Foundation Engineering
Foundation Engineering is a two-year Entry Level to Level 1 work-related qualification for learners in Years 10 and 11 who want a practical introduction to engineering, with a route on to VCSE Engineering. Unit 1 covers the engineering sector, tools, processes and safety, and Unit 2 is hands-on workshop making by hand: marking out, sawing, filing, drilling and thread cutting to set tolerances. Both units are portfolios marked in the centre. Digital demand is low because there is no CAD, CAM or computer controlled machining. Digital work sits in recording measurements in tables or inspection sheets, planning the steps of a task, reading technical charts, and optional Unit 1 tasks such as web quests, blogs, vlogs and presentations. All portfolio evidence must be submitted digitally.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level and Level 1
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
- Next step up
- VCSE Engineering, Level 1 and Level 2
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to Engineering: Centre marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence, maximum assessment time 9 hours (typically 7 to 9 hours), 36 guided learning hours, 48 points of the 112 qualification points, teacher-set tasks assessed in centre and moderated by WJEC, first available summer 2028
- Unit 2: Producing a Product: Centre marked non-examination assessment, portfolio of evidence, maximum assessment time 21 hours (typically 19 to 21 hours), 84 guided learning hours, 64 points of the 112 qualification points, teacher-set practical workshop tasks assessed in centre and moderated by WJEC, first available summer 2029
Skills that use Data and information literacy
-
Recording measurement results in tables and inspection sheets
In Unit 2 learners measure their finished work, check it against set tolerances and document the results, then identify improvements. Example tasks build from tick sheets at Entry 1 to a provided measurement table at Entry 2 and clear tables or inspection sheets at Level 1, and portfolio evidence includes tolerance check sheets comparing actual and required dimensions.
DCF: Data and information literacy
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils measure the length and width of their cut acrylic keyring with a steel rule and type the drawing size and the measured size into a simple Word table.
- Year 8
- Pupils enter five measurements of their project piece into an Excel sheet next to the drawing sizes and use a subtraction formula to show how far out each one is.
- Year 9
- Pupils build an Excel inspection sheet with the drawing size, a tolerance such as plus or minus 1 mm, the measured size and an IF formula that shows in or out of tolerance, then write one improvement for the worst feature.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Sections 2.4.2 and 2.4.3, page 32; Unit 2, LO2.4 example tasks, page 42; Unit 2, portfolio evidence, page 44
“the learner presents clear accurate measurement records using tables or inspection sheets”
Progression step 3
I can construct, refine and interrogate data sets within tables, charts, spreadsheets and databases to test or support an investigation.
I can use a range of spreadsheet formulae, e.g. + - / x, sum, average, max, min.
Progression step 4
I can create a data capture form, capture data, search data and create a database and spreadsheet with appropriate data input method.
I can perform analysis on simple data sets including grouping data as appropriate.
-
Reading technical data from charts and drawings
Learners interpret technical information such as cutting speeds, thread sizes and tolerances from engineering drawings and charts, and use it to complete making tasks. At Entry 3 they use information from a drawing or chart to carry out a guided task, and at Level 1 they use thread specifications and tolerances to make a decision.
DCF: Data and information literacy
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils read a simple table of drill sizes to find the right drill for a 6 mm hole and the right speed for drilling acrylic or wood.
- Year 8
- Pupils use a tapping drill chart on screen to find the drill size for an M6 and an M8 thread and record which column and row they used.
- Year 9
- Pupils use a cutting speed chart sorted by material to choose the speed for drilling mild steel and aluminium, then explain why the two values are different.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Sections 2.1.2 and 2.1.3, page 30; Unit 2, LO2.1 example tasks, page 39
“the learner uses information from a drawing or chart”
Progression step 3
I can construct, refine and interrogate data sets within tables, charts, spreadsheets and databases to test or support an investigation.
Progression step 4
I can perform analysis on simple data sets including grouping data as appropriate.
Good to know
- There is no examination. Both units are a "Portfolio of evidence" that is "Assessed in centre and moderated by WJEC" (Summary of assessment, page 5), and the tasks are teacher-set, with example tasks that "are not mandatory" (Section 2.1, page 9).
- All evidence goes to WJEC digitally: "All evidence must be submitted digitally." Paper work or physical evidence "should be scanned, photographed or filmed" (Section 3.3, page 47).
- The making is all by hand. Unit 2 asks learners to "Use a range of hand fitting methods to cut and shape" materials (Section 2.3.3, page 32), and the specification names no CAD, CAM, laser cutter, 3D printer or software package. Unit 1 has "no specific requirements for assessment" (page 12).
- Every digital Unit 1 activity, such as the web quest, blog, vlog, drag-and-drop games and interactive timeline, appears only in the example tasks (pages 23 to 27), so a centre can evidence the same outcomes on paper or orally.
- Evidence can be digital media: the list of evidence types includes "photographic evidence" and "video/audio recordings" (Section 3.3, page 47), and Entry 1 learners may need "use of symbols, or assistive technology" (Section 3.4, page 48).
- AI use is not mentioned. Work is supervised, "Learners must be supervised by a teacher while completing assessment activities." (Section 3.5, page 48), and malpractice rules apply (Section 3.8, page 50).
- Appendix A (page 57) maps nothing to Citizenship, maps Interacting and collaborating and Producing to Unit 2 planning (2.2.1) and recording outcomes (2.4.3), and maps Data and computational thinking to 1.3.1, 1.3.2 and every section of Unit 2.
Links with other qualifications
Foundation Engineering is the step below VCSE Engineering, which the specification names as a progression route. Both share marking out, hand fitting, measuring with vernier callipers and micrometers, planning a task with a risk assessment, checking work against tolerances and recording the results. VCSE Engineering steps these up digitally: CAD and CAM, laser cutting, 3D printing and CNC machining with machine settings, a scored risk assessment that suits a spreadsheet, inspection records judged against drawing tolerances, research into the engineering sector in Wales, and digital submission of every NEA unit. Measurement tables and reading technical charts also link with GCSE Design and Technology and GCSE Mathematics and Numeracy.
Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Engineering specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).