LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

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VCSE Travel and Tourism

VCSE Travel and Tourism is heavy on literacy: learners read and compare sources, write a destination fact file, a trip proposal, an itinerary and marketing materials using persuasive language tailored to an audience, present their trip and answer questions, and write a reflection on their own performance. Numeracy is lighter but real, with the Unit 1 sector test asking learners to extract information, spot trends and make calculations from Welsh tourism data, and Unit 3 needing a trip budget, costings, a schedule and a feedback survey whose responses are collated. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is persuasive, well-structured writing for a named audience, backed by accurate facts and simple costings.

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 Travel and Tourism, Entry Level and Level 1
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Introduction to the Travel and Tourism Industry: External assessment (sector test) 1 hour, 50 marks, 20%, set and marked by WJEC, paper-based or onscreen
  • Unit 2: Tourist Destinations: External non-examination assessment 6 hours (plus 2 hours of research beforehand), three tasks based on an assignment brief that changes every year, 50 marks, 20%, set and marked by WJEC
  • Unit 3: Travel and Tourism in Action: Non-examination assessment 15 hours, five tasks based on an assignment brief, 90 marks, 60%, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and externally moderated by WJEC

Skills that use Reading strategies

  1. Selecting, comparing and summarising information from sources

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

    Learners select sources for their Unit 2 fact file and Unit 3 trip, from brochures and guidebooks to websites, reviews and interviews, and compare them for accuracy and relevance. They categorise information and extract key features, and AO3 asks them to interpret and evaluate information.

    Literacy: Reading strategies, Understanding, response and analysis

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils skim a brochure and scan a webpage about Eryri to pick out facts on activities and facilities, then sort them into a table under those two headings.
    Year 8
    Pupils read a council visitor guide and three online reviews of the same Welsh beach, note where they agree and disagree, and decide which facts are reliable enough to use.
    Year 9
    Pupils research a destination from four mixed sources, sort the information into destination, facilities and visitors, judge each source's accuracy and relevance, and write a short summary for a fact file.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.4.1, page 24; Unit 3, Section 3.1.2, page 26; Section 3.1, AO3, page 31

    “categorising information by destinations, facilities and visitors”
    Progression step 3

    • I can use a range of strategies for finding information, e.g. skimming for gist, scanning for detail.

    • I can make use of reference/digital sources to select, summarise and synthesise information, referencing as appropriate.

    • I can collate and make connections, e.g. prioritising, categorising, between information and ideas from different sources including digital and audio-visual texts.

    Progression step 4

    • I can evaluate the usefulness and reliability of texts.

    • I can research a wide range of reference and digital sources to develop a full understanding of a topic or issue.

    • I can summarise, synthesise and analyse information to gain in-depth understanding, e.g. of causes, consequences, patterns, using different sources.

    Progression step 5

    • I can use printed and digital texts to search selectively, assessing the reliability, significance and accuracy of what I find.

    • I can synthesise and analyse information to gain a broad and balanced understanding from sources which may have conflicting views.

    • I can independently research a wide range of sources to develop an understanding of an increasingly complex topic or issue.

  2. Short written answers using travel and tourism terms

    Assessed: In the exam

    The Unit 1 sector test checks knowledge of terms such as sectors, serviced and non-serviced accommodation, job roles and types of organisation. Section B asks for short answers that apply this knowledge, some based on short industry scenarios.

    Literacy: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar, Reading strategies

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils build a word wall of travel words such as attraction, accommodation, tourist and transport, and use each one correctly in a sentence about their area.
    Year 8
    Pupils read a short scenario about a family booking a holiday in Tenby and answer three questions in full sentences using words such as serviced, non-serviced and travel agent.
    Year 9
    Pupils answer timed short questions on unseen tourism scenarios, underlining the key words in each question and using the correct subject term in every answer.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Section 3.2, Unit 1 overview, page 32; Unit 1, Sections 1.1.1 to 1.3.2, pages 14 to 18

    “Section B covers AO2 and includes short answer questions, some of which could be based on short industry scenarios.”
    Progression step 3

    • I can use varied, appropriate and precise vocabulary including area of learning and experience/discipline-specific words for different purposes.

    • I can use a range of strategies for finding information, e.g. skimming for gist, scanning for detail.

    Progression step 4

    • I have experienced a range of area of learning and experience/discipline-specific and general academic vocabulary, and can use them in my own communication.

    • I can read, with concentration, printed and digital texts that are new to me and update, broaden and deepen my understanding of information, ideas and issues.

    Progression step 5

    • I can use a range of discipline-specific and general academic vocabulary accurately and precisely.

    • I can read and analyse a range of unseen, printed and digital texts with concentration and independence.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

Climate graphs, places and tourism impacts overlap with GCSE Geography, persuasive marketing and budgeting overlap with GCSE Business, and the trip budget and timetable work draws on Mathematics, so KS3 departments could share one model of a costed, persuasive trip plan.

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