Welsh Baccalaureate

This qualification is Compulsory for all Year 12 Students unless Seren students opting for 4 AS Levels

(based on a minimum GCSE score of 5 x A + 3 x A* or equivalent)

Course Content

The Welsh Baccalaureate is a coursework-based qualification that equips students with skills needed for further study as well as developing aptitudes that can be utilised in the workplace.

The Welsh Baccalaureate comprises of four challenges. Each challenge is marked and graded as a Pass, Merit or Distinction and the final aggregate score is used as a final A*-E grade. The four challenges are:

1. Community challenge (15%)

2. Global citizenship challenge (15%)

3. Enterprise and employability challenge (20%)

4. Individual Project (50%)

The grade received are dependent on students’ amalgamated achievements in the four challenges. Key and essential skills will be assessed through these challenges, with the skill emphasis varying for each challenge. These skills consist of the following:

• Literacy

• Numeracy

• Digital Literacy

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Planning and Organisation

• Creativity and Innovation

• Personal Effectiveness

How will the Welsh Baccalaureate help young people succeed in the future?

Further information can be found on the WJEC and Qualifications Wales websites.

Students leaving school or college with the Welsh Baccalaureate will have had a broader and richer experience beyond that which is studied by some traditional subjects. Higher Education institutions often comment on how the Welsh Baccalaureate equips the students more completely for their next step in education. Additionally, the Welsh Baccalaureate also further develops skillsets required in the world of work.

In addition to learning subject expertise related to world citizenry, business & finance and community work they will develop life skills. This will enable them to be better communicators, to work effectively in a team, to organise themselves effectively, to use numbers in a practical/real world context, to use computers, to solve problems and to be able to evaluate and improve their own performance at school/college or at work.

They will also undertake an Individual Project based on their future career aspirations. This helps students develop their research and analytical skills, as well as teaching them how to construct effective research methods and rationales. This prepares students for the type of written individual work that is common in degree courses. These skills all complement the subject specific knowledge and expertise that they will have developed in their other academic or vocational courses.