Foundation Expressive Arts
Foundation Expressive Arts is a 120 hour, all coursework qualification for learners aged 14 to 16 working at Entry Level and Level 1, covering Art and Design, Drama, Dance, Music, and Digital Media and Film. Learners study the work of others (Unit 1), create a piece from a WJEC stimulus with a reflective log (Unit 2) and produce or perform two pieces (Unit 3). Digital work is mostly a matter of choice: Unit 1 responses and the Unit 2 log can be audio, audio-visual, PowerPoint, annotated screenshots, blog or vlog, and learners who pick Digital Media and Film, or sound and lighting design in Drama, create and edit digital content. Appendix B maps Citizenship to Unit 1, Producing to Unit 2 and Interacting and Collaborating to Units 2 and 3.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level and Level 1
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Discovering the work of others: Non-examination assessment (three reflective tasks on two works from two art forms), maximum 6 hours, 25%, 25 marks, set and marked by WJEC, no prescribed format, first assessed Summer 2028
- Unit 2: Developing my own ideas: Non-examination assessment (practical piece in response to a WJEC stimulus and a reflective log), 25%, 25 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, first assessed Summer 2028
- Unit 3: Showcasing my skills: Non-examination assessment (practical assessment, two pieces or performances from the same or different art forms), 50%, 40 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, first assessed Summer 2029
Skills that use Storing and sharing
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Working with others and sharing feedback on creative work
Unit 3 gives learners the chance to develop practical skills individually or as part of a group, and the specification encourages giving and receiving feedback. Group work is permitted only where specified and each learner's contribution must be identifiable. Appendix B maps Interacting and Collaborating to Units 2 and 3, which suits shared online folders for footage, sound files and drafts.
DCF: Collaboration, Storing and sharing, Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils save their group's photos and notes for a short drama into a shared class folder, using a folder name the teacher sets.
- Year 8
- Pupils upload a rehearsal clip to a shared space and add two comments on a partner group's clip, one strength and one suggestion.
- Year 9
- Pupils run a group film or performance project in a shared online workspace, setting who can edit, keeping each member's tasks visible and acting on peer comments.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Overview, page 14; Opportunities for integration of learning experiences, page 16; Section 3.3, page 19; Appendix B, page 30
“develop their practical skills individually and/or as part of a group”
Progression step 3
I can work with others to create an online collaborative project for a specific purpose, sharing and appropriately setting permissions for other group members, e.g. editing, commenting, viewing.
I can manage files and folders locally or online, e.g. move files to a folder.
I can invite feedback/responses from others, e.g. use 'comment' in online platforms, asking questions or adding suggestions.
Progression step 4
I can independently select and use a range of online collaboration tools to create a project with others in one or more languages, e.g. making use of online technology to share and present ideas to others.
I can suggest and make improvements that are relevant for audience and purpose, based on feedback and self-evaluation of my digital work.
Good to know
- Digital formats are optional for Unit 1: "There is no prescribed format for this work." (page 18). The listed formats include written prose, PowerPoint, "annotated photos, images, screenshots or videos" and "blog or vlog".
- The Unit 2 reflective log can also be digital: "There is no prescribed format for the reflective log." (page 18), with formats including an "audio-visual presentation" and a PowerPoint presentation.
- There is no examination: "All units of this qualification are assessed through non-examination assessment." (Section 3.3, page 19).
- Unit 2 stimuli come from WJEC online: "WJEC set stimuli will be released on WJEC's portal in the June of the first year of study" (page 18), and "New stimuli will be released every two years."
- Teachers supervise the tasks and "must not provide feedback on the evidence being produced." (page 19). In group work "Individual contributions must be clearly identifiable" (page 19).
- Performances are evidenced by the teacher: "performance evidence (e.g. dance) must be documented using observation records" (page 19). Filming is not required by the specification.
- NEA follows "JCQ's Instructions for Conducting Non-Examination Assessments (Vocational and Technical Qualifications)" (page 19); the specification adds no separate AI rules.
- The front cover warns that "The UK Government has announced plans to restrict social media use by children under 16", which matters for any learner choosing a blog or vlog format.
- Appendix B (page 30) maps Digital Competence Citizenship to Unit 1, Interacting and Collaborating to Units 2 and 3, Producing to Unit 2, and Data and Computational Thinking to no unit.
Links with other qualifications
There is no GCSE Expressive Arts; the specification says it gives "a broad basis for progression onto GCSE qualifications in the Expressive Arts area" (page 7). Its five art forms match GCSE Art and Design, GCSE Drama, GCSE Dance, GCSE Music and GCSE Digital Media and Film. The digital work here, such as filming and editing, sound and lighting cues, digital reflective logs and researching works online, is a first step towards the heavier digital content of GCSE Digital Media and Film and the sound design, music technology and multimedia logs in GCSE Drama, GCSE Music and GCSE Dance.
Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Expressive Arts specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).