DCF Cymru Digital competence for Wales

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Skills for Life: Art and Crafts

Arts and crafts (Unit SfL 1) is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with others into a Pearson Skills for Life Award, Certificate or Diploma, from Entry 1 to Level 2. Learners practise art or craft techniques and materials and produce a 2D or 3D piece on a given topic, building a portfolio of exploratory work from Level 1. Centres set and mark the assessment, Pearson verifies it, and the unit is passed once at one level. Digital demand is low: no criterion requires digital work and Annexe B does not tick the digital column. Digital skills sit in photographing work for a possible digital portfolio, researching artists online and acknowledging sources and AI.

Awarding body
Pearson
Level
Entry Level 1 to Level 2
Guided learning hours
20
First taught
September 2027
Amount of digital work
Low
Specification
Open the specification
How this unit is assessed
  • Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): One practical assessment criterion at each of Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3, rising from demonstrating a few basic skills in a given arts or crafts activity, to demonstrating a range of skills and techniques to produce a piece of 2D or 3D artwork or craft on a given topic. The centre chooses the evidence, sets and marks the assessment, and Pearson quality assures it through standards verification. 20 guided learning hours, graded Pass or Fail at the level achieved.
  • Level 1 and Level 2: One practical assessment criterion at each of Level 1 and Level 2: learners develop a portfolio of exploratory skills (Level 1) or of techniques, stylistic approaches and exploratory skills (Level 2) and produce a final piece of 2D or 3D artwork or craft. The centre chooses the evidence, sets and marks the assessment over a number of sessions, and Pearson quality assures it through standards verification. 20 guided learning hours, graded Pass or Fail at the level achieved.

Skills that use Creating digital content

  1. Photographing work and building a digital portfolio

    Assessed: Taught, but not assessed

    Level 1 and Level 2 learners must develop a portfolio of exploratory work and development, and Entry 3 learners refer to a portfolio when making their final piece. Annexe C lists digital cameras and a possible digital portfolio as the digital links, and centres can choose the type of evidence. The portfolio is required, but keeping it digitally is a choice, not a requirement.

    DCF: Storing and sharing, Creating digital content

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils photograph each stage of making a clay tile with a tablet, crop the photos and save them in a named folder.
    Year 8
    Pupils make a three page digital sketchbook in presentation software with photos of their technique trials and a caption for each.
    Year 9
    Pupils assemble a digital portfolio of research, technique trials and a final piece, choosing a layout that shows how their idea developed.
    Show the specification wording and the DCF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit SfL 1, assessment criteria Level 1 and Level 2, page 12; Essential information for assessment decisions, Entry 3 and Level 1, page 13; Annexe C, page 160

    “Learners will produce a portfolio in preparation for the making of a piece of artwork”
    Progression step 3

    • I can manage files and folders locally or online, e.g. move files to a folder.

    • 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.
    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.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

Arts and crafts leads naturally into GCSE Art and Design and links with the Foundation in Expressive Arts, the Foundation in Design and Technology and the VCSE in Creative and Media Production and Technology; Pearson maps it to the Expressive Arts 'What matters' statements on exploring and creating. Photographing and presenting work digitally uses skills also built in GCSE Digital Media and Film. Within the WJEC Skills Suite, Digital Film and Media and Career Creativity are natural partners. Compared with the WJEC Arts and crafts unit, also 20 hours, which has three learning outcomes including knowing what art and craft is and expressing ideas, Pearson's version has one practical criterion per level centred on producing a 2D or 3D piece and, from Level 1, a portfolio, and it does not ask learners to describe or compare art forms.

Source: Pearson Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life Award, Certificate and Diploma Qualifications Specification, Issue 1, August 2026, Unit SfL 1: Arts and crafts.