Skills for Life: British Sign Language

Da gwybod

• BSL is the one exception to the unit aggregation rule: "learners may complete British Sign Language units at more than one level", and "each unit taken may contribute to the overall qualification" (Section Two, Unit aggregation, page 9). For example, Level 1 BSL and Level 2 BSL together give 40 GLH towards a Level 2 Certificate, provided at least a further 60 GLH is at Level 2. The rule is repeated in Section Five, Re-sits and Reusing Units, page 99. This matches the WJEC unit and differs from Pearson, where BSL GLH count only once.
• Every level is 20 guided learning hours and 2 credits, with a "Lower age restriction: 14" (unit details, pages 30, 33, 36, 38 and 40).
• The signing evidence format is fixed: "Role-play - video and/or annotated photographic evidence with assessor observation statement is required for LO2 and LO3." (Prescribed Assessment Methods, Level 2, page 32, and Level 1, page 35). At Entry 3 it covers LO2, LO3 and LO4 (page 37) and at Entry 1 and Entry 2 it covers LO1, LO2 and LO3 (pages 39 and 41).
• The assessor must sign: "the assessor should be a competent BSL-user" (Assessor and Resource Requirements, page 32, repeated at every level). The unit points to Section Four for assessor requirements, but Section Four contains none.
• Entry 1 and Entry 2 have no knowledge outcome; the outcome on deaf culture, communication support and fingerspelling starts at Entry 3, as "1. Know key elements of deaf culture." (Entry Level 3, page 36).
• The assessment is short and supervised: "20 GLH incorporates assessment time of no more than 60 minutes." and "All assessment production must be completed under direct supervision" (Appendix A, section 4, page 106).
• "AI tools must not be used at all." and "Learners must produce their own reference materials" (Appendix A, Resources and AI, page 106).
• There is no second attempt at a signed task: "Drafting and redrafting are not permitted in this summative task." (Appendix A, Teacher support and feedback, page 106), and "There are no resubmission opportunities available for these qualifications." (Section Five, Resubmissions, page 99).
• If a unit's evidence comes in more than one form, such as written knowledge for LO1 and video for the signing, "learners will complete two summative assessment tasks" (Section Five, page 97).
• Agored Cymru provides an exemplar for this unit, and "These exemplars are constructed using Microsoft Word" (Section Five, Exemplars of summative assessment evidence, page 98).
• The unit was developed with a partner, "Agored Cymru worked with the COS.org.uk, the disability access charity", but the "link" it refers to is not given in the specification (Assessor and Resource Requirements, page 32).

Cysylltiadau â chymwysterau eraill

The Areas of Learning and Experience named for the unit are Languages, Literacy and Communication and Health and Well-being, with the What Matters statements "Languages are a key part of our identity" and "How we process and respond to our experiences affects our mental health", so the unit links to GCSE English Language, GCSE Welsh Language, the modern foreign language GCSEs and GCSE Health and Social Care, and Childcare, and to the Agored Cymru Skills for Life units Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Looking After Others and Mental Health and Wellbeing and the Skills for Work unit Fairness and Inclusion in the Workplace. Compared with the WJEC Skills for Life unit British Sign Language, which is built around meeting people, fingerspelling, numbers, weather, transport and directions, Agored has no weather, transport or directions content but adds a knowledge outcome on BSL grammar, non-manual features, deaf culture and communication support from Entry 3, and asks for feelings and everyday questions such as at a shop or a café. Like WJEC, Agored lets each level count towards the qualification. Compared with the Pearson unit, which has one broad criterion per level, leaves the evidence type to the centre, allows acknowledged AI and counts the GLH only once, Agored sets detailed criteria with minimum numbers at each level, prescribes video or annotated photographic evidence, bans AI completely and counts each level taken. Digitally, all 3 units are Low demand, with the digital work in video evidence and online sign resources.