VCSE Public Services
VCSE Public Services asks learners to read and judge sources on a local wellbeing issue, write proposals, evaluations and justified recommendations, and adapt spoken and written communication for different audiences, with analysis and evaluation (AO3) carrying 34% of the qualification and 80% of the marks coming from NEA. Numeracy depends on the optional unit: Unit 3 is built on measuring fitness, comparing results with public service standards and normative data and measuring improvement from a baseline, while Unit 4 asks for interpreting local demographic data and analysing survey feedback. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is the habit of collecting real data, working out what has changed and writing a justified conclusion that quotes the figures.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Level 1 and Level 2
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- High
- Amount of numeracy work
- Medium
- Specification
- Open the specification
- Step before
- Foundation Public Services, Entry Level and Level 1
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to the Public Services Sector: External sector test 1 hour, 20%, 50 marks, set and marked by WJEC, paper-based or on-screen
- Unit 2: Public Services in Action: External NEA 5 hours, 20%, 62 marks, set and marked by WJEC, set brief with five tasks that changes each year
- Unit 3: Wellbeing and Fitness for Public Services (optional, taken instead of Unit 4): NEA 11 hours (not including the six-week health and fitness training programme), 60%, 98 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 4: Citizenship and Community within Public Services (optional, taken instead of Unit 3): NEA 10 hours (not including the small-scale community or school-based wellbeing project), 60%, 98 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
Skills that use Connectives and syntax
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Adapting spoken and written communication for different audiences
Unit 1 tests understanding of how public service workers adapt communication to different audiences and situations. In the Unit 4 project learners must use inclusive written or verbal communication tailored to different audiences, and spoken work such as presentations is recorded with observation records.
Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary, Purpose, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Collaborative talk, Connectives and syntax
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- In pairs, pupils role play a 999 call as caller and call handler, speaking clearly and giving the key details in a sensible order.
- Year 8
- Pupils give the same fire safety message twice, once to a Year 3 class and once to a group of adults, changing their words and tone for each audience.
- Year 9
- Pupils present a two-minute talk on a wellbeing idea to a panel of staff, answer questions, then write a short inclusive notice about the same idea for parents.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.4.3, page 23; Unit 4, Section 4.3.3, page 56; Section 3.3, page 61
“inclusive written and/or verbal communication, tailored to different audiences”
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 adapt my writing style and structure to suit the audience, purpose and context, e.g. suitable balance between facts and viewpoints, a precise conclusion.
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 adapt my writing style, choosing and using the best structures for different contexts and purposes, e.g. to successfully describe, explain, persuade, discuss.
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 show sustained awareness of different readers by selecting from a range of styles and structures, and adapting my use of language confidently.
Good to know
- Literacy and numeracy are named as essential skills for the sector: 'Learners should know the entry requirements and essential skills needed to progress into public service roles' (Unit 1, Section 1.5.2, page 24).
- Analysis and evaluation carry the most weight of any objective: 'Analyse and/or evaluate information, evidence or ideas, to make connections and/or form reasoned judgements within public services contexts' is AO3, 34% overall (page 58).
- The only examination is short and mostly objective: 'Section A covers AO1 and will include a range of objective question types' (page 59), so extended writing sits in the NEA units.
- Spoken work can count but must be recorded: 'performance evidence (for example, presentations) must be documented using observation records' (page 61).
- Numeracy depends on the route: 'Centres/Learners may then choose either Unit 3 or Unit 4.' (page 6). Unit 3 is far more numerate than Unit 4, and the specification names no calculator or spreadsheet requirement.
Links with other qualifications
The Unit 3 fitness testing, normative data and percentage improvement work matches GCSE Physical Education and Health, and the Unit 4 source reading, local demographic data and justified recommendations overlap with GCSE Social Studies and Geography, so these departments can share one KS3 approach to data and evaluative writing.
Source: WJEC Level 1/Level 2 VCSE Public Services specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).