Personal Project
The RSL Personal Project is three separate 60 guided learning hour qualifications, at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2, in which learners choose a project, plan and research it, produce an outcome and reflect on it. Each is non-examination assessment out of 80 marks, marked by the centre and moderated by RSL: a digital portfolio marked against three integral skills and a reflection on personal effectiveness. Digital demand is higher than in the WJEC Personal Project because all evidence must be submitted digitally, including video or audio of any practical outcome. Digital work sits in building the portfolio, planning tools, online research and reliability, referencing sources and AI, and presenting ideas creatively.
- Awarding body
- RSL Awards
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 60
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Medium
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
- RSL Entry Level Personal Project (unit code EL-PP), 60 GLH: Non-examination assessment, 100% of the qualification, 80 marks. Section A is a digital portfolio of no more than 1000 words or 10 minutes of audio or video, marked against three criteria of 20 marks each (planning and organising, critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation), 60 marks. Section B is a reflection on personal effectiveness of no more than 600 words or 6 minutes, in one format only, 20 marks. The project proposal (up to 1200 words or 12 minutes) and evidence of the outcome (up to 1500 words or 15 minutes) are submitted separately. Learners choose the project with tutor approval and spend 30 to 40 hours on assessment; the centre marks the work and RSL moderates it. Graded Entry 1, Entry 2 or Entry 3 Pass.
- RSL Level One Personal Project (unit code L1-PP), 60 GLH: Non-examination assessment, 100% of the qualification, 80 marks, with the same structure as Entry Level: Section A, a digital portfolio of no more than 1200 words or 12 minutes of audio or video marked against three criteria of 20 marks each, 60 marks, and Section B, a reflection of no more than 800 words or 8 minutes in one format only, 20 marks. SMART goals, timescales and purposeful communication are required at this level. Learners choose the project with tutor approval; the centre marks the work and RSL moderates it. Graded Pass, Merit or Distinction.
- RSL Level Two Personal Project (unit code L2-PP), 60 GLH: Non-examination assessment, 100% of the qualification, 80 marks, with the same structure: Section A, a digital portfolio of no more than 1500 words or 15 minutes of audio or video marked against three criteria of 20 marks each, 60 marks, and Section B, a reflection of no more than 1000 words or 10 minutes in one format only, 20 marks. Level 2 adds a definition of success, a schedule that includes availability of resources, a budget where there is one, research from a variety of sources for specific purposes and challenging established ideas. Learners choose the project with minimal tutor guidance; the centre marks the work and RSL moderates it. Graded Pass, Merit or Distinction.
Skills that use Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
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Planning and scheduling with digital tools
The content at every level requires learners to know tools and technology that support planning and scheduling, and Section A Criteria One marks their goals, schedule, resources and the changes they make to the plan. Entry Level learners create a schedule, Level 1 learners add activities and timescales, and Level 2 learners add availability of resources and show how they monitored progress. The schedule is assessed, but using a digital planner rather than paper is the learner's choice.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils plan a two week homework task in a shared online checklist, listing each step with a date and ticking it off as they finish.
- Year 8
- Pupils build a simple timeline in a spreadsheet for a class research task, with each activity, how long it should take and a deadline, then colour each row as they complete it.
- Year 9
- Pupils plan a four week mini project in a digital planner with milestones, resources and when each is needed, update it weekly and note one change and the reason for it.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level Content, Planning and Organising, page 7; Level One Content, page 17; Level Two Content, page 29; Section A Criteria One mark schemes, pages 13, 24 and 37
“Identifying tools and technology to support planning and scheduling”
Progression step 3
I can independently create and plan work before beginning a digital task.
Progression step 4
I can select and effectively use a variety of planning techniques.
Progression step 5
I can plan my digital work effectively and with increasing complexity.
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Researching online and checking reliability
Learners gather research from more than one source at Entry Level, several sources at Level 1 and a variety of sources for specific purposes at Level 2, saying whether each is primary or secondary and checking whether it is reliable. Section A Criteria Two marks this, and the specification warns that AI chatbots can give convincing answers that contain incorrect or biased information. Websites are named as one research resource, so online searching is likely but not required.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content, Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils search for facts about a local landmark, bookmark three websites and say who wrote each one and whether it looks trustworthy.
- Year 8
- Pupils refine their keywords to research a topic such as fast fashion, then sort the results into reliable and unreliable using a checklist on author, date and purpose.
- Year 9
- Pupils ask an AI chatbot a question about their topic, check each claim against two other sources and write a short note on which parts were accurate and which were not.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level Content, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, page 8; Level Two Content, page 30; Level Two Assessment Method, Section A, page 32; Resources, pages 16, 28 and 41; Artificial Intelligence, page 48
“Knowing a variety of methods for exploring and accessing information for specific purposes”
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.
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 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.
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.
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Referencing sources and AI use
Every learner must reference the sources they use, and when they use AI they must give the tool, the query, the date the output was generated and a screenshot, and explain how they used the output. Failing to reference sources, including AI, is treated as plagiarism and malpractice. This is a condition of every submission rather than a mark scheme criterion, and no formal referencing style such as Harvard is required at any level.
DCF: Digital rights, licensing and ownership, Sourcing, searching and planning digital content, Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils add a sources list to the end of a fact file, noting the website name, page title and the date they visited for each fact.
- Year 8
- Pupils rewrite a paragraph they found online in their own words, add the source underneath and discuss why copying it would be plagiarism.
- Year 9
- Pupils use an AI tool to suggest project ideas, then record the tool, their exact prompt, the date and a screenshot, and write two sentences on how they used or rejected the output.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Assessment Information, task setting, page 43; Authenticity, page 45; Plagiarism and referencing, page 47; Artificial Intelligence, page 48; Referencing, page 53
“reference the AI source used, the query that was posed, and the date the output was generated”
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.
I can begin to reference sources used in my work, and consider if content is reliable.
Progression step 4
I can understand copyright and can explain the legal and ethical dimensions of respecting creative work, e.g. exploring the ethical and legal ramifications of piracy and plagiarism and know that they are irresponsible and disrespectful, and I can apply my understanding of the rules and regulations to different scenarios.
I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
Progression step 5
I can refer appropriately to sources of information used in my digital work.
Good to know
- There are three separate qualifications, each 60 GLH and 60 TQT (page 5), with unit codes "Qualification unit code: EL-PP", L1-PP and L2-PP (pages 7, 17 and 29). Learners are registered at one level by October, and "it is vital that diagnostic assessment is undertaken to ascertain the correct level for each learner" (page 46). Unlike WJEC, the Level 1 or Level 2 award is not decided by the total mark.
- Time is split: "Preparation time should take between 20 and 30 hours, and the assessment time should take between 30 and 40 hours" (page 5).
- Every piece of evidence is digital: "All evidence must be submitted digitally" (pages 9, 19 and 32), in formats including "video files, audio files, word processed documents and photographs or digital images" (page 45). Schools need recording equipment and IT for every learner.
- Evidence limits are enforced: "if their evidence exceeds the maximum evidence limits by more than 20%, tutors will stop marking at the point at which this is exceeded" (page 10). The portfolio limit is 1000, 1200 or 1500 words (or 10, 12 or 15 minutes) by level.
- AI may be used if it is referenced. Misuse means using it "to create original work that is then submitted as though it is the learner's own" (page 48), and learners must give the AI source, the query, the date and "a screen shot of the content" (page 53).
- Work is supervised: the evidence must be "produced under tutor-supervision" (page 45), and "Tutors must meet with learners a minimum of four times" during the project (page 45).
- Permitted support is set out for each level, and "Failure to record, and take into account when marking, assistance that goes beyond what is permitted, is a form of malpractice" (page 44).
- Group projects are allowed, but each learner "must have a clearly defined role within the group" and produce an individual portfolio and reflection (page 45).
- Learners must keep work safe and private: the proposal "Is stored securely, reminding learners to regularly backup their work" and "Is not to be shared with others (including on social media)" (page 43). In recordings, "Each learner must identify themselves at the start of each recording" (page 57).
- Assessment is "available once per year, in the summer exam series", with a January resubmission window for learners graded Unclassified, and it is "available in English and Welsh, or a combination of the two languages" (page 51).
- The document has errors: the "Entry codes" heading on page 58 has no content, the mark schemes refer to the Assessment Information section "on page 39" when it starts on page 42, the purpose list on page 4 ends with a cut off word ("relevant to the qualification ter"), and no mark to grade boundaries are printed (page 54). Mark scheme bands are labelled "Level 1" to "Level 4", which is easy to confuse with the qualification levels.
Links with other qualifications
The RSL Personal Project covers the same ground as the WJEC Personal Project Entry Level and the WJEC Personal Project Level 1 and Level 2: both are 60 guided learning hour projects on a topic the learner chooses, built on the four integral skills, marked by the centre and moderated externally. The differences are structural. RSL has three separate qualifications, so the level is chosen at registration, where WJEC awards Level 1 or Level 2 from the total mark; RSL marks four criteria out of 20 where WJEC marks 20 learning outcomes; RSL requires all evidence to be digital within fixed word or minute limits, where WJEC accepts any format with a suggested 2,000 words; and RSL asks for AI references with query, date and screenshot but no formal referencing style, while WJEC rewards Harvard style referencing at the top band. Planning and SMART goals overlap with the WJEC Skills for Work unit Personal Development Planning. RSL's starting points are themed on the creative industries, so projects often build on GCSE Digital Media and Film, GCSE Music, GCSE Drama or the WJEC VCSE Performing Arts and VCSE Creative and Media Production, and Technology.
Source: RSL Personal Project Qualifications, Entry Level to Level 2 syllabus specification, last updated 01/09/26, for qualifications from September 2027.