Skills for Life: Sustainability In Action
Sustainability in action (Unit SfL 25) is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with others into a Pearson Skills for Life Award, Certificate or Diploma, from Entry 1 to Level 2. Learners find out about sustainability practices and, from Level 1, the three pillars of sustainability and relevant legislation, using local, national and at Level 2 international examples, then plan and take part in a sustainability activity. The centre sets and marks the assignment. Literacy carries the unit: reading about examples and legislation, describing or explaining principles, and contributing to a written plan. Numeracy is light: Pearson names measuring resources and estimating quantities, but no criterion requires calculation.
- 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: list, outline or identify everyday sustainability practices and take part in a simple sustainability activity, contributing to its planning at Entry 3. There are no mandatory evidence requirements; the centre sets and marks its own assignment (Pearson's Authorised Assignment Brief is optional), internally verified and checked by a Pearson Standards Verifier. Graded Pass or Fail. 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: One assessment criterion at each level: describe (Level 1) or explain (Level 2) the principles of sustainability using local and national examples, and at Level 2 international ones too, then plan and participate in a sustainability activity. Evidence is chosen by the centre, internally assessed by the centre and checked by a Pearson Standards Verifier. Graded Pass or Fail. 20 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Understanding, response and analysis
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Reading about sustainability examples and legislation
Level 1 learners identify and give information on the three pillars and appropriate legislation with local and national examples, and Level 2 learners show confident understanding across international contexts too. Learners have to read and select information from sources to do this; Pearson's Annexe C names research tasks as a literacy link.
Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils read a short leaflet on Welsh recycling rates and pick out three key facts with a highlighter.
- Year 8
- Pupils read two articles on plastic waste, one about Wales and one about another country, and note the main idea of each in a table.
- Year 9
- Pupils read a child friendly summary of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act and summarise in their own words how it affects a local decision.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit SfL 25, Essential information for assessment decisions, Level 1 and Level 2, page 117; Annexe C, page 165
“identifying and providing information on the three pillars and appropriate legislation”
Progression step 3
I can show understanding of and use the main ideas and significant details in different texts on the same topic.
I can make use of reference/digital sources to select, summarise and synthesise information, referencing as appropriate.
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.
Good to know
- The unit is Unit SfL 25 and the unit summary lists it at 20 GLH ("SfL 25 Sustainability in action 20", Unit summary, page 5); it counts towards Skills for Life qualifications numbered C00/5443/4 to C00/5445/0 (Qualification titles, pages 3 to 4).
- A unit is achieved once, at one level: "Learners can only achieve each unit once, at a single level" (Rules of Combination, page 6).
- Written work is not compulsory: "there are no mandatory evidence requirements and centres can select the type of evidence" (Essential information for assessment decisions, page 117), and assignments "can include both practical and written tasks" (Assessment of units, page 9).
- Learners can be assessed in Welsh or English: "Learners can be assessed in Welsh or English" (Language of assessment, page 8).
- The compulsory teaching content is in a separate document: "This can be found in the T Teaching and Learning Support document for this unit" (Unit content, page 117). The stray "T" is a typing slip.
- AI may be used only if acknowledged: "the final submission must be in the learner's own words and reflect their own effort" (Requirements relating to permitted/prohibited resources, page 118).
- The specification is inconsistent on size: the unit summary gives 20 GLH, but worked Example 7 lists "Unit SfL 25 10" (Understanding the qualification grade, page 148).
Links with other qualifications
Describing the three pillars of sustainability and reading about legislation such as the Well-being of Future Generations Act, which Pearson's Annexe E names, reinforce GCSE Geography and GCSE Social Studies and the WJEC Foundation in Humanities; writing and explaining in organised paragraphs supports GCSE English Language and Literature. Within the WJEC Skills Suite it overlaps with Sustainable Economic Development and Skills in the Natural Environment. Compared with the WJEC Sustainability in Action unit, which asks learners to keep and review a record of sustainable actions over time, the Pearson unit puts more weight on describing principles and legislation and has no required record, so its numeracy is lighter.
Source: Pearson Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life Award, Certificate and Diploma specification, Issue 1, August 2026, Unit SfL 25: Sustainability in action.