VCSE Hospitality and Catering
VCSE Hospitality and Catering asks learners to sit Unit 2 as a 30 question multiple-choice test on screen, to submit every non-examination assessment digitally with photographs of practical outcomes, and, in the Unit 4 option, to choose and create digital and social media to promote a hospitality event. Written evidence may be handwritten and scanned, no software is named, and WJEC's own mapping links digital competence only to section 4.2.1, so most of the digital demand sits in whichever 70% unit a centre chooses. The single biggest thing KS3 should build is the routine of photographing, saving and organising practical work in clear digital files, alongside simple spreadsheets for temperature logs and costing.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Level 1 and Level 2
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
- Specification
- Open the specification
- Step before
- Foundation Hospitality and Catering, Entry Level and Level 1
How this qualification is assessed
- Unit 1: Introduction to the Hospitality and Catering Industry: Mandatory external non-examination assessment 2 hours, 15%, 45 marks, set and marked by WJEC, tasks based on an assignment brief that changes annually
- Unit 2: Food Safety, Hygiene, and Allergens: Mandatory digital examination 1 hour, 15%, 30 marks, 30 multiple-choice questions, on screen only via Surpass, auto-marked and graded pass or fail
- Unit 3: Catering in Action (option): Non-examination assessment 12 hours, 70%, 105 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC; centres choose Unit 3 or Unit 4
- Unit 4: Hospitality in Action (option): Non-examination assessment 12 hours, 70%, 105 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC; centres choose Unit 3 or Unit 4
Skills that use Identity, image and reputation
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Choosing the right form of written communication, including email and messaging
Unit 1 asks learners to understand formal and informal workplace communication, with letters, text or WhatsApp messages, emails, leaflets and questionnaires listed as written communication. This is assessed in the Unit 1 externally set assignment, where learners apply it to a hospitality scenario.
DCF: Communication, Online behaviour and online bullying, Identity, image and reputation
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils write a short, polite Outlook email to their teacher asking to change an ingredient because of an allergy, with a clear subject line.
- Year 8
- Pupils sort example messages from a hotel (a WhatsApp message to a colleague, an email to a guest, a leaflet) into formal and informal, and rewrite one for a different reader.
- Year 9
- Pupils reply by email to a mock customer complaint about a late room service order, using a formal tone, an apology and a clear next step, and attach a booking confirmation.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.2.2, page 20; Section 3.2, page 53
“written communication, letter, text or WhatsApp message, email, leaflets, questionnaires.”
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 exchange online communications, making use of a growing range of available features, e.g. add attachments or hyperlinks, change formatting.
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).
I can act appropriately online, keeping myself safe and behaving in a responsible manner.
Progression step 5
I can make use of and reflect on available online communication services for specific purposes, justifying selections made based on their appropriateness for delivery of information.
I can build a positive reputation in the context of employment prospects, e.g. use social media responsibly.
Good to know
- Unit 2 is taken on screen only: "The assessment will be available onscreen only, via Surpass." (Summary of assessment, page 5). It is 30 questions, auto-marked, with an approximate pass mark of 75% (Section 3.2, page 53), and candidates "must have access to a device that matches or exceeds the minimum requirements" (Unit 2, page 23).
- Typing is optional but submission is digital: "The assessment must be submitted digitally, either as scanned handwritten responses or completed digitally." (Unit 1, page 53), and Units 3 and 4 may be "completed electronically" or scanned (page 54).
- Unit 3 centres must provide "IT access, including devices or systems for learners to document, store, and present their work digitally" and a camera or mobile device for visual evidence (Resources required for assessment, page 35).
- Unit 4 centres must provide "ICT resources (computers, design software, internet access)" (page 44), but no software is named anywhere in the specification.
- The front cover warns that "The UK Government has announced plans to restrict social media use by children under 16, which may impact some of our qualifications." This matters for the Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube examples in Unit 4, section 4.2.1 (page 46).
- NEA tasks are supervised: "Learners must be supervised by a teacher while completing assessment tasks." (Section 3.3, page 55). Appendix C (page 66) maps digital competence only to Unit 4, section 4.2.1, for Interacting and Collaborating and Producing, with nothing for Citizenship or Data and Computational Thinking.
Links with other qualifications
Digital NEA submission, photographing practical outcomes, temperature records and timed production plans match the demand in GCSE Food and Nutrition, and the Unit 4 event promotion, budgeting and customer feedback overlap with GCSE Business, so a shared KS3 routine of Forms, Excel and photo evidence would serve all three.
Source: WJEC Level 1/Level 2 VCSE Hospitality and Catering specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027, for award from 2029 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).