DCF Cymru Digital competence for Wales

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GCSE Social Studies

GCSE Social Studies is data heavy: learners calculate averages and percentages, build graphs and judge how data is presented in the examinations, and in the NEA they design questionnaires, assess and reference sources, and create an artefact such as an email, blog post or research poster. Digital exclusion, social media campaigning and online petitions also appear as content, and both NEA units are submitted digitally. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is a secure routine of collecting data with an online form, analysing it in a spreadsheet and presenting it clearly with referenced sources.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Level 1 and Level 2
First taught
September 2026
Amount of digital work
Medium
Specification
Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Society and Social Issues: Examination 1 hour 15 minutes, 30%
  • Unit 2: Investigating Society and Social Issues: NEA 6 hours 30 minutes, 20%, set and marked by WJEC
  • Unit 3: Social Change in Contemporary Society: Examination 1 hour 15 minutes, 30%
  • Unit 4: Planning to Effect Social Change: NEA 6 hours 30 minutes, 20%, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC

Skills that use Communication

  1. Creating a digital artefact to communicate findings

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

    Learners must create an artefact, for example an email, an online article or blog post, a research poster or a speech, that follows an appropriate format and reflects both the given sources and their own primary data.

    DCF: Creating digital content, Communication, Evaluating and improving digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils create a research poster in PowerPoint on a local issue with a chart, an image and a short headline.
    Year 8
    Pupils write a formal email in Outlook to a local councillor presenting the findings of a class survey.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a blog-style article in Word or Sway that uses their own survey chart and one credible source to argue for change, then redraft it after peer comments.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.3.2, page 20

    “create an artefact to communicate information gained”
    Progression step 3

    • I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:

      • text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
      • presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.

    • I can exchange online communications, making use of a growing range of available features, e.g. add attachments or hyperlinks, change formatting.

    • I can ensure my output is appropriate for specific purposes.

    Progression step 4

    • I can select and use a variety of appropriate software, tools and techniques to create, modify and combine multimedia components for a range of audiences and purposes, such as:

      • text and images, e.g. explore and use effectively image manipulation techniques; explore and use appropriately the many aspects of document layout; use animation, video and audio effects such as echo, tempo, envelope, layering, frame rate, key frames
      • presentation, e.g. use design tools; adapt themes and colours to suit the purpose; create master templates.

    • I can suggest and make improvements that are relevant for audience and purpose, based on feedback and self-evaluation of my digital work.

    Progression step 5

    • I can use a variety of software, tools and techniques to create a professional, individual or collaborative project outcome incorporating a range of multimedia components.

    • I can make use of and reflect on available online communication services for specific purposes, justifying selections made based on their appropriateness for delivery of information.

    • I can justify reasoning to critical audiences in terms of layout and content of my digital work.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

The questionnaire, chart and digital NEA submission demands closely match GCSE Business, and source credibility and referencing overlap with History and Geography, so a shared KS3 enquiry routine would serve all of them.

Source: WJEC GCSE Social Studies specification, Version 2, October 2025 (teaching from 2026, for award from 2028).