Skills for Work: Interview and Confidence Techniques
Interview and confidence techniques is a 20 hour Skills for Work unit, from Entry 1 to Level 2, that learners combine with other units into a Skills for Work or Skills for Life and Work Award, Certificate or Diploma. Learners find out what interviews are for, plan and prepare for one, practise answering questions and show confident presentation in a mock interview. Literacy demand is high because the unit is mostly speaking and listening: answering questions clearly, using the STAR technique at Level 2, reading job descriptions, writing a preparation plan and reflecting on performance. Numeracy demand is low, limited to planning times, dates and the journey to an interview.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- 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): Four learning outcomes (the purpose of an interview, ways to prepare, responses to interview questions, positive personal presentation and confidence), each with 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. 20 guided learning hours, unit codes S659E1, S659E2 and S659E3.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes (interview requirements and employer expectations, planning and preparing, strategies for answering questions, confident presentation and communication), each with assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours, unit codes S659L1 and S659L2.
Skills that use Purpose
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Answering interview questions with structured, relevant answers
Learners answer interview questions out loud: one question with support at Entry 1, three common questions with examples at Entry 3, structured answers at Level 1, and at Level 2 the STAR technique with answers adapted to different types of question. This is the core of learning outcome 3 and is assessed at every level.
Literacy: Purpose, Clarity and vocabulary, Collaborative talk
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils answer "What are you good at?" in two or three sentences to a partner, giving one example from school or home.
- Year 8
- Pupils plan and give a spoken answer to "Tell me about a time you worked in a team" using a Situation, Task, Action, Result frame.
- Year 9
- Pupils answer three different types of question in a mock panel, a personal one, a competency one using STAR and a scenario one, changing the length and detail of each answer to suit the question.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level, learning outcome 3, assessment criteria 3.1 and 3.2, page 5; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 3, assessment criteria 3.1 and 3.2, page 6; amplification of learning outcome 3, page 8
“Apply advanced interview strategies (e.g. STAR”
Progression step 3
I can organise talk so that different audiences in different contexts can follow what is being said, including using formal language.
I can express issues and ideas clearly using area of learning and experience/discipline-specific vocabulary and examples.
Progression step 4
I can organise talk effectively to respond to how listeners are reacting by adapting what I say and how I say it.
I can speak clearly, selecting and adapting my language appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes, conveying meaning effectively to the audience.
Progression step 5
I can respond confidently to how listeners react, adapting my language in a wide range of contexts and for different purposes.
Good to know
- Spoken evidence counts in full. Sources of evidence include "observation records from tutor-led or assessed mock interviews/interview situations" and "question-and-answer records from practice interview sessions" (Sources of evidence, page 9).
- Writing is kept light: "extended written work is not required unless appropriate" and assessors judge the standard, "not spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed" (Sources of evidence, page 9).
- Support depends on the level: Entry 1 learners may need "use of symbols, or assistive technology" and Entry 2 learners may use "scaffolded templates" (specification section 4.2, page 19).
- Where someone other than the teacher observes the mock interview, such as a local employer, "a witness statement must be completed" (specification section 4.3, page 20).
- Unit codes are S659E1, S659E2, S659E3, S659L1 and S659L2, and assessment "should not require any specific resources" (Unit overview, page 3; Resources required for assessment, page 12).
- Prepared answers and reflections must be the learner's own: misuse of AI includes "Copying or paraphrasing whole responses of AI-generated content." (specification section 4.6, page 21).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory"; teachers may use them, adapt them or write their own (specification section 4.1, page 18).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names GCSE English Language and Literature, whose spoken language work on formal talk, listening and responding matches the interview practice here, and VCSE Public Services, where selection interviews are part of the vocational context. Within the Skills for Work suite it names Personal development planning, Exploring career pathways, Jobs of the future and Applying for jobs; Applying for jobs carries most of the written application work, so pairing the two units covers reading a job description, writing to apply and then speaking at interview. Numeracy links are slight, limited to planning times and travel.
Source: WJEC Interview and confidence techniques 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).