Skills for Life: Everyday Law
Everyday Law is an Open Awards Skills for Life unit offered at 5 levels from Entry Level 1 to Level 2, each 20 guided learning hours, covering rules and laws, rights, the people who enforce the law, how laws are made in Wales, equality and consumer law, and how to get help and resolve legal problems. The provider designs the tasks and learners build a portfolio assessed Pass or Fail. Digital demand is low: no criterion needs a computer. Digital work sits in judging reliable online sources of legal information, online safety law, complaint emails and the e-portfolio.
- Awarding body
- Open Awards
- 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 Level 1 CBM061, Entry Level 2 CBM062, Entry Level 3 CBM063): Entry Level 1 has 4 learning outcomes and 7 criteria: recognise rules, recognise people who help keep others safe, identify where to get help, state a basic right and a responsibility, and take part in safe and fair behaviour. Entry Level 2 has 3 outcomes and 6 criteria: state the difference between a rule and a law, identify people who enforce the law, give examples of laws that keep us safe, recognise when a law has been broken, identify a consumer right and demonstrate how to ask for help. Entry Level 3 has 3 outcomes and 6 criteria: state the purpose of laws, identify consequences of breaking a rule or a law, give examples of laws that protect young people, describe where to find reliable information about legal rights, use basic legal terms to describe a consumer problem and take part in a structured activity to resolve a legal disagreement. Tasks are designed by the provider and evidence goes in a portfolio, assessed Pass or Fail. Each level is 2 credits and 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2 (Level 1 CBM064, Level 2 CBM065): Level 1 has 4 learning outcomes and 9 criteria: state the difference between civil and criminal law, identify who represents people, outline how a law is made in Wales, describe and analyse past and present systems of government in Wales, give examples of protected characteristics, describe the workplace rights of a young person, demonstrate how to make a formal complaint about a faulty product and identify reliable sources to report a safety concern or a crime. Level 2 has 3 outcomes and 7 criteria: explain civil and criminal law, summarise how a Senedd Bill becomes an Act, compare a law in Wales with one in another country, analyse the impact of the Equality Act, assess the rights of young workers in Wales, use consumer law to address a dispute and communicate a legal argument to resolve a community issue. Tasks are designed by the provider and evidence goes in a portfolio, assessed Pass or Fail. Each level is 2 credits and 20 guided learning hours.
The digital skills in this qualification
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Finding reliable legal information online
Entry Level 3 learners must describe where to find reliable information about legal rights, and Level 1 learners must identify reliable sources to report a safety concern or a crime. Most of the examples are websites: GOV.WALES children’s rights pages, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Meic and the Crimestoppers website. The criteria assess knowing which sources are trustworthy, so learners need to judge online sources, though the criteria do not require them to search live.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils visit the Children’s Commissioner for Wales website and find 3 rights young people have, noting the page address.
- Year 8
- Pupils search for advice about returning faulty goods and sort the results into official sites, charities and adverts, saying which they trust and why.
- Year 9
- Pupils compare a forum post and the GOV.WALES page on the same legal question, check the date and owner of each, and justify which they would rely on.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level 3 criterion 2.2, page 15, and indicative content, page 16; Level 1 criterion 4.2 and indicative content, pages 19 to 20
“Learners must describe places where to find reliable information about legal rights”
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.
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.
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Understanding online safety law
Entry Level 3 learners give examples of how specific laws protect young people. One of the examples is the Online Safety Act 2023, which places legal duties on social media companies such as YouTube and TikTok to protect children from illegal and harmful content. This is suggested content, so it is taught where the provider chooses it rather than required.
DCF: Online behaviour and online bullying, Health and well-being
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils learn the age rules for 2 social media apps and discuss why the law asks platforms to protect children.
- Year 8
- Pupils find the report button on a school-approved platform and explain what they would report and why.
- Year 9
- Pupils explain in a short paragraph what duties the Online Safety Act places on social media companies and what a young person can do if those duties are not met.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level 3 criterion 2.1 and indicative content, page 16
“Digital safety laws, such as the Online Safety Act 2023 placing legal duties on social media companies”
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 understand the risks and legal consequences of sending intimate images and content/sexting.
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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Writing a formal complaint by email
Level 1 learners must demonstrate how to make a formal complaint about a faulty product, and one example is sending an email or letter with the relevant information and evidence, such as a photo of the fault and a copy of the receipt. Level 2 examples include using a ‘letter before action’ template and making a Freedom of Information request to a Welsh public body. Email is one option, so the digital route is taught rather than required.
DCF: Communication, Creating digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils write a short polite email to a teacher with a photo attached, using a clear subject line.
- Year 8
- Pupils write a practice complaint email to a shop about faulty headphones, attaching a photo of the receipt and saying what they want.
- Year 9
- Pupils use a letter template in a word processor to write a formal complaint that sets out the problem, the evidence and the remedy, and compare when email or a letter is more suitable.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1 criterion 4.1 and indicative content, pages 19 to 20; Level 2 criteria 3.1 and 3.2 and indicative content, page 23
“sending an email or writing a letter with the relevant information and evidence”
Progression step 3
I can exchange online communications, making use of a growing range of available features, e.g. add attachments or hyperlinks, change formatting.
I can show an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of communication and when it is appropriate to use each, e.g. explain when video conferencing may be more appropriate than e-mail, and vice versa; explain the pros and cons of using instant messaging in social contexts; talk about purpose and audience.
Progression step 4
I can select and use different online communication tools for specific purposes with higher levels of competence, e.g. set up and manage an address book, organise contacts, use advanced features of e-mail provider (signature, auto reply, read receipt, widgets).
I can explore and develop a range of formal text document structures for different audiences and purposes.
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Keeping evidence in an e-portfolio
Learners must collect their evidence in a portfolio, and Open Awards encourages e-portfolios wherever possible. Evidence for this unit can include photos of role plays, scanned forms and digital documents, so learners may need to save, name and upload files. The portfolio is required, but the digital format is optional.
DCF: Storing and sharing
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils save a piece of work into a named folder in the school cloud storage.
- Year 8
- Pupils upload a photo and a document for one project into an online folder, naming each file clearly.
- Year 9
- Pupils organise a term of evidence in an online portfolio, use version history to restore an earlier draft, and share a link with the right permissions.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Assessment Approach, page 7
“Wherever possible, e-portfolios are encouraged.”
Progression step 3
I can manage files and folders locally or online, e.g. move files to a folder.
I can upload files from a local drive to online storage.
Progression step 4
I can use appropriate advanced file management techniques, e.g. version history, restore previous version, tagging, compression.
I can manage links to files, taking permissions and file locations into account, e.g. some file storage systems will utilise dynamic hyperlinks so that if a file location is changed the links remain intact, whereas changing file location could result in a broken hyperlink.
Good to know
- Each level has its own unit code and the same size: CBM061 to CBM065, "Credit Value: Two (2)" and "Guided Learning Hours: 20" (Unit Content, pages 10, 13, 15, 18 and 21). The Pearson unit of the same name is 10 hours.
- Units at different levels cannot be combined: "with the exception of British Sign Language (BSL), units with the same title at different levels are barred for completion within the same qualification" (Open Awards Level 1 Qualification Guide, Qualification Units, page 17).
- Every criterion must be met: "All assessment criteria must be met in full for the learner to be awarded a ‘pass’" (Assessment Approach, page 7). There is no grade above Pass.
- The provider writes the tasks: the unit is "assessed through assessment tasks and activities designed by the provider", and providers must "undertake pre‑course verification" to confirm the tasks cover all criteria (Assessment Approach, page 7).
- Evidence goes in a portfolio, paper or digital: "Wherever possible, e-portfolios are encouraged." (Assessment Approach, page 7). Assessments are subject to internal quality assurance and external quality assurance by Open Awards.
- The unit specification says nothing about AI or referencing. The qualification guide requires assessment evidence to "Be the learner’s own work" (Open Awards Level 1 Qualification Guide, Assessment Conditions, page 31).
- The delivery requirements list "access to a computer or laptop for digital resources" and "access to appropriate information sources, including Welsh Government materials (printed or digital)" (Physical Resources, page 6). No criterion requires a computer.
- Learners need a robust starting point check: "the provider must complete robust initial assessments to ensure the learner is able to access the content at the level they are starting" (Entry Requirements, page 6).
- Level 1 asks for more than law: criteria 2.1 and 2.2 ask learners to "Describe the key features of past and present systems of government in Wales" and to analyse the differences (Level 1, page 18), and the Level 1 assessment task table on page 9 gives no example task for this outcome.
- Some indicative content does not match its criterion. Entry Level 3 criterion 2.2 says "Describe" but the assessment table says "Indicate where to find reliable information about legal rights" (page 8). Level 2 content refers to "how he nine protected characteristics" (page 22), an apparent typing slip.
Links with other qualifications
Everyday Law sits closest to GCSE Social Studies, which covers rights, responsibilities, law and government, and the Level 1 and Level 2 work on the Senedd and systems of government in Wales also links with GCSE History and the Humanities Area of Learning and Experience that the unit is mapped to. The criminal law and reporting content links with the VCSE in Public Services. The Pearson unit of the same name is 10 hours and centres on human rights and criminal and employment law, while the WJEC Everyday law unit is 20 hours like this one. Within the Open Awards suites, Democracy in Action, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Ethical Choices are the closest Skills for Life units.
Source: Open Awards Skills for Life Unit Specification, Everyday Law, Entry Level 1 to Level 2.