Skills for Work: Interview and Confidence Techniques
Interview and confidence techniques is a 20 hour Skills for Work unit, from Entry 1 to Level 2, that learners combine with other units into a Skills for Work or Skills for Life and Work Award, Certificate or Diploma. Learners find out what interviews are for, plan and prepare for one, practise answering questions, including with the STAR technique at Level 2, and show confident presentation in a mock interview before reflecting on how it went. Digital demand is low. No criterion needs a computer; digital work sits in suggested activities such as researching an organisation online, preparing a CV, and recording mock interviews to review them.
- 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): Four learning outcomes (the purpose of an interview, ways to prepare, responses to interview questions, positive personal presentation and confidence), each 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, unit codes S659E1, S659E2 and S659E3.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes (interview requirements and employer expectations, planning and preparing, strategies for answering questions, confident presentation and communication), each 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, unit codes S659L1 and S659L2.
Skills that use Communication
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Preparing for video and telephone interviews
At Level 1 and Level 2 the amplification asks learners to adapt responses to the question and the interview format, and the Careers Wales resources listed in the pack cover preparing for video and telephone interviews. No criterion names an online interview, so this is taught, not assessed.
DCF: Communication
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils list the differences between talking to someone face to face, on the phone and on a video call, and say when each is best.
- Year 8
- Pupils join a short Teams call with a partner and check their camera, microphone, lighting and background before answering one question.
- Year 9
- Pupils take part in a practice video interview on Teams or Google Meet, set up their space and mute settings themselves, and note how answering on screen differed from a face to face interview.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 3, assessment criterion L2 3.2, page 6; amplification of learning outcome 3, page 8; resources available to support delivery, page 10
“Preparing for video and telephone interviews is as important as it is for face to face interviews”
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.
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
- The unit has five codes, one per level: "S659E1" to S659L2, and is 20 guided learning hours (Unit overview, page 3). Only one level counts: "only the highest level of the unit achieved will count towards the GLH" (specification section 2.2, page 10).
- No special kit is needed: "Assessment of this unit should not require any specific resources." (Resources required for assessment, page 12), and delivery uses "standard classroom environments" (page 10).
- Evidence can be recorded or photographed. Sources of evidence include "video or audio recordings of mock interviews/interview situations (where appropriate)" and "photographic evidence of interview preparation activities or role-play" (Sources of evidence, page 9). The portfolio "is not limited to paper-based materials" (specification section 4.1, page 18).
- Evidence sampled by WJEC "must be provided digitally by the centre" (specification section 5.2, page 23), so paper plans and observation records need scanning.
- Written work is kept light: "extended written work is not required unless appropriate" and assessors judge the standard, "not spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed" (Sources of evidence, page 9).
- AI rules apply to CVs, plans and reflections. Learners "risk committing malpractice if AI is misused", and misuse includes "Failing to acknowledge use of AI tools when they have been used as a source of information." (specification section 4.6, page 21).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory"; teachers may use them, adapt them or write their own (specification section 4.1, page 18).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names Personal development planning, Exploring career pathways, Jobs of the future and Applying for jobs as Skills for Work units to deliver alongside this one, giving a route from self-awareness and research to applying for roles and performing at interview; Applying for jobs is where the CV and application are written and assessed. It also names GCSE English Language and Literature, where formal spoken presentation and listening build the same speaking skills, and VCSE Public Services, where interviews and selection processes are part of the vocational context. None of these adds much digital work: the shared digital thread is online research about an employer and recording practice interviews for review.
Source: WJEC Interview and confidence techniques 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).