Skills for Life: Online Safety
Online Safety is an Open Awards Skills for Life unit in which learners recognise online risks such as scams, phishing and malware, use safe practices on devices, report concerns, and from Level 1 risk assess and adapt their own online behaviour. Each level, from Entry 1 to Level 2, is a separate 20 hour, 2 credit unit that counts towards a Skills for Life, Skills for Work, or Skills for Life and Work Award, Certificate or Diploma. The school designs the assessment tasks and learners build a portfolio, judged Pass or Fail. Digital demand is high because every outcome is about safe and responsible behaviour online, the Citizenship strand of the DCF, and learners must demonstrate safe practice on real or simulated online tasks.
- Awarding body
- Open Awards
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- High
- Specification
- Open the specification
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level 1 (CBM116), Entry Level 2 (CBM117) and Entry Level 3 (CBM118): Four learning outcomes at each Entry level: know everyday online activities, know ways to stay safe online, know unsafe online behaviour and know who to go to for help. Criteria rise from identifying online activities, a way to stay safe and trusted individuals with visuals (Entry 1), through demonstrating safe use of two devices and following safety instructions in a short online task (Entry 2), to outlining safe behaviours, identifying risks such as bullying, scams and requests for personal information, and naming people and services to report concerns to (Entry 3). Assessed by provider-designed tasks such as sorting, demonstration and scenario tasks, collected in a portfolio, with internal and Open Awards external quality assurance. 20 guided learning hours and 2 credits at each level, Pass or Fail.
- Level 1 (CBM119): Nine criteria across four outcomes: describe at least four ways to manage online risks, demonstrate safe behaviour across real and simulated tasks, follow instructions for three unfamiliar online activities, identify threats such as phishing, malware and impersonation, identify harmful actions, risk assess own online behaviour with up to three personal targets, outline situations to report and use two agreed reporting methods. Provider-designed tasks such as research, demonstration and reflection, collected in a portfolio. 20 guided learning hours, 2 credits, Pass or Fail.
- Level 2 (CBM120): Eight criteria across four outcomes: assess the effectiveness of safety measures in three complex contexts, carry out a simulated multi-step online task and explain the safety measures used, adapt behaviour to emerging risks, analyse three online threats, assess risk levels in three scenarios, and describe when reporting is necessary and the right reporting procedure for each scenario. Provider-designed analytical, adaptation and evaluation tasks collected in a portfolio. 20 guided learning hours, 2 credits, Pass or Fail.
Skills that use Identity, image and reputation
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Recognising online risks and threats
Learners identify unsafe online activities such as talking to strangers and sharing personal details (Entry 1 and 2), identify types of risk such as bullying, scams and requests for personal information (Entry 3), identify threats such as phishing, malware and impersonation and how to manage them (Level 1), and analyse at least three threats and their impact and assess risk levels in three scenarios (Level 2). Required by the assessment criteria at every level.
DCF: Identity, image and reputation, Online behaviour and online bullying
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils sort printed messages and pop ups into safe and suspicious piles and circle the clue in each suspicious one, such as a request for a password.
- Year 8
- Pupils examine a mock phishing email on screen, hover over each link to read the real address, and list the warning signs in a shared document.
- Year 9
- Pupils research phishing, malware and impersonation, then rate three given scenarios as low, medium or high risk and explain each rating.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Learning outcome 3, all levels; Indicative Content, Entry 3 page 20, Level 1 page 23, Level 2 page 26
“Learners must identify types of online threats and associated risks”
Progression step 3
I can understand how to protect myself from online identity theft, e.g. identifying secure sites, phishing, scam websites.
I can identify the benefits and risks of giving personal information and device access to different software.
Progression step 4
I can use strategies for guarding myself against identity theft and online scams that try to access my personal information.
I can act appropriately online, keeping myself safe and behaving in a responsible manner.
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Using safe practices on devices and in online tasks
Learners demonstrate ways to stay safe such as logging out and checking with a tutor before opening an app (Entry 1), use two devices safely and complete a short online task following safety instructions (Entry 2), demonstrate three safe behaviours (Entry 3), manage risks by checking sources, using antivirus software and avoiding unknown links, and follow instructions for unfamiliar tasks such as installing software and online shopping (Level 1). Level 2 learners carry out a simulated multi-step online task and explain their safety measures. Required by learning outcome 2 at every level.
DCF: Online behaviour and online bullying, Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils log out of a shared computer correctly, create a strong passphrase in a password checker, and record three rules on a class poster.
- Year 8
- Pupils check three shopping websites for the padlock, address and contact details, and decide which is safe to use, with screenshots as evidence.
- Year 9
- Pupils follow a written guide to install and run a free security scan on a school test machine, then write instructions for a younger pupil.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Learning outcomes 1 and 2, all levels; Indicative Content, Entry 2 page 17, Level 1 page 23, Level 2 page 26
“using antivirus software to protect against malware”
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 how to protect myself from online identity theft, e.g. identifying secure sites, phishing, scam websites.
Progression step 4
I can act appropriately online, keeping myself safe and behaving in a responsible manner.
I can use strategies for guarding myself against identity theft and online scams that try to access my personal information.
Progression step 5
I can apply appropriate strategies to protect the rights, identity, privacy and emotional safety of both myself and others in online communities.
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Understanding how online actions can cause harm
Entry 3 learners identify three online actions that could cause harm with a basic reason, such as posting something that reveals a location. Level 1 learners identify three unsafe behaviours and the harm they could cause, such as oversharing leading to identity theft and inappropriate posts damaging a reputation. Required by criterion 3.2 at Entry 3 and Level 1.
DCF: Identity, image and reputation, Online behaviour and online bullying
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils look at a mock social media post and list every clue that shows where the poster lives or goes to school.
- Year 8
- Pupils turn off location sharing and photo location tags in a practice profile and explain why each setting matters.
- Year 9
- Pupils search for a made up character's digital footprint in a prepared set of pages and explain how what was posted could affect a job application.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry 3 and Level 1, criterion 3.2; Indicative Content, Entry 3 page 20, Level 1 page 23
“posting something that reveals an individual’s location makes it easier for a stranger to find them”
Progression step 3
I can identify the benefits and risks of mobile devices broadcasting the location of the user/device.
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 understand that photographs, locations and tags can be tracked and can make informed decisions accordingly.
I can understand that I have a digital footprint and that this information can be searched, copied and passed on.
Good to know
- Each level is a separate unit with its own code, worth 2 credits and 20 guided learning hours: CBM116 (Entry 1), CBM117 (Entry 2), CBM118 (Entry 3), CBM119 (Level 1) and CBM120 (Level 2); every unit page states "Guided Learning Hours: 20" (Unit Content, pages 13 to 25).
- Only one level counts in a qualification: "with the exception of British Sign Language (BSL), units with the same title at different levels are barred for completion within the same qualification" (Level 1 Qualification Guide, Qualification Units, page 17).
- Tasks are set by the school, not Open Awards: the unit is "assessed through assessment tasks and activities designed by the provider", tasks need pre-course verification, and "All assessment criteria must be met in full for the learner to be awarded a 'pass'" (Assessment Approach, page 8).
- Evidence goes in a portfolio, on paper or digital, and "Wherever possible, e-portfolios are encouraged" (Assessment Approach, page 8).
- A practical online setting is required: providers must give "access to a controlled digital environment where learners can practise online skills safely" (Physical Resources, page 6) and "reliable internet access with appropriate filtering and safeguarding measures in place" (Equipment, page 7).
- Staff must be able to handle disclosures: they must "understand safeguarding requirements and know how to respond appropriately" to learner disclosures or concerns (Staffing Resources, page 6).
- The unit specification has no rule on AI tools; the qualification guide only requires that evidence must "Be the learner's own work" (Level 1 Qualification Guide, Assessment Conditions, page 30).
- Document slips: the Level 2 code is printed "CBM120]" (page 25); the Level 1 guidance labels two criteria "AC 3.2", the second being the risk assessment of own behaviour that is criterion 3.3 (page 23); and the Entry 1 guidance for AC 4.1 reads only "Learners must identify at least two examples." without saying of what (page 14).
Links with other qualifications
Online Safety links most closely with GCSE Digital Technology, which teaches threats such as phishing and malware, protecting personal data and digital footprints, and with GCSE Computer Science, which covers cyber security threats and protection such as antivirus software. Its Level 1 and Level 2 risk assessment and reporting work supports the WJEC Skills Suite Personal safety and Online safety units, and the Open Awards Values for Life and Community Participation units share respect for others and knowing how to have a say or get help. Compared with the Pearson Online safety unit, which is 10 guided learning hours with one criterion per level, the Open Awards unit is 20 hours with four outcomes at each level, adds malware, antivirus software and practical use of reporting tools, and at Level 2 requires a simulated multi-step online task.
Source: Open Awards Skills for Life Unit Specification, Online Safety, Entry Level 1 to Level 2.