Foundation Humanities
WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Humanities is a two year, 120 hour course for learners aged 14 to 16, assessed entirely by portfolio. Learners take two of five subject units (Business, Geography, History, Religious Studies and Social Studies) and the mandatory Unit 6, which links the subjects through sustainability in Wales. Digital work is light and mostly optional: the aims mention enquiry using digital technology where appropriate, and the content touches digital advertising and websites in Business, online rights, digital exclusion and social media campaigns in Social Studies, and climate data in Geography. Online research, judging sources and working honestly are the digital skills most learners will use, whichever units they take.
- 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: Business (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 2: Geography (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 3: History (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 4: Religious Studies (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 5: Social Studies (optional): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 8 hours, 35%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
- Unit 6: Creating sustainable communities in Wales (mandatory): Portfolio of six tasks (non-examination assessment), suggested timing approximately 7 hours, 30%, 50 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC. Learners take two of Units 1 to 5 plus Unit 6, ideally in the final year
The digital skills in this qualification
-
Researching humanities topics online and judging sources
Learners develop investigative and enquiry skills, using digital technology where appropriate, and portfolio tasks allow local or self-selected examples, such as a campaign in Wales in Unit 5 or a specific business and a local sustainability initiative in Unit 6. Finding these examples online means choosing search terms, checking that a source is reliable and noting where information came from.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils search for three facts about a local park or beach clean scheme using keywords their teacher gives them, and write down the web address of each fact.
- Year 8
- Pupils compare two websites about the Black Death or a Welsh charity campaign, say which is more reliable and why, and change their search terms to find a better source.
- Year 9
- Pupils research a local sustainability initiative online, using advanced search options and the initiative's own website, judge the reliability of three sources and list them as references.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section 1.1, page 8; Section 3.2, page 28; Unit 5, Section 5.2.2, page 22; Unit 6, Sections 6.3.2 and 6.3.3, page 25
“develop investigative and enquiry skills, using digital technology where appropriate”
Progression step 3
I can adjust keywords and search techniques to find relevant information.
I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.
Progression step 4
I can search a variety of sources using relevant search techniques with increased complexity.
I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
-
Recognising how businesses use digital advertising and websites
In Unit 1 learners know the advertising media open to businesses, including digital advertising such as social media, websites, pop up ads, search engine advertising and mobile advertising. They also understand how the look and feel of a website creates an impression for customers, so they pick out the features designed to catch attention.
DCF: Health and well-being, Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils look at a screenshot of a games or clothing website and label three things designed to grab their attention, such as colours, offers and pop up ads.
- Year 8
- Pupils compare the home pages of two local businesses and explain which gives a better impression to customers, commenting on layout, images and branding.
- Year 9
- Pupils collect examples of one business's adverts on social media, in search results and on its website, and explain who each advert targets and why it is placed there.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Sections 1.2.1 and 1.2.2, page 14
“the look and feel of a website”
Progression step 3
I can identify marketing elements designed to draw my attention.
I can explain reasons for layout and content of my own work and the work of others.
Progression step 4
I can make informed choices while making online choices, including making in-app purchases and clicking on adverts.
-
Explaining how technology changes the way businesses sell
Unit 1 asks learners to understand the fast-changing environment businesses work in, including changes in technology. In the marketing mix, the Place element includes retail websites and apps alongside physical shops, so learners explain how online selling changes how customers buy and how businesses compete.
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils sort the ways their family buys things into in shop and online, and give one advantage of each.
- Year 8
- Pupils compare buying the same item from a high street shop, a retailer's website and an app, looking at price, delivery and offers, and decide which is best.
- Year 9
- Pupils explain how a local shop or a well known retailer has changed because of online shopping and apps, and judge whether the change helped or harmed it.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.1.3, page 13; Unit 1, Section 1.2.3, page 14
“fast-changing environment in which businesses operate”
Progression step 3
I can identify the wider positive and negative influences of technology, e.g. on my life, on society, on the environment.
Progression step 4
I can reflect on the role of digital media in my life and habits.
I can make informed choices while making online choices, including making in-app purchases and clicking on adverts.
-
Analysing media influence through the history of television
Unit 3 asks learners to understand the impact of television on people's lives in Wales, including entertainment, education programmes and access to the news, advertising and the development of Welsh language television. This builds awareness of how a new technology and its advertising shape daily habits, a first step towards judging media influence today.
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils list the screens and media they use in a day and compare it with a 1950s family's evening with the radio and one television channel.
- Year 8
- Pupils watch two adverts, one from the 1960s and one from today, and point out the techniques each uses to draw attention.
- Year 9
- Pupils use oral history clips or archive news to explain how television changed leisure and the Welsh language in Wales, and compare it with how streaming and social media change habits now.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Section 3.1.2, page 17
“the impact of television on people's lives, including”
Progression step 3
I can identify the wider positive and negative influences of technology, e.g. on my life, on society, on the environment.
I can identify marketing elements designed to draw my attention.
Progression step 4
I can reflect on the role of digital media in my life and habits.
-
Applying rights and responsibilities to online life
In Unit 5 learners understand rights paired with responsibilities, including the responsibility not to use harmful, hateful or derogatory language and the responsibility not to access or make public private information. The specification states these generally rather than online, but privacy and freedom of expression are where learners most often meet them, on social media and messaging apps.
DCF: Online behaviour and online bullying, Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils sort example comments from a class chat into kind, unkind and hateful, and say what to do when they see each kind.
- Year 8
- Pupils decide whether scenarios such as sharing a friend's photo or screenshotting a private message respect the right to privacy, and explain the responsibility involved.
- Year 9
- Pupils write a short guide for Year 7 on freedom of expression and privacy online, explaining how a post becomes part of a digital footprint and when it breaks someone's rights.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 5, Section 5.1.2, page 21
“Right to privacy: Responsibility not to access or make”
Progression step 3
I can recognise language that could be deemed to be offensive (including racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic language) in online activities.
I can identify the benefits and risks of giving personal information and device access to different software.
Progression step 4
I can understand the implications of online actions, including my digital footprint and the legal implications of sharing inappropriate material.
I can understand that I have a digital footprint and that this information can be searched, copied and passed on.
-
Understanding digital exclusion as a social issue
Unit 5 lists digital exclusion among example social issues, beside poverty, homelessness, racism and mental health, and learners understand the effects of social issues on individuals and communities within Wales. Learners who choose it explain who lacks devices, connection or skills and what that means for their daily lives.
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils list everyday tasks that need the internet, such as homework, banking and booking a doctor, and discuss who might find them hard.
- Year 8
- Pupils interview a grandparent or neighbour about using online services and record the barriers they face.
- Year 9
- Pupils explain how digital exclusion affects one group in Wales, such as older people or families on low incomes, and suggest one realistic way a community could help.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 5, Section 5.2.1, page 22
“homelessness, digital exclusion, racism or mental”
Progression step 3
I can identify the wider positive and negative influences of technology, e.g. on my life, on society, on the environment.
Progression step 4
I can reflect on the role of digital media in my life and habits.
-
Choosing social media and other methods for a campaign
In Unit 5 learners understand campaign methods, including media engagement and social media, and that different methods have different purposes. They evaluate one campaign in Wales, such as Keep Wales Tidy or Time to Talk Wales, for its effectiveness, impact and reach, then plan their own campaign, selecting methods and explaining how they would measure its success.
DCF: Communication, Creating digital content, Online behaviour and online bullying
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils compare a poster and a short social media post for the same school event and say which would reach more pupils and why.
- Year 8
- Pupils design a mock social media post for a charity campaign, choosing an image, a hashtag and wording suited to teenagers, without publishing it.
- Year 9
- Pupils plan a campaign on a local issue, choosing between leaflets, a school assembly and social media, and explain how they would use views, shares or sign ups to measure success safely.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 5, Sections 5.2.2 and 5.2.3, page 22
“canvassing, leafleting, public rallies, media engagement”
Progression step 3
I can show an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of communication and when it is appropriate to use each, e.g. explain when video conferencing may be more appropriate than e-mail, and vice versa; explain the pros and cons of using instant messaging in social contexts; talk about purpose and audience.
I can use software tools to enhance the outcomes for specific audiences.
Progression step 4
I can select and use different online communication tools for specific purposes with higher levels of competence, e.g. set up and manage an address book, organise contacts, use advanced features of e-mail provider (signature, auto reply, read receipt, widgets).
I can act appropriately online, keeping myself safe and behaving in a responsible manner.
-
Comparing climate data for two places in Wales
Unit 2 asks learners to understand how temperature and precipitation vary between two contrasting locations in Wales, between places and over time, such as a coastal and a mountainous area. Climate data like this suits a spreadsheet table and chart, although the specification does not name any software.
DCF: Data and information literacy
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils type a month by month rainfall table for their town into a spreadsheet and make a bar chart from it.
- Year 8
- Pupils enter monthly temperature and rainfall for Cardiff and a Snowdonia weather station, use AVERAGE, MAX and MIN, and draw a climate graph for each.
- Year 9
- Pupils download Met Office records for two Welsh stations over 30 years, chart the change over time and describe the trend and any unusual years.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.2.1, page 16
“how temperature and precipitation vary across two contrasting locations in Wales”
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 perform analysis on simple data sets including grouping data as appropriate.
I can analyse large data sets and identify trends where appropriate.
-
Working honestly and acknowledging sources
Learners and teachers sign declarations confirming that portfolio work is authentic, and learners must give individual responses that can be attributed to them. Copying text or images from websites without credit would breach the malpractice rules, so learners put information in their own words and note their sources.
DCF: Digital rights, licensing and ownership
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils rewrite a paragraph from a website about evacuees in their own words and add the web address underneath.
- Year 8
- Pupils keep a simple source list with the title, website and date for a research task, and highlight where each source is used in their work.
- Year 9
- Pupils reference the text and images used in a project, check whether the images are free to reuse, and explain why presenting copied work as their own is malpractice.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section 3.4, pages 28 and 29; Section 4, page 31
“Learners must provide individual responses, and evidence must be attributable to each learner.”
Progression step 3
I can understand that copying the work of others and presenting it as my own is plagiarism.
I can cite sources when researching and explain the importance of this, e.g. create simple lists for the referencing of digital and offline sources.
Progression step 4
I can act responsibly as creator and user of creative work, e.g. exploring decisions that creators make when exercising their creative rights and responsibilities, giving consideration to ethical, real-life issues.
Good to know
- Digital technology is encouraged but not required. The aims say learners develop enquiry skills "using digital technology where appropriate" (Section 1.1, page 8), and the learning experiences, including to "make appropriate use of digital technology when completing the qualification", "will not be directly assessed" (page 26).
- Every unit is a portfolio: "Each learner's portfolio will include six completed tasks." The tasks are set by WJEC for the lifetime of the qualification, with "opportunities to use local or other self-selected examples" (Section 3.2, page 28).
- No software, equipment or digital submission format is named. "Any specific resource requirements will be outlined in the assessment pack." (Section 3.4, page 28).
- Work is supervised and teachers "must not provide feedback on the evidence being produced" (Section 3.4, page 28). All NEA follows JCQ's "Instructions for Conducting Non-Examination Assessments (Vocational and Technical Qualifications)" (page 28); the specification itself has no separate rule on AI.
- Collaborative digital work is limited: "Group work is permitted only where specified." (Section 3.4, page 29).
- Social media content may change. The cover notes that plans to restrict social media use by children under 16 "may impact some of our qualifications" (page 1), which matters for the social media campaign methods in Unit 5.
- Appendix A (pages 35 to 37) maps Digital Competence Citizenship, Interacting and Collaborating and Producing to all six units, and Data and Computational Thinking to Units 2 to 6 but not Unit 1 Business.
Links with other qualifications
The specification describes the qualification as "a broad basis for progression onto GCSEs in the Humanities area" (page 9), and each optional unit leads towards the matching GCSE: Business, Geography, History, Religious Studies or Social Studies. The digital skills here are the starting point for those courses. GCSE Geography steps the climate data work up to GIS, digital maps and spreadsheet analysis of fieldwork data; GCSE Social Studies and GCSE Business add online questionnaires, spreadsheet statistics and financial modelling; GCSE History and GCSE Religious Studies ask learners to judge online sources and archives more critically. Unit 6 draws on sustainability ideas also met in GCSE Geography and GCSE Religious Studies.
Source: WJEC Entry Level/Level 1 Foundation Humanities specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).