Developing ICT skills
This subtopic equips learners with foundational ICT skills tailored to personal independence and participation. It empowers them to use technology to control everyday appliances, access relevant information from digital sources, and express themselves through augmentative communication tools, fostering greater autonomy in daily life.
Assessment criteria
Topic Overview
The WJEC Entry Level Award in Personal Progress (Entry 1) is a foundational qualification designed to support learners in developing essential life skills and personal capabilities. It focuses on building confidence, independence, and basic communication, numeracy, and social interaction skills. This award is ideal for students who require a structured, supportive framework to make initial steps towards greater autonomy in daily living and learning.
The qualification covers a range of units that address personal development, such as 'Developing Communication Skills', 'Developing Numeracy Skills', 'Developing Independent Living Skills', and 'Engaging with the Local Community'. Each unit is practical and activity-based, allowing students to demonstrate progress through real-world tasks. The emphasis is on personal growth rather than academic rigour, making it accessible for learners with diverse needs, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities.
This award fits into the wider subject of Foundations for Learning by providing a stepping stone for further study or vocational training. It helps students build a portfolio of evidence that showcases their abilities and achievements, which can be used to progress to higher-level qualifications, such as Entry 2 or Entry 3 awards, or to prepare for more independent living and employment opportunities.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Personal Progress: The development of skills and attitudes that enable individuals to become more independent, confident, and capable in managing their own lives.
- →Communication Skills: The ability to express needs, wants, and ideas using verbal and non-verbal methods, including speaking, listening, signing, or using symbols.
- →Numeracy Skills: Basic number recognition, counting, and simple calculations used in everyday contexts, such as handling money or measuring ingredients.
- →Independent Living Skills: Practical abilities like personal hygiene, dressing, preparing simple meals, and staying safe at home and in the community.
- →Community Engagement: Participating in local activities, using public facilities, and interacting with others in social settings to build confidence and social networks.
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Identify ICT devices that can control aspects of the environment, such as switches or remote controls.
- Demonstrate how to operate a simple ICT tool to turn a device on or off.
- Use ICT to locate a specific piece of information from a familiar digital source.
- Select an appropriate ICT method to communicate a need or preference.
- Operate a basic augmentative communication app or device to convey a message.
- Recognise when and why ICT is useful for controlling, informing, or communicating.
- Demonstrate the ability to operate a switch or touch-sensitive device to activate a familiar response (e.g., a light, fan, or music player).
- Use a simple input method (e.g., touchscreen, mouse) to retrieve a preferred digital item (e.g., photo, song) from a structured on-screen grid.
- Select a symbol or picture from a communication app to express a basic need or choice.
- Show awareness of cause and effect by repeating an action to achieve the same ICT-based outcome consistently.
- Maintain attention on an ICT task for a short period to complete a simple activity.
- Demonstrate intentional activation of a switch or touchscreen to produce a desired outcome
- Select an appropriate icon or image to access relevant everyday information
- Use a simple communication application or device to express a basic need or preference
- Recognise that pressing a specific key or button causes a consistent reaction (cause and effect)
- Operate basic controls on a switch-adapted device for play or environmental interaction
Assessment Criteria
Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio
- Award credit for independently using an ICT device to cause a change in the environment (e.g., activating a toy, lamp, or sound source).
- Evidence must show that the learner used an ICT information source (such as a pre-loaded website, symbol-based app, or digital picture bank) to find a requested item.
- Credit is given when the learner initiates or responds to a communication exchange using an ICT tool, even with adult prompting.
- Assess whether the learner demonstrates an understanding of cause and effect when using environmental control technology.
- Look for appropriate selection from a limited range of ICT options to achieve a communication goal.
- Record whether the learner maintains engagement with the ICT activity for a purposeful duration.
- Award credit for purposeful physical interaction with an ICT device to produce a specific, observable change in the environment.
- Evidence should show the learner making an independent choice (e.g., touching a screen icon) without physical prompting.
- Look for signs of recognition that the ICT tool is serving a communication function (e.g., looking at the communication partner after selecting a symbol).
- Accept partial success, such as an emerging ability to initiate an action, even if inconsistent, as long as intentionality is demonstrated.
- Award credit for showing clear intentionality when activating a device, distinguishing deliberate actions from random touches
- Look for the learner's ability to link a symbol or icon to the correct function or information outcome
- Evidence of sustained engagement with an ICT activity that demonstrates understanding of cause and effect
- Successful use of a communication aid to convey a message in a meaningful context
Assessment Guidance
Guidance for achieving higher grades
- 💡Use video evidence or witness statements to capture spontaneous ICT use in natural settings.
- 💡Prepare the assessment environment so that ICT devices are clearly available and functional, reducing barriers to demonstration.
- 💡Allow learners to 'show and tell' by describing what they are doing, as verbalisation can provide crucial supplementary evidence.
- 💡Integrate ICT tasks into familiar routines so learners can demonstrate skills in a meaningful context.
- 💡Differentiate communication objectives by accepting any intentional communicative act via ICT, not just speech.
- 💡Ensure that video evidence captures the learner’s face and hands clearly to show independent action, not the adult’s hand guiding.
- 💡Use a consistent phrase or visual cue before asking the learner to perform the ICT task, to differentiate instruction from spontaneous use.
- 💡Document the type of ICT device and software settings used, as these demonstrate reasonable adjustments and contextualize the learner’s performance.
- 💡Include multiple attempts over time to show consistency of skill, even if the success rate varies.
- 💡Ensure the ICT activities are highly motivating and relevant to the learner’s daily life to maintain engagement
- 💡Practice in short, regular sessions and gradually reduce prompts to encourage independent initiation
- 💡Use a consistent set-up for environmental control tasks so the learner can anticipate the outcome
- 💡Record evidence naturally as part of the activity, such as videoing the learner using a communication app during a snack request
- 💡Build a strong portfolio of evidence: Collect photographs, witness statements, and work samples throughout the course. This makes it easier to demonstrate progress and meet assessment criteria without relying on memory.
- 💡Focus on real-life application: When completing tasks, relate them to everyday situations. For example, when practising numeracy, use real money or recipes. This shows the examiner that you can transfer skills to practical contexts.
- 💡Ask for feedback regularly: Check in with your tutor or assessor to ensure you understand what is required for each unit. They can help you identify areas for improvement and suggest additional evidence you might need.
Common Mistakes
Common errors to avoid in your coursework
- Assuming any device activation is ICT-related, without linking to a computer or programmable system.
- Over-reliance on passive consumption of information rather than purposeful selection or retrieval.
- Using a communication tool without directing the message to a person, failing to demonstrate communication intent.
- Confusing the purpose of different ICT tools, e.g., expecting a switch to provide information.
- Not waiting for feedback or a response after operating an ICT device.
- Pressing a screen or switch randomly without waiting for or noticing the outcome.
- Expecting every touch to produce an immediate response, leading to frustration when a device has a delay.
- Relying on physical prompting from an adult rather than independently initiating the ICT interaction.
- Using the communication app to stim (repeatedly selecting the same option for sensory feedback) rather than for functional communication.
- Pressing buttons or touching the screen randomly without understanding the link between action and result
- Relying on adult prompting rather than initiating ICT use independently
- Difficulty generalising skills learned on one device or application to another similar one
- Assuming that all icons or images are interactive and becoming frustrated when some are not
- Misconception: 'This qualification is just about doing easy tasks and doesn't lead anywhere.' Correction: While tasks are designed to be accessible, they are carefully structured to build essential life skills. The award is a recognised qualification that can lead to further learning, employment, or greater independence.
- Misconception: 'You have to be good at reading and writing to pass.' Correction: The award uses a variety of assessment methods, including observation, witness statements, and photographic evidence. Learners can demonstrate skills without relying solely on literacy, making it inclusive for all abilities.
- Misconception: 'It's only for students with learning difficulties.' Correction: The qualification is open to any learner who would benefit from a personalised, skills-based approach to personal development. It is suitable for those who need extra support or prefer a practical learning style.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Pass / Merit / Distinction Evidence Checklist
How your portfolio evidence is graded for WJEC-CBAC Developing ICT skills
Every vocational unit is marked against named criteria rather than an exam percentage. Your tutor's brief lists the exact codes for this unit — here is what each band is asking you to do.
Demonstrate baseline knowledge, accurate terminology, and core practical application.
Provide detailed analysis, structured explanations, and clear workplace reasoning.
Deliver thorough evaluation, original problem solving, and fully justified recommendations.
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •No formal prerequisites are required for this Entry 1 qualification. It is designed as a starting point for learners who may have little or no previous experience of formal education or who need to build foundational skills.
- •However, a willingness to engage in practical activities and a supportive learning environment are beneficial. Some learners may benefit from prior experience in structured group settings, such as early years education or community programmes.
Coursework AI Review
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Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Environmental control using ICT
- ICT for information gathering
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
- Assistive technology applications
- Practical ICT integration
- ICT for environmental control
- Accessing digital information
- Augmented communication
- Cause-and-effect relationships
- Building digital independence
- Environmental control
- Information access
- Communication augmentation
- Cause and effect with ICT
- Personal independence
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