Skills for Life: Ethical Choices
Ethical choices is one 20 hour Skills for Life unit, written at Entry 1 to Level 2, that learners combine with other units into a Skills for Life, or Skills for Life and Work, Award, Certificate or Diploma. Learners recognise ethical dilemmas, find out who can help, weigh up values, viewpoints and consequences, and make and justify a decision in everyday and work scenarios. Digital demand is low because no criterion needs a computer. Digital work sits in dilemmas about online behaviour and private information, decision flowcharts and consequence maps, online research, and recorded or presented digital evidence.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Four learning outcomes, each with two assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours, unit codes S608E1, S608E2 and S608E3.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes, each with two assessment criteria at Level 1 and at Level 2. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours, unit codes S608L1 and S608L2.
Skills that use Identity, image and reputation
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Thinking through dilemmas about online behaviour
The Level 1 and Level 2 amplification lists digital behaviour among the real-life examples learners use when they describe or explain an ethical dilemma, and a suggested digital ethics workshop has learners examine a scenario involving harmful online content. The dilemma criteria are assessed, but choosing an online scenario is up to the teacher.
DCF: Online behaviour and online bullying, Identity, image and reputation, Health and well-being
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils discuss a short story where a friend shares an embarrassing photo in a group chat and decide what the right thing to do is and why.
- Year 8
- Pupils weigh up whether to report a classmate's unkind post, listing who is affected and what could happen if they report it or stay silent.
- Year 9
- Pupils examine a scenario about a video that mocks someone, name the values that conflict, such as loyalty and honesty, and explain the short and long term consequences of sharing, ignoring or reporting it.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Amplification of learning outcome 1, page 8; Suggested activities, page 9; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 1, assessment criterion 1.1, page 6
“exploring real-life examples involving honesty, responsibility, respect, digital behaviour, or community issues”
Progression step 3
I can demonstrate appropriate online behaviour and apply a range of strategies to protect myself and others from possible online dangers, bullying and inappropriate behaviour, e.g. turn off comments on digital media, reporting, block users.
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 understand the implications of online actions, including my digital footprint and the legal implications of sharing inappropriate material.
I can identify ways of reporting unacceptable online behaviour.
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Making choices about private information and confidentiality
A suggested Level 1 and Level 2 activity has learners explore a dilemma involving confidentiality and discuss when it is right to keep or share information. It can provide evidence for the assessed criteria on dilemmas and consequences, but the topic itself is only suggested.
DCF: Identity, image and reputation, Online behaviour and online bullying
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils sort cards showing personal details, such as a home address, a favourite film and a password, into safe to share and keep private.
- Year 8
- Pupils discuss a dilemma where a friend's message suggests they are unsafe and decide when telling a trusted adult is the right choice.
- Year 9
- Pupils weigh up a work placement scenario where someone asks for a customer's phone number, explaining the values, the rules and the consequences for each person involved.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Suggested activities, page 9; Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcomes 1 and 3, page 6
“learners explore a dilemma involving confidentiality and discuss when it is right to keep or share information”
Progression step 3
I can identify the benefits and risks of giving personal information and device access to different software.
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 understand that I have a digital footprint and that this information can be searched, copied and passed on.
I can understand that photographs, locations and tags can be tracked and can make informed decisions accordingly.
Good to know
- The unit codes are S608E1, S608E2, S608E3, S608L1 and S608L2, and the unit is 20 guided learning hours (Unit overview, page 3). Learners can complete it at several levels, but "only the highest level of the unit achieved will count towards the GLH" (Specification Section 2.2, page 10).
- No equipment is needed: "Assessment of this unit should not require any specific resources." (page 12), and it is designed to be delivered in "standard classroom environments" (page 11).
- Evidence does not have to be written: "evidence may be verbal, written, practical, or visual, extended written work is not required unless appropriate" (Sources of evidence, page 10). Possible sources include "learner reflective journals (written, audio, or video)", "video recordings of role-plays, discussions, or presentations" and "decision-making flowcharts or diagrams created by learners" (page 10).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory". Teachers "may choose to use these suggestions, adapt them, or develop their own alternatives" (Specification Section 4.1, page 18).
- AI use must be acknowledged. "When properly referenced, this can be acceptable", but learners "cannot be credited for any work they produce for assessment which is not their own", and misuse includes "Failing to acknowledge use of AI tools when they have been used as a source of information." (Specification Section 4.6, page 21). Teachers must guard against "the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence tools" (Section 4.2, page 19).
- Appendix A maps this unit to Literacy, Digital Competence, Critical thinking and problem solving, and Planning and organisation (Specification Appendix A, page 28), and the pack says "Digital competence may be developed" through online research and digital evidence (page 4), so the digital work is real but optional.
- The pack opens with a warning about online work: "The UK Government has announced plans to restrict social media use by children under 16" (page 2), so online dilemmas should use made up scenarios rather than learners' own accounts.
Links with other qualifications
The pack names GCSE Religious Studies as a related WJEC qualification (page 7), which covers religious and non-religious ethical and moral issues in much more depth. GCSE Business covers ethical issues and the impact of unethical decisions on a business, and VCSE Public Services covers codes of ethics and making responsible and ethical decisions. For the digital work, online dilemmas and private information link with GCSE Digital Technology, which considers ethical and moral dilemmas linked to technology and digital footprints, and with the legal, social and ethical impacts in GCSE Computer Science. Foundation Humanities covers how different views shape moral and ethical thinking. Within the Skills Suite the pack pairs this unit with Community participation, Democracy in action, Equality, diversity and inclusion, Everyday law, Faith and belief in the community, Healthy relationships, Teamwork, Understanding self and others, Values for life and Fairness and inclusion in the workplace.
Source: WJEC Ethical choices unit delivery and assessment pack, read with the WJEC Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life and Skills for Work specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).