Skills for Life: Values for Life
Values for Life is a Pearson Skills for Life unit on personal and societal values, how they are formed, their benefits and costs, and how they act as a moral compass in a changing world. It is one 10 hour unit that learners combine with others into a Pearson Skills for Life Award, Certificate or Diploma, from Entry 1 to Level 2, assessed internally by the centre. Literacy carries the unit: learners list, outline, describe and explain values in speech or writing, from prompted sentences at Entry 1 to extended written explanations at Level 2, and Annexe C adds discussion and debate. Numeracy is light: Annexe C suggests only interpreting simple infographics, and no criterion needs calculation.
- Awarding body
- Pearson
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 10
- 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, rising from listing personal and societal values to identifying how values are formed and the benefits and costs of values in society. There are no mandatory evidence requirements, so the centre chooses the evidence. Internally assessed by the centre through a centre-devised assignment or Pearson's adaptable Authorised Assignment Brief, subject to Pearson standards verification, graded Pass or Fail. 10 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 personal values and those of society can act as a moral compass in a changing world. There are no mandatory evidence requirements. Internally assessed by the centre through a centre-devised assignment or Pearson's adaptable Authorised Assignment Brief, subject to Pearson standards verification, graded Pass or Fail. 10 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Questioning
-
Discussing and debating values
Annexe C lists discussions and debates and a reflective moral compass as the literacy links, and the unit content covers applying values to dilemmas and modern challenges. The criteria can be met in writing, so discussion is suggested rather than required, although many centres will use it for evidence.
Literacy: Collaborative talk, Questioning
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils discuss in small groups whether it is ever right to break a promise, taking turns and giving one reason each.
- Year 8
- Pupils hold a class debate on whether school uniform supports fairness, summarising the other side's point before answering it.
- Year 9
- Pupils debate a dilemma such as reporting a friend who cheated, respond respectfully to opposing views and explain which values guided their position.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Annexe C, SfL 28 Literacy Links, page 165
“Reflective moral compass; discussions/debates; written/presentation evidence linking values to scenarios”
Progression step 3
I can explore challenging or contentious issues through a variety of authentic contexts, including sustaining a role.
I can respond to others’ points of view by seeking clarity, summarising and explaining what I have heard, read or seen.
Progression step 4
I can use talk in a range of authentic contexts to explore challenging or contentious issues.
I can respond to others' points of view with confidence and sensitivity, summarising and evaluating what I have heard, read or seen.
Good to know
- The unit is "SfL 28" with 10 guided learning hours (Unit summary, page 6), half the 20 hours of the WJEC Values for life unit. "Learners can only achieve each unit once, at a single level" (Rules of Combination, page 6).
- Spoken and visual evidence is accepted: there are "no mandatory evidence requirements", and Entry 1 evidence may be "short, prompted sentences or short audio recordings" (Essential information for assessment decisions, page 129).
- Writing grows with the level: Entry 2 learners use "sentence starters" (page 129), while Level 2 evidence "may include extended written explanations" (page 130).
- Final work must be the learner's own words: "If AI is used, the final submission must be in the learner's own words and reflect their own effort" (Requirements relating to permitted/prohibited resources, page 131).
- The teaching content is in Pearson's separate Teaching and Learning Support document, not the specification (Unit content, page 129), and the Authorised Assignment Brief is optional: "AABs are not mandatory" (page 1).
- Annexe B ticks Numeracy for this unit (page 158), but Annexe C limits it to interpreting infographics "(where used)" (page 165), so do not expect assessed numeracy.
Links with other qualifications
The talk and writing about beliefs, ethics and how society shapes values sit closest to GCSE Religious Studies, which Pearson links through the Religion, Values and Ethics guidance (page 132), and to GCSE Social Studies; explaining and justifying opinions in extended writing supports GCSE English Language and Literature. Within the WJEC Skills Suite, Ethical choices and Faith and belief in the community use similar discussion and explanation. Compared with the WJEC Values for life unit, the Pearson unit is half the size (10 hours, not 20), has one criterion per level instead of four learning outcomes, and asks learners to weigh the benefits and costs of values, which the Level 2 guidance extends to the difficulties of holding particular values.
Source: Pearson Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life Award, Certificate and Diploma Qualifications Specification, Issue 1, August 2026, Unit SfL 28: Values for life.