary including area of learning and experience/discipline-specific words for different purposes.

    • I can use language appropriate to writing, including standard forms, e.g. nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, connectives and verb tenses.

    • I can use simple, compound and complex sentence structures for emphasis and effect.

    Progression step 4
    • I can make informed choices about vocabulary, idiomatic and figurative language, and syntax in order to express myself with fluency, accuracy and clarity.

    • I can select and use a variety of different sentence structures (simple, compound and complex sentences) with grammatical accuracy in my writing.

  2. Spelling familiar words correctly

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

    At Entry Level, spelling is assessed directly: learners spell some individual words correctly at Entry 1, some words within phrases at Entry 2 and most words within set sentences at Entry 3. At Levels 1 and 2 there is no separate spelling criterion, and assessors judge the standard rather than spelling unless it is specifically assessed.

    Literacy: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils fill in the missing vowels in ten words for family members and check them against the word list.
    Year 8
    Pupils learn ten hobby words using look, say, cover, write, check and then spell them in a short dictation.
    Year 9
    Pupils write four sentences about themselves from memory, then use a dictionary and their vocabulary list to correct every spelling and accent.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 2, assessment criteria E1 2.2, E2 2.2 and E3 2.2, page 5; Sources of evidence, page 14

    “Respond with the correct spelling for most words within the set sentences”
    Progression step 3
    • I can use strategies to correctly spell polysyllabic, complex and irregular words in the context of each area of learning and experience.

    Progression step 4
    • I can use a variety of strategies and resources to spell familiar and unfamiliar vocabulary and area of learning and experience/discipline-specific words correctly.

  3. Writing in past, present and future time frames

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    All learners are taught present tense verbs in the first and third person, and Level 1 and Level 2 learners are taught past, present and future time frames, with Level 2 describing past events and future plans. Suggested activities have learners convert a text into a different time frame. This is amplification content rather than a named assessment criterion.

    Literacy: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Connectives and syntax

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils write what they play and what their friend plays, changing the verb from I to he or she.
    Year 8
    Pupils write about a normal weekend in the present tense and then rewrite two sentences about last weekend in the past.
    Year 9
    Pupils rewrite a short paragraph about a holiday from the past into the future, changing every verb and time phrase, then check it with a partner.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Amplification, learning outcomes 1 and 2, pages 8 to 10; Suggested activities, Development Activities, page 13

    “Learners could also convert the text into a different time frame”
    Progression step 3
    • I can use the standard form of a variety of words, e.g. present, past and negative forms.

    Progression step 4
    • I can select and use a variety of different sentence structures (simple, compound and complex sentences) with grammatical accuracy in my writing.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

The pack names VCSE Travel and Tourism and GCSE Business as qualifications the international language units can complement, and writing about nationality, where people live and work, and future plans fits 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 (spoken): 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 sentences into English or Cymraeg draws on GCSE English Language and Literature, GCSE Cymraeg Language and Literature and GCSE Core Cymraeg, and writing a basic CV or covering letter echoes the job applications in the Applying for jobs unit.

Source: WJEC International language (written) - 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).