Skills for Life: Faith and Belief in the Community
Faith and belief in the community is a 20 hour Skills for Life unit, one of the units learners combine into a Skills for Life or Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma. Learners find out what faith and belief mean, how beliefs are expressed locally through worship, festivals, symbols and charity work, and how belief affects people and community life. No assessment criterion asks for digital work, and Appendix A of the specification does not map the unit to digital competence. Optional digital work includes researching faiths online, mapping or surveying local places of worship, making digital festival slides, and recording discussions as 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): Three learning outcomes with 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.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Three learning outcomes with assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
The digital skills in this qualification
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Researching faiths and beliefs from reliable sources
Learners find out about faiths such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism and Buddhism, and non-religious beliefs such as Humanism, to describe, compare and explain them at every level. Online research is not required by the assessment criteria; it appears as a suggested comparison task where learners research or discuss two groups, with websites such as the Interfaith Council for Wales and Humanists UK listed as resources.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils use a teacher-chosen website to find the name of the place of worship, the holy book and one festival for two faiths, and note which website each fact came from.
- Year 8
- Pupils search for how Sikhs and Christians in Wales celebrate one festival each, trying different keywords, and list their sources with a note on who wrote each one.
- Year 9
- Pupils compare information about a belief from a faith organisation, a news site and a humanist site, judge which is most reliable for a fact and which shows a viewpoint, and reference all three.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Suggested activities, Level 1 and 2, page 9; Resources available to support delivery, pages 11 and 12
“research or discuss how two different groups”
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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Mapping and surveying faith in the local area with software
The unit overview suggests digital competence can be embedded by mapping local places of worship, creating surveys and analysing the findings with software. This supports criteria such as naming a place in the community linked to faith at Entry 1 and analysing how groups express beliefs at Level 2, but no criterion requires a map, survey or spreadsheet.
DCF: Data and information literacy
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils type the names and types of five local places of worship into a table and turn the count of each type into a bar chart.
- Year 8
- Pupils build a short online form asking classmates which festivals their families mark, then export the answers to a spreadsheet and chart them.
- Year 9
- Pupils pin local places of worship and faith-run food banks on an online map, add a short description to each pin, and group survey results to describe what the data shows about their area.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit overview, integral and cross-curricular skills, page 4; Entry Level, learning outcome 2, assessment criterion E1 2.2, page 5
“mapping local places of worship, creating surveys and analysing findings using appropriate software tools”
Progression step 3
I can construct, refine and interrogate data sets within tables, charts, spreadsheets and databases to test or support an investigation.
Progression step 4
I can create a data capture form, capture data, search data and create a database and spreadsheet with appropriate data input method.
I can perform analysis on simple data sets including grouping data as appropriate.
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Making digital slides and photo records of beliefs in the community
Learners give examples of community events and practices that reflect faith at Level 1 and describe how beliefs are celebrated by different groups at Entry 3. Suggested activities include a festival collage as posters or digital slides and a community walk or photo project recording places, posters and symbols, but a paper poster meets the same criteria.
DCF: Creating digital content, Evaluating and improving digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils make two slides on Diwali and Christmas, each with a photo, a caption and three facts about how the festival is celebrated.
- Year 8
- Pupils take photos of symbols and posters on a walk round the school area, crop them and put them into a labelled slide show of belief in their community.
- Year 9
- Pupils design a short slide show comparing how two faith groups mark a festival, choosing layout and images for a Year 6 audience and explaining their design choices.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Suggested activities, Level 1 and 2, page 9; Entry Level, assessment criterion E3 2.2, page 5; Level 1, assessment criterion L1 2.2, page 6
“Create posters or digital slides showing different community festivals”
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 use software tools to enhance the outcomes for specific audiences.
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 justify the reasons for choices and explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different digital outputs I create.
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Recording discussions and role-plays as portfolio evidence
Many criteria at Level 1 and Level 2 ask learners to explain or discuss, and the pack lists video or audio recordings of presentations, group discussions and role-plays, and photographs of activities, as possible sources of evidence. Recording is optional, since evidence may be verbal, written, practical or visual and assessor observation records are also accepted.
DCF: Creating digital content, Storing and sharing
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils record a one minute audio clip on a tablet explaining what a symbol such as the Khanda means, and save it with a clear file name in a class folder.
- Year 8
- Pupils film a short role-play about showing respect on a visit to a place of worship, trim the start and end, and save it to their own folder.
- Year 9
- Pupils record a small group discussion on why respecting beliefs matters, add a title slide naming the question, and store it in a shared folder ready for teacher feedback.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Sources of evidence, page 10; Specification section 4.1, Evidence requirements, page 18
“video or audio recordings of learner presentations, group discussions, or role-plays”
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 manage files and folders locally or online, e.g. move files to a folder.
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.
Good to know
- The unit codes are S611E1, S611E2, S611E3, S611L1 and S611L2, and the unit is 20 guided learning hours (Unit overview, page 3).
- No special resources are needed: "Assessment of this unit should not require any specific resources." (Resources required for assessment, page 12). Visits to places of worship and guest speakers are suggested experiences, not requirements (page 11).
- Evidence can be oral, visual or practical as well as written: "extended written work is not required unless appropriate" (Sources of evidence, page 10). Suggested evidence includes photographs, video or audio recordings, posters and journals, and the specification says a portfolio "is not limited to paper-based materials" (section 4.1, page 18).
- Suggested assessment tasks are optional: "These tasks are not mandatory." Teachers may adapt them or devise their own (Specification section 4.1, page 18).
- AI use must be acknowledged. Misuse includes "Using AI to complete parts of the assessment so that the work does not reflect the learner's own work, analysis, evaluation or calculations." Teachers must monitor work to prevent "the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence tools" (Specification sections 4.2 and 4.6, pages 19 and 21).
- Appendix A of the specification (page 28) maps this unit to literacy, critical thinking and problem solving, and personal effectiveness, but not to digital competence or numeracy, although the unit overview says digital competence "can be embedded through data collection and analysis" (page 4).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names GCSE Religious Studies as a linked WJEC qualification, and the unit covers the same ground at a lower level: the main world faiths and Humanism, their symbols, places of worship, festivals and leaders, and how belief shapes identity and behaviour. It names Ethical choices; Equality, diversity and inclusion; Understanding self and others; and Values for life as closely related Skills for Life units to deliver alongside it. The optional digital work, such as slides, photo records and simple surveys, uses the same basic skills as any Skills Suite unit that builds a digital portfolio.
Source: WJEC Faith and belief in the community 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).