Skills for Work: International Language: Education and Employment (Spoken)
International language (spoken): education and employment is a 10 hour Skills for Work unit, from Entry 1 to Level 2, offered in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish. Learners listen to and talk about school, college, jobs and the workplace, from single words at Entry 1 to short conversations at Level 2. It is one unit learners combine with other 10 or 20 hour units into a Skills for Work, or Skills for Life and Work, Award, Certificate or Diploma. Digital demand is low and no criterion asks for digital work. Digital skills appear only in suggested online research, Canva posters, partner school links, quiz tools and recorded dialogues.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 10
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Two learning outcomes (understand basic spoken information relating to work or education, give basic information orally about work or education), with assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3, including pronouncing words clearly. Entry Level reflects pre-A1 to A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 10 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Two learning outcomes (understand spoken information relating to work or education, engage in a conversation relating to work or education), with assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2, including asking questions to clarify or find out information. Levels 1 and 2 reflect A2 to B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 10 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Communication
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Communicating online with a partner school
Learners could link with a partner school over the internet to talk about school and work, using their earlier research as a basis for questions, and could present differences between the two schools to the partner school. The development activities also suggest completing a gap-fill email confirming work details and then writing a short workplace email. These are suggested activities and experiences only, so they are taught, not assessed.
DCF: Communication, Collaboration
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils record a short class video greeting in the target language, saying their names and favourite subjects, for the teacher to send to a partner class.
- Year 8
- Pupils write questions about school life in the target language and post them on a shared class page for a partner school, then read the replies together.
- Year 9
- Pupils take part in a short video call with a partner school, asking and answering questions about their school day, and discuss afterwards when a video call works better than email.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Experiences, page 15; Suggested activities, development activities, pages 13 and 14
“create a link with a partner school to communicate via the internet about school and work”
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 independently select and use a range of online collaboration tools to create a project with others in one or more languages, e.g. making use of online technology to share and present ideas to others.
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).
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Recording dialogues and interviews as portfolio evidence
Speaking can be evidenced as an audio recording of the learner or a recording of dialogues or job interviews held on Teams, alongside teacher observation notes, and the specification says a portfolio is not limited to paper. The recording is a way of capturing evidence for the speaking criteria rather than a skill the criteria assess, so it is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Communication, Storing and sharing
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils record themselves on a tablet saying five school subjects in the target language and save the file in a named class folder.
- Year 8
- Pupils record a short dialogue with a partner about what they study and what time school starts, listen back and record a second take with clearer pronunciation.
- Year 9
- Pupils hold a short mock job interview on Teams with a partner, record it, and save it with a clear file name in their digital portfolio folder.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Sources of evidence, page 15; Specification section 4.1, page 18
“recording of practical demonstrations of evidence, such as dialogues or job interviews on Teams”
Progression step 3
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.
I can manage files and folders locally or online, e.g. move files to a folder.
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).
Good to know
- Unit codes are not printed in the pack, which says "Please refer to the Skills for Life and Work qualifications specification" (Unit overview, page 3). The specification lists each language version separately with the code "TBC" (Specification section 3.1, pages 15 and 16).
- The unit runs in six languages: "This unit is available in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish." The title on the certificate shows the language achieved (Unit overview, page 3).
- The criteria "assume that learners have no previous experience of the language being learnt", and learners already taking GCSE French, German or Spanish "may not benefit from taking an international language unit in the same language" (Planning courses, page 7).
- No digital resource is required. The unit uses "standard classroom environments", though "it would be beneficial to have access to computers, tablets, or mobile devices for digital activities and research" (Resources required for delivery, page 15). Assessors "should have subject-specific expertise in language teaching and assessment" (page 17).
- Spoken evidence can be digital: possible sources include an "audio recording of candidate" and dialogues or job interviews "on Teams" (Sources of evidence, page 15), and a portfolio "is not limited to paper-based materials" (Specification section 4.1, page 18).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory"; teachers may use, adapt or replace them as long as learners can meet all the criteria (Specification section 4.1, page 18).
- AI misuse is malpractice. Misuse includes "Using AI to complete parts of the assessment so that the work does not reflect the learner's own work", and learners "cannot be credited for any work they produce for assessment which is not their own" (Specification section 4.6, page 21).
- Appendix A maps the unit to Literacy only, not Digital Competence or Numeracy, and to the cross-cutting themes of local, national and international contexts and human rights education (Specification, pages 27 and 29). Only one level counts: "only the highest level of the unit achieved will count towards the GLH" (Specification section 2.2, page 10).
Links with other qualifications
The pack pairs this unit with the other WJEC international language units, Education and employment (written) and the spoken and written units in Communicating personal information and Social activities, and suggests it can complement VCSE Travel and Tourism and GCSE Business. It covers school and jobs topics also found in GCSE French, GCSE German and GCSE Spanish, but at a lower level, and the pack suggests GCSE learners try a different language. The digital work here is light: online research, Canva posters, quiz tools and recorded dialogues. The Level 2 mock interviews link with the Interview and Confidence Techniques unit.
Source: WJEC International language (spoken): education and employment 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).