VCSE Sport and Leisure
Literacy in this VCSE is mostly practical and work-related: reading short scenarios in the sector test, using set definitions accurately, writing session plans and evaluations, and speaking clearly when coaching or interviewing performers. Numeracy is centred on data, with every learner collecting, charting and interpreting participation data in the Unit 2 NEA, and Unit 3 adding fitness testing, normative tables, energy balance and a six-week training plan, while Unit 1 has little numerical content. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is the habit of collecting real activity data, putting it in a correct chart and writing a short judgement that quotes the figures.
- 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 Sport and Leisure, Entry Level and Level 1
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to the Engineering Sector: Non-examination assessment 8 hours, 20%, 40 marks, set and marked by WJEC, available via Portal
- Unit 2: Applying Engineering Processes: Non-examination assessment 26 hours, 60%, 145 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 3: Engineering Principles: Written test 1 hour, 20%, 60 marks, set and marked by WJEC, paper format only
Skills that use Strategic competence
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Collecting quantitative and qualitative data
Learners must know the types of data and the methods for collecting them, including questionnaires, interviews, health tests, activity logs and cumulative statistics such as participation rates and attendance figures. The Unit 2 brief is built on analysing participation data.
Numeracy: Collecting data, Representing data, Strategic competence
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils use a tally chart to count how many pupils use each part of the yard at lunchtime on two days.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a short questionnaire on how often their year group is active outside school, with tick-box questions for numbers and one open question for reasons.
- Year 9
- Pupils plan how to collect data to answer "Do girls and boys in Year 9 face the same barriers to sport?", choosing a sample and a mix of quantitative and qualitative questions.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.3.2, page 29; Section 3.2, Unit 2, page 45
“quantitative: numerical data that can be measured and counted”
Progression step 3
I can collect relevant data to answer posed questions.
I can represent data using:
- lists, tally charts, tables, diagrams and frequency tables
- bar charts, grouped data charts, line graphs and conversion graphs
- pictograms where one symbol represents more than one unit using a key
- Venn and Carroll diagrams.
Progression step 4
I can collect own data for a survey, e.g. through designing a questionnaire.
I can collect both quantitative and qualitative data.
Progression step 5
I can collect data in a suitable way according to my hypothesis.
I can identify what further information might be required and select what information is most appropriate.
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Measuring fitness, heart rate and blood pressure accurately
Unit 3 learners must select and carry out tests to measure components of fitness, such as cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, speed and reaction time, and use health screening for body composition, blood pressure and heart rate. Results need correct units and careful timing.
Numeracy: Measurement, Strategic competence, Communicating with symbols
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils time a partner's 30 metre sprint with a stopwatch, measure a sit and reach in centimetres, and record both with units.
- Year 8
- Pupils take their resting pulse for 15 seconds, multiply by four to get beats per minute, and repeat after exercise to compare.
- Year 9
- Pupils run three fitness tests, record results to a sensible degree of accuracy, and explain which measurements are most likely to contain errors and why.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Section 3.2.1, pages 34 and 35
“health tests/screening to measure body composition, blood pressure and heart rate”
Progression step 3
I can read and interpret scales or divisions on a range of measuring instruments.
I can time events in minutes and seconds, and order the results.
Progression step 4
I can read and interpret scales on a range of measuring instruments.
I can interpret fractions of a second appropriately.
Progression step 5
I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.
I can use appropriate notation, symbols and units of measurement, including compound measures.
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Working out calorie intake and energy balance
Unit 3 lists calorie intake, energy balance, nutrition and hydration as lifestyle factors to monitor, so learners add up intake from food diaries and compare it with energy used.
Numeracy: Calculation, Communicating with symbols, Measurement, Strategic competence
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils read the calories on three food labels and add them up to find the total for a packed lunch.
- Year 8
- Pupils keep a one-day food and drink diary, total the calories and millilitres of water, and compare the totals with a guideline amount.
- Year 9
- Pupils estimate the energy used in a PE lesson from a table of values, compare it with the calories in a snack, and explain what energy balance means for a performer.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Section 3.2.1, page 35; Unit 3, Section 3.4.1, page 37
“calorie intake, energy balance, nutrition and hydration.”
Progression step 3
I can add and subtract numbers using whole numbers and decimals.
I can use appropriate notation, symbols and units of measurement.
Progression step 4
I can use efficient written methods to add and subtract numbers and decimals of any size, including a mixture of large and small numbers with differing numbers of decimal places.
I can use the common units of measure, convert between related units of the metric system and carry out calculations.
Progression step 5
I can recognise, model and apply the underlying mathematical structures and ideas within problems, in order to formulate and solve them.
I can use appropriate notation, symbols and units of measurement, including compound measures.
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Planning training load and time over six weeks
Unit 3 learners carry out a six-week training programme taking between 6 and 12 hours, applying overload through intensity, frequency and duration and setting measurable SMART targets. They track progress towards short-term targets and long-term goals.
Numeracy: Measurement, Strategic competence
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils plan a circuit with six stations, deciding how many seconds of work and rest each station has and working out the total time.
- Year 8
- Pupils plan a three-week timetable of short training sessions, increasing the time or repetitions each week by a set amount.
- Year 9
- Pupils write a six-week plan with one SMART target, set out frequency, intensity and duration for each week in a table, and check the total time stays within a set limit.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Summary of assessment, page 32; Unit 3, Sections 3.3.2 and 3.3.3, page 36
“overload (intensity, frequency, duration)”
Progression step 3
I can use and interpret calendars, timetables and schedules to plan events and activities, and make calculations as part of the planning journey.
I can carry out practical activities involving timed events and explain which unit of time is the most appropriate.
Progression step 4
I can prioritise and organise the relevant steps needed to complete the task or reach a solution.
I can use the common units of measure, convert between related units of the metric system and carry out calculations.
Progression step 5
I can prioritise and organise the relevant steps needed to complete the task or reach a solution.
I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.
Good to know
- No marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar are mentioned. All marks sit under AO1 to AO4, and AO3 "Interpret and evaluate, for example, information/ideas/evidence in sport and leisure" carries 25% overall (Section 3.1, page 44).
- Calculator use is not stated. Section 3 says "The Assessment Pack will include all detailed information relating to assessment" (page 44), so check the assessment packs.
- Unit 2 adds reading time: "A further one hour should be scheduled for reading time." (Section 3.2, page 45)
- Written NEA work is annotated by the teacher, and spoken work is recorded on observation records: "Written evidence must be annotated to show how it meets the marking criteria." (Section 3.3, page 47)
- Teachers "must not provide feedback on the evidence being produced" during NEA (Section 3.3, page 47), so pupils need to be used to reviewing their own writing and data.
- The Unit 3 training programme sits outside the supervised hours: "The time taken to carry out the six-week training programme can be outside of the specified supervised assessment time" (page 32).
Links with other qualifications
Fitness measurement, normative tables and training plans overlap with GCSE Physical Education and Health, and collecting and charting survey data overlaps with GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy and GCSE Social Studies.
Source: WJEC Level 1/Level 2 VCSE Sport and Leisure specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).