VCSE Creative and Media Production, and Technology
VCSE Creative and Media Production, and Technology is digital almost throughout: learners plan a media product with pre-production tools such as storyboards, mock-ups and wireframes, then film, record, edit and design a multi-modal promotional campaign with an audio-visual or audio element and either an interactive or a graphic design element, keeping a production journal as they go. Units 2 and 3 are NEAs worth 80% and must be submitted digitally, while the Unit 1 sector test, sat on paper or on screen, tests knowledge of digital platforms, the prosumer cycle, regulation, technology and AI. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is confident filming, audio recording and editing with clear choices for a named audience, so pupils arrive able to plan, shoot, cut and export a short promotional piece.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Level 1 and Level 2
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- High
- Specification
- Open the specification
- Step before
- Foundation Creative and Media Production, and Technology, Entry Level and Level 1
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to the creative and media production, and technology industries: External assessment (sector test) 1 hour, 50 marks, 20%, set and marked by WJEC, paper-based or on-screen
- Unit 2: Pre-production tools, processes and skills: External non-examination assessment 14 hours, 58 marks, 20%, set and marked by WJEC; a set client brief and five tasks, creating pre-production materials for one media product chosen from eleven
- Unit 3: Production and post-production tools, processes and skills: Non-examination assessment, recommended time of 32 hours, 90 marks, 60%, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC; a set production brief and three tasks, producing a multi-modal promotional campaign for one event chosen from three
Skills that use Digital rights, licensing and ownership
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Respecting copyright, permissions, consent and data protection in own productions
Learners plan for the legal and ethical side of a production, including copyright, licences, permissions, consent, privacy and data protection. In Unit 3 their production journal must show how they respected copyright and the creative work of others and observed legal and ethical considerations.
DCF: Digital rights, licensing and ownership
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils find a copyright-free image and a piece of royalty-free music for a class slideshow and write the source and licence under each one.
- Year 8
- Pupils design a simple consent form for anyone who appears in a class photograph or video, and discuss what should happen if someone says no.
- Year 9
- Pupils keep a rights log for a short video, listing every image, sound and clip with its source, licence and permission, and explain the difference between taking inspiration from a music video and copying it.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.2.3, page 29; Unit 3, Section 3.1.1, page 34
“copyright, data protection, permissions, licenses, representation, consent and privacy and accuracy of content”
Progression step 3
I can understand that copying the work of others and presenting it as my own is plagiarism.
I can cite sources when researching and explain the importance of this, e.g. create simple lists for the referencing of digital and offline sources.
I can understand that images can be edited digitally and can discuss rights and permissions associated with this.
Progression step 4
I can understand copyright and can explain the legal and ethical dimensions of respecting creative work, e.g. exploring the ethical and legal ramifications of piracy and plagiarism and know that they are irresponsible and disrespectful, and I can apply my understanding of the rules and regulations to different scenarios.
I can act responsibly as creator and user of creative work, e.g. exploring decisions that creators make when exercising their creative rights and responsibilities, giving consideration to ethical, real-life issues.
Progression step 5
I can identify the key points required for creative work to be considered fair use and comply with data protection laws by exploring the legal and ethical considerations involved in using the creative work of others.
I can understand and reflect on the differences between taking inspiration from the creative work of others and appropriating that work without permission.
I can understand individuals' rights and responsibilities as creators and consumers of content, and I can think critically and make ethical decisions about the use of creative works in relation to fair use and reference using formal citation conventions, e.g. Harvard and Oxford.
Good to know
- Unit 1 can be sat on paper or on screen: "Centres may enter candidates for either a paper-based or an on-screen version of the test." (Section 3.2, page 42). Section A uses objective question types including drag-and-drop and hot spot questions (page 42).
- Unit 2 work "must be submitted digitally, either as scanned handwritten responses or completed digitally." (Section 3.2, page 42). Unit 3 evidence for external moderation must also be submitted digitally (page 43).
- Software is not prescribed. Units 2 and 3 need "appropriate software for production of documentation, for example, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office" (pages 25 and 32), and the planning tools in Section 2.2.1, such as Storyboarder and Canva, follow "such as", so they are examples only (page 29).
- All NEA follows "the JCQ Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use in Assessments: Protecting the Integrity of Qualifications" (Section 3.3, page 43), with further detail in WJEC's guides to conducting NEA in National 14 to 16 qualifications.
- Teachers "must not provide feedback on the evidence being produced" during NEA (Section 3.3, page 43), so pupils need to arrive able to review and refine their own digital work.
- Social media may be affected: "The UK Government has announced plans to restrict social media use by children under 16, which may impact some of our qualifications." (front cover).
Links with other qualifications
Filming, editing, regulation and the Welsh media industry overlap closely with GCSE Digital Media and Film, and graphics, websites and file handling overlap with GCSE Digital Technology. At KS3 this work usually sits across English, Art and Design, Drama and Digital Technology lessons.
Source: WJEC Level 1/Level 2 VCSE Creative and Media Production, and Technology specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).