Skills for Work: Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace
Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace is an Agored Cymru Skills for Work unit in which learners learn the legal responsibilities of employers, employee rights and responsibilities, and how to support others and challenge employers and peers when rights are not being met. It is a 20 hour unit at each of Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2, combined with other units into an Agored Cymru Skills for Work or Skills for Life and Work Award, Certificate or Diploma, and assessed internally through a centre-devised task that follows the mandatory Summative Assessment Package. Digital demand is low. No assessment criterion asks for technology. The only digital requirement is that the role-play challenge must be captured on video or in annotated photographs, while learners are expected to research online when they prepare their own reference materials and may submit their evidence digitally. AI tools are banned in the assessment.
- Awarding body
- Agored Cymru
- 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
- Level 2 (Unit ID CDS079, Unit Code HE62CY012) and Level 1 (Unit ID CDS080, Unit Code HE61CY009): Two learning outcomes. Level 2 learners describe at least three legal responsibilities of employers, two employer expectations for presentation, punctuality and behaviour, four employee rights and three employee responsibilities (to employers, peers and themselves), then describe three ways to support others, identify three actions to improve how responsibilities are met, demonstrate challenging an employer and a peer in a simulated setting, and reflect on how effective that was. Level 1 learners outline the same content with lower minimums and no criterion on improving how responsibilities are met. There are no prescribed assessment methods, except that role-play with video and/or annotated photographic evidence and an assessor observation statement is required for the challenge criterion (AC 2.3 at Level 2, AC 2.2 at Level 1). 20 guided learning hours, 2 credits. Centre-devised task under the mandatory Summative Assessment Package, internally assessed and moderated by Agored Cymru, graded Pass or Fail.
- Entry Level 3 (Unit ID CDS081, Unit Code HE6E3CY002): Two learning outcomes. Learners give examples of at least four legal responsibilities of employers, two employee responsibilities to their employer and peers, and four employee rights, give three ways to support others whose rights are not being met, demonstrate in a simulated setting at least two ways of challenging employers, and state how those actions can be effective. Role-play with video and/or annotated photographic evidence and an assessor observation statement is required for AC 2.2. 20 guided learning hours, 2 credits, internally assessed, Pass or Fail.
- Entry Level 2 (Unit ID CDS082, Unit Code HE6E2CY001) and Entry Level 1 (Unit ID CDS083, Unit Code HE6E1CY001): Two learning outcomes. Learners list employee rights and employee responsibilities (at least three of each at Entry 2, two at Entry 1), then demonstrate in a simulated setting at least two ways of supporting others who are treated unfairly and at least two ways of acting when rights are not met (Entry 2), or what to do when others are not treated fairly by employers or with respect by colleagues (Entry 1). Role-play with video and/or annotated photographic evidence and an assessor observation statement is required for LO2. 20 guided learning hours, 2 credits, internally assessed, Pass or Fail.
Skills that use Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
-
Researching rights at work online to prepare reference materials
Learners must prepare their own reference materials before the summative assessment, and centres are expected to give access to technology for basic internet research to help generate assessment evidence. In this unit that means finding current information on employee rights such as the minimum wage, employer legal duties such as training and supervision, and grievance procedures. The research is preparation for the task, not something a criterion assesses, and the notes must be the learner's own.
DCF: Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils use given keywords to search a teacher chosen website for 3 rights that young workers have, and bookmark the pages they used.
- Year 8
- Pupils change their search terms to find the current minimum wage rate for their age group, and note the date the page was last updated.
- Year 9
- Pupils search several websites for what a grievance procedure is, decide which source is most reliable and current, and turn what they find into a one page set of notes in their own words.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Section One, Resource Requirements, page 7; Appendix A, Resources and AI, page 106; amplification AC 1.3, page 68
“basic internet-based research to assist the generation of assessment evidence”
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.
I can store search results for future use, e.g. bookmark, add to favourites.
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.
Good to know
- Every level is the same size: each unit record shows "GLH 20" and "Credit: 2" (unit headers, pages 68, 71, 73, 75 and 77). The Pearson unit of the same name is 10 guided learning hours.
- The role-play is the one fixed method: "role-play - video and/or annotated photographic evidence with assessor observation statement is required for AC 2.3" (Level 2 Prescribed Assessment Methods, page 70). The same requirement applies to AC 2.2 at Level 1 and Entry 3 and to LO2 at Entry 2 and Entry 1 (pages 72, 74, 76 and 78).
- The challenge must be acted out, not written about: "To be demonstrated in a simulated setting" (amplification, AC 2.3, page 69).
- The Summative Assessment Package is binding: it is "mandatory for summative assessment" and "Centres must stay within the parameters set out in all sections below" (Appendix A, page 105).
- AI is banned outright, not just to be acknowledged: "AI tools must not be used at all." (Appendix A, Resources and AI, page 106). Pearson and WJEC allow acknowledged AI use.
- Learners bring their own notes: "Learners must produce their own reference materials" in preparation for the summative assessment (Appendix A, Resources and AI, page 106).
- The work is done once, under supervision: "Drafting and redrafting are not permitted in this summative task." and "All assessment production must be completed under direct supervision" (Appendix A, page 106).
- Assessment time is short: "20 GLH incorporates assessment time of no more than 60 minutes." (Appendix A, Duration and timing, page 106). This has to cover the role-play and the written or recorded criteria.
- Evidence can be digital: the permitted formats are "Digital (or written) documents", audio, video and "E-portfolio, through online submission." (Appendix A, Permitted evidence types, page 106).
- There is no second attempt: "There are no resubmission opportunities available for these qualifications." (Section Five, Resubmissions, page 99).
- Only one level counts: "multiple levels of the same unit title are not permitted" when units are aggregated (Section Two, Unit aggregation, page 9).
- Learners are expected to have "basic literacy, digital and numeracy skills" (Restrictions on Learner Entry, page 7), and centres must give access to technology for "basic internet-based research to assist the generation of assessment evidence" (Resource Requirements, page 7).
- Legal content must be current: "Assessors should have up to date knowledge of this topic." (Assessor and Resource Requirements, page 70). Unlike Pearson, the specification does not say the law must be the law that applies in Wales.
- The unit's own mapping claims more digital content than the criteria contain: it "Introduces safe, ethical, and responsible use of technology in the workplace" (Digital Competence mapping, page 80), but no criterion or amplification mentions technology.
- The unit text has slips. It refers centres to "Section Four of the Specification for Assessor Requirements" (page 70), but Section Four has no assessor requirements. The Entry 3 criterion asks for "At least four legal responsibilities" (page 73), more than the three asked at Level 1 and Level 2. The What Matters statement given at every level is "Developing physical health and well-being has lifelong benefits." (page 70), which does not fit a unit on rights at work. Appendix A's permitted evidence types do not list photographs, although the unit requires annotated photographic evidence as an alternative to video.
Links with other qualifications
The work on employment law, equal pay, fair treatment and grievance procedures links with GCSE Social Studies, and the employer and employee duties give context for GCSE Business. Agored Cymru lists Fairness and Inclusion in the Workplace, Working in Wales, Wellbeing and Work and Using IT in the Workplace among its 19 Skills for Work units, and Everyday Law and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion among its Skills for Life units; Using IT in the Workplace is where workplace digital skills are assessed, and Working in Wales is one of the 6 units written out in this specification. Compared with the WJEC unit of the same name, the Agored unit is the same size (20 guided learning hours) but has two learning outcomes instead of four, does not ask learners to read an employment contract or find an advice organisation's contact details, and adds a required role-play captured on video or annotated photographs. Compared with the Pearson unit, which is 10 guided learning hours and leaves the evidence type to the centre, the Agored unit fixes the role-play method, bans AI rather than requiring it to be acknowledged, and allows no resubmission.
Source: Agored Cymru The Skills Suite: Skills for Life and Work Specification, version 1.0, October 2026, Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace.