LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

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VCSE Hospitality and Catering

Hospitality and Catering asks learners to read annual assignment briefs closely, answer 30 multiple-choice questions on food safety on screen, and write justifications, proposals, production or event plans and evaluations in the 70% unit, while speaking and listening to customers, in Welsh where possible, at a Unit 4 event. Its numeracy is practical and applied: exact food safety temperatures and time limits, weighing, measuring and scaling quantities and portions, costing and budgeting, timing a plan, and using customer feedback. The single biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is the habit of turning a brief into a clear, timed and costed plan, then writing an honest evaluation against it.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Level 1 and Level 2
First taught
September 2027
Amount of literacy work
Medium
Amount of numeracy work
Medium
Specification
Open the specification
Step before
Foundation Hospitality and Catering, Entry Level and Level 1
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Introduction to the Hospitality and Catering Industry: Mandatory external non-examination assessment 2 hours, 15%, 45 marks, set and marked by WJEC, tasks based on an assignment brief that changes annually
  • Unit 2: Food Safety, Hygiene, and Allergens: Mandatory digital examination 1 hour, 15%, 30 marks, 30 multiple-choice questions, on screen only via Surpass, auto-marked and graded pass or fail
  • Unit 3: Catering in Action (option): Non-examination assessment 12 hours, 70%, 105 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC; centres choose Unit 3 or Unit 4
  • Unit 4: Hospitality in Action (option): Non-examination assessment 12 hours, 70%, 105 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC; centres choose Unit 3 or Unit 4

Skills that use Purpose

  1. Speaking and listening to customers and colleagues, including complaints

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

    Unit 1 learners must understand verbal communication, including tone, pace and clarity, listening skills such as asking appropriate questions and repeating back information, and how to deal with complaints. In Unit 4 learners demonstrate this at their event by welcoming guests, identifying their requirements, giving information about food and drink and working with their team, with performance evidence recorded on observation records.

    Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary, Purpose, Listening to understand, Collaborative talk

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils take a spoken order for a drink and a snack from a partner in a café role-play, write it down and read it back politely to check it is right.
    Year 8
    In pairs, pupils role-play a customer complaining about a cold meal, using a calm tone, an apology and an offer to put it right, then swap roles.
    Year 9
    At a class tasting event pupils serve visitors, describe each dish and its allergens, and ask follow-up questions when a guest mentions a dietary need, while a partner notes their tone and clarity on a checklist.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.2.2, page 20; Unit 4, Sections 4.3.1 and 4.3.3, pages 48 and 49; Section 3.3, page 55

    “communicating effectively with customers/guests and team members”
    Progression step 3

    • 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.

    • I can organise talk so that different audiences in different contexts can follow what is being said, including using formal language.

    • I can use techniques to remember the main points of presentations, e.g. make notes, summarising, reviewing.

    Progression step 4

    • I can speak clearly, selecting and adapting my language appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes, conveying meaning effectively to the audience.

    • I can organise talk effectively to respond to how listeners are reacting by adapting what I say and how I say it.

    • I can use different techniques to help me remember, record and respond to what I hear.

    Progression step 5

    • I can present ideas and issues to meet the demands of different audiences.

    • I can respond confidently to how listeners react, adapting my language in a wide range of contexts and for different purposes.

    • I can use different techniques to help me remember, record and respond to what I hear.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

Food safety temperatures, recipe scaling, timed plans and evaluating practical outcomes overlap with GCSE Food and Nutrition, and costing, budgeting and customer feedback overlap with GCSE Business, so shared KS3 routines for scaling recipes and writing evaluations would serve all three.

Source: WJEC Level 1/Level 2 VCSE Hospitality and Catering specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).