Skills for Life: Faith and Belief in the Community
Faith and Belief in the Community is an Open Awards Skills for Life unit offered at 5 levels, Entry Level 1 to Level 2, in which learners explore faiths, beliefs, places of worship, customs and diversity in Welsh communities and how to show respect. Entry Level 1 is 10 hours and the other levels are 20 hours, each assessed through provider designed tasks with evidence in a portfolio. Digital demand is low: the unit lists Literacy and Digital as cross-curricular skills, and online and social media appear as influences on belief, but no criterion requires digital work.
- 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 1 (CBM071): 2 learning outcomes and 4 assessment criteria: giving examples of how people differ and why different faiths or beliefs can be positive, naming faiths or beliefs in the community and identifying a place in Wales where people practise a faith or belief. Responses can be verbal, gesture or written; tasks include matching, pointing, picture selection and tick-box worksheets. 1 credit, 10 guided learning hours. Pass only.
- Entry Level 2 (CBM072): 3 learning outcomes and 7 assessment criteria: identifying and grouping places of worship in Wales, listing Welsh festivals, symbols and foods and exploring customs from other cultural communities, and identifying how diversity is seen, how people take part together and how they show respect. Tasks include grouping, listing, categorising and short descriptions. 2 credits, 20 guided learning hours.
- Entry Level 3 (CBM073): 3 learning outcomes and 8 assessment criteria: stating what is meant by faith and belief with examples, identifying why beliefs matter and how they are practised and influence daily life, and giving examples of the positive effect of belief groups, one challenge from differing beliefs and positive community responses. Tasks include simple explanations, cause and effect, reflection and scenario interpretation. 2 credits, 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 (CBM074): 3 learning outcomes and 7 assessment criteria: describing how faith and belief are expressed through culture, tradition and customs and how Welsh traditions shape identity, describing how own beliefs and values influence behaviour, relationships and involvement and what has shaped them, outlining how to show respect, and outlining a different belief with reasons why it matters to the people who hold it. 2 credits, 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 2 (CBM075): 3 learning outcomes and 10 assessment criteria: explaining beliefs and values and how they shape a sense of right and wrong, explaining how own beliefs influence decisions, behaviour and participation, how differing beliefs affect interactions and strategies for respect, describing influences on own beliefs, comparing two beliefs, presenting a reasoned argument and describing how communities manage differences. 2 credits, 20 guided learning hours.
The digital skills in this qualification
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Researching faith groups and local community groups
Level 1 assessment can include creating a profile of a local group, its activities and who it helps, and Level 2 learners compare two beliefs or belief systems found in the community. Learners often gather this information online, so searching and checking sources supports the work, but the criteria do not require online research, so this is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils search for a local place of worship and note its name, address and one activity it runs for the community.
- Year 8
- Pupils use two websites to find out what a local faith or community group does, and record which site they trusted more and why.
- Year 9
- Pupils research two belief groups in their area using several sources, reference each source and judge which is most reliable.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Assessment Approach, Level 1, page 9; Level 2, AC 3.1, pages 21 and 23
“Create a profile of a local group: activities, who they help,”
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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Recognising how online and social media shape beliefs
Level 1 learners describe factors that have influenced their own beliefs and values, with online media given as an example, and Level 2 learners describe key influences including social media and online environments and explain how media influence and stereotypes affect interactions. These are examples rather than requirements, so this is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Health and well-being, Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils list where they see information about festivals and beliefs online and discuss whether it is always accurate.
- Year 8
- Pupils look at two online posts about a religious festival and identify any stereotypes or missing information.
- Year 9
- Pupils reflect on how social media has shaped their own views on a belief or value and explain how stereotypes online can affect how groups are treated.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1, AC 2.3, page 19; Level 2, AC 2.2 and 2.4, pages 22 and 23
“social media, online environments”
Progression step 3
I can identify the wider positive and negative influences of technology, e.g. on my life, on society, on the environment.
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 reflect on the role of digital media in my life and habits.
I can identify stereotypes and their impact in a range of media.
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Presenting views and evidence digitally
Level 1 learners present views about a belief in the community and Level 2 learners present a reasoned argument, and the unit expects presentations and videos to be shown in class. Evidence can be submitted in an e-portfolio, which is encouraged, but a digital format is not required, so this is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Creating digital content, Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils make a one slide poster about a Welsh festival with a heading, an image and two facts.
- Year 8
- Pupils create a short slide presentation describing a place of worship, choosing images that are respectful and suit the audience.
- Year 9
- Pupils produce a digital presentation making a reasoned case for why a belief matters to the people who hold it, combining text, images and a recorded voice over.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Assessment Approach, page 6; Level 1, LO3, page 18; Level 2, AC 3.2, pages 21 and 23
“Wherever possible, e-portfolios are encouraged.”
Progression step 3
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.
I can ensure my output is appropriate for specific purposes.
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.
I can explore and develop a range of formal text document structures for different audiences and purposes.
Good to know
- Entry Level 1 is smaller than the other levels: "Guided Learning Hours: 10" and 1 credit (Entry Level 1, page 10), while Entry Level 2 to Level 2 are each "Guided Learning Hours: 20" (pages 12, 15, 18 and 21).
- Barred combinations: "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), so a learner can complete this unit at one level only within a qualification.
- All criteria must be met: "All assessment criteria must be met in full for the learner to be awarded a ‘pass’." Tasks are designed by the provider and checked through pre-course verification (Assessment Approach, page 6).
- Evidence goes in a portfolio, paper or digital, and "Wherever possible, e-portfolios are encouraged." (Assessment Approach, page 6).
- Sensitive content: "Teaching staff must be suitably trained and confident in managing sensitive discussions" and the teaching space should allow "multiple group discussions to take place at the same time" (Delivery Requirements, page 5).
- The unit specification gives no rules on AI tools or on referencing sources; it must be read with the Qualification Guide and the Open Awards Provider Handbook (Qualification Documentation, page 3).
- The only digital resource named is "Visual Aids - A projector, laptop, or screen to show presentations, videos etc." (Physical Resources, page 5).
- Some wording looks draft: "A3.3 examples could include" (Entry Level 2, page 14), "Learn must give at least two examples of persona beliefs" (Entry Level 3, page 15) and "Leaners must include three (3) examples" (Level 1, page 19). The Level 2 assessment table suggests evaluating a community project, but no Level 2 criterion asks for this (pages 9 and 21 to 22).
Links with other qualifications
The unit sits in the Humanities Area of Learning and Experience and links directly to Religion, Values and Ethics and to the WJEC GCSE in Religious Studies, with the Pearson and Agored Cymru units of the same name covering similar ground. Work on diversity, respect and community supports the Open Awards Skills for Life units Understanding Self and Others and Community Participation, and the work on how media shapes beliefs links to Online Safety and to the DCF citizenship strand.
Source: Open Awards Skills for Life Unit Specification, Faith and Belief in the Community, Entry Level 1 to Level 2.