Skills for Life: British Sign Language
British Sign Language is an Agored Cymru Skills for Life unit in which learners learn to greet, introduce themselves, share personal information, sign everyday items, statements of fact, questions, feelings, fingerspelling and numbers in BSL, and from Entry 3 learn about the features of BSL, deaf culture and ways to support communication for deaf people. It is one 20 hour unit, printed at Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2, that learners combine with other units into an Agored Cymru Skills for Life, or Skills for Life and Work, Award, Certificate or Diploma. It is the only unit that learners can take at more than one level within one qualification. Assessment is internal, by centre-devised tasks that follow the mandatory Summative Assessment Package, and the signing must be captured as role-play on video and/or annotated photographs. Digital demand is Low because no assessment criterion asks for digital work. Digital skills sit in capturing and submitting the prescribed video evidence, learning signs from online BSL dictionaries, tutorials and Deaf media, researching communication support such as online relay interpreting, reviewing practice recordings, and producing their own reference materials without AI.
- Awarding body
- Agored Cymru
- 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 1 (Unit ID CDR928, Unit Code KB6E1CY001) and Entry Level 2 (Unit ID CDR927, Unit Code KB6E2CY001): Practical signing only, with no knowledge outcome. Entry 1 learners use BSL for greetings, farewells and thanks, introduce themselves, sign at least 5 single word items, express at least 2 simple feelings and sign at least 2 numbers. Entry 2 adds personal information, at least 10 single word items, fingerspelling at least 10 letters and at least 4 numbers, such as a short date of birth. The prescribed assessment method is role-play captured on video and/or annotated photographs with an assessor observation statement for LO1, LO2 and LO3. Internally assessed by the centre using the mandatory Summative Assessment Package in Appendix A, moderated by Agored Cymru. 20 guided learning hours and 2 credits at each level. Graded Pass or Fail.
- Entry Level 3 (Unit ID CDR926, Unit Code KB6E3CY002): A knowledge outcome is added: learners state key features of BSL (grammar, structure and non-manual features), list at least 2 ways to support communication for people with deafness and state how fingerspelling is used. Practically, learners greet and say farewell, introduce themselves to at least 1 person, give at least 2 pieces of personal information, sign at least 2 statements of fact and 2 feelings, fingerspell at least 15 letters and sign at least 10 numbers. Role-play on video and/or annotated photographs with an assessor observation statement is prescribed for LO2, LO3 and LO4. Internally assessed using Appendix A. 20 guided learning hours. Graded Pass or Fail.
- Level 1 (Unit ID CDR925, Unit Code KB61CY013) and Level 2 (Unit ID CDR924, Unit Code KB62CY007): Learners outline (Level 1) or describe (Level 2) the main features of BSL, at least 2 or 3 ways to support communication, and the role of fingerspelling. Practically, they greet and say farewell in more than one way, introduce themselves and at least 2 other people, give at least 2 or 3 pieces of personal information, respond in sign to signed personal questions, sign statements of fact, ask and answer at least 2 questions in everyday situations, and express at least 2 (Level 1) or 4 (Level 2) feelings using signs and body language. Role-play on video and/or annotated photographs with an assessor observation statement is prescribed for LO2 and LO3. Internally assessed using Appendix A. 20 guided learning hours. Graded Pass or Fail.
Skills that use Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
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Learning signs from online BSL dictionaries, tutorials and Deaf media
Agored Cymru's own cross-curricular mapping for the unit names online BSL dictionaries, tutorials and Deaf media as the Digital Competence link. Learners can use them to build the vocabulary the criteria ask for, such as at least 10 single word items at Entry 2 or 4 feelings at Level 2, but no criterion requires it, so it is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils search an online BSL dictionary for the signs for 5 foods, watch each clip and bookmark the pages to practise at home.
- Year 8
- Pupils use an online BSL tutorial to learn 4 feelings signs, and change their search words when a sign has several regional versions.
- Year 9
- Pupils compare how 2 online BSL dictionaries show the same everyday question, note any regional differences, and build a bookmarked folder of trusted sign resources.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: British Sign Language, cross-curricular skills mapping, Digital Competence, page 42
“Encourages exploration of online BSL dictionaries, tutorials”
Progression step 3
I can adjust keywords and search techniques to find relevant information.
I can store search results for future use, e.g. bookmark, add to favourites.
Progression step 4
I can search a variety of sources using relevant search techniques with increased complexity.
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Researching technology that supports communication for deaf people
From Entry 3 learners list, outline or describe ways to support communication for deaf people, and the amplification gives online relay interpreting as one example, alongside face-to-face interpreting, signed supported English and lip reading. Learners will often research these online. The knowledge is assessed, but online relay interpreting is only an example and the research method is not, so the digital skill is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content, Health and well-being
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils use given keywords to find out what a video relay service is and write 2 sentences on how it helps a deaf person make a phone call.
- Year 8
- Pupils list 3 ways technology helps deaf people communicate, such as live captions and video calls, and say one benefit and one drawback of each.
- Year 9
- Pupils research online relay interpreting from 2 different websites, judge which source is more reliable and explain why, and record both web addresses.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: British Sign Language, AC 1.2, Level 2, page 30; Level 1, page 33; Entry Level 3, page 36
“online relay interpreting”
Progression step 3
I can adjust keywords and search techniques to find relevant information.
I can identify the wider positive and negative influences of technology, e.g. on my life, on society, on the environment.
Progression step 4
I can evaluate the reliability of sources of information, justify my opinions and reasons for choices, and reference using appropriate methods.
Good to know
- 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).
Links with other qualifications
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.
Source: Agored Cymru The Skills Suite: Skills for Life and Work Specification, version 1.0, October 2026, British Sign Language.