GCSE Core Cymraeg
GCSE Core Cymraeg makes few direct digital demands. Learners watch a short video stimulus for Unit 1, interpret charts and statistics in Unit 2, and read and write digital text types such as blogs, emails and online information in the examinations. No dictionaries or other resources are allowed in any assessment, so the biggest thing KS3 can build is confident, critical viewing and reading of Cymraeg media, including video, charts and online texts.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Level 1 and Level 2
- First taught
- September 2025
- Amount of digital work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Responding to a Visual Stimulus: Non-examination assessment, speaking and listening in a pair (6 to 8 minutes) or group of three (8 to 10 minutes), set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, 25%, 50 marks
- Unit 2: Responding to Various Sources: Non-examination assessment, speaking and listening in a pair (6 to 8 minutes) or group of three (8 to 10 minutes), set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC, 25%, 50 marks
- Unit 3: Preparing for the Future: Written examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 25%, 100 marks
- Unit 4: Literature and Creative: Written examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 25%, 100 marks
Skills that use Identity, image and reputation
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Watching a video clip critically and noting key points for discussion
In Unit 1 learners watch a WJEC video of about 2 minutes in which three speakers discuss cynefin, identity or culture, make notes on a sheet while watching, then discuss it. They must pick out the main message, specific detail and different viewpoints.
DCF: Identity, image and reputation, Health and well-being, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils watch a short Cymraeg clip about hobbies on the class screen, tick the words they hear on a note grid, then tell a partner one opinion in Cymraeg.
- Year 8
- Pupils watch a 2-minute clip of two young people talking about their area, record each speaker's opinion on a note grid, and replay the clip to check what they missed.
- Year 9
- Pupils watch a clip of three speakers on identity or cynefin with 10 minutes to prepare, then discuss in threes whose view is most convincing and whether the clip shows a fair range of people.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 3.2 Arrangements for non-examination assessment, page 24; Unit 1 overview, page 11
“This unit requires candidates to watch and listen to a visual stimulus from WJEC and discuss the contents of the clip with a partner”
Progression step 3
I can think critically about information shared online, e.g. the impact of sharing images and videos, metadata of images and videos.
Progression step 4
I can identify stereotypes and their impact in a range of media.
Progression step 5
I can search efficiently for information for my digital work and evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justifying opinions and reasons for choices, and I can reference work using appropriate methods.
Good to know
- No dictionaries or other resources are allowed in the preparation time for the spoken NEAs: "The use of dictionaries or any other resource is not permitted during the preparation." (Summary of assessment, Units 1 and 2, page 5).
- Both written examinations ban all resources: "Learners are not permitted to use dictionaries or any other resources in any part of the assessment." (Summary of assessment, Units 3 and 4, page 6).
- In Unit 1 learners make notes on a sheet provided for the task, which the teacher keeps; its format is not stated: "A sheet will be available for candidates to complete while they watch the clip." (Section 3.2, page 24).
- NEA tasks are released to centres, not learners, through WJEC's Portal: "WJEC will release a list for each centre on Portal ahead of the assessment period" (Section 3.2, page 24).
- Use of digital technology is a learning experience only: "the experiences will not be directly assessed" (Opportunities for integration of learning experiences, page 22).
- The specification says nothing about AI, typing, or how the spoken NEAs are captured for moderation; detail is left to the Assessment Pack: "The Assessment Pack will include all detailed information relating to assessment." (Section 3, page 23).
Links with other qualifications
WJEC's Appendix B (pages 29 to 30) ticks Digital Competence Citizenship and Interacting and Collaborating for all four units, Producing for Units 3 and 4, and Data and Computational Thinking for Units 2 and 3; chart reading overlaps with Mathematics and Numeracy, and the video listening and digital text types match GCSE French, German and Spanish.
Source: WJEC GCSE Core Cymraeg specification, Version 3, September 2026, teaching from 2025, for award from 2027.