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Updated information on the Welsh Baccalaureate, the Skills Challenge Certificate and the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales.

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First published:
9 October 2019
Last updated:

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The Welsh Baccalaureate (Welsh Bacc) was designed in Wales for our learners. It meets the diverse needs of young people by giving broader experiences than traditional learning programmes. 

It is wide-ranging and embraces the teaching of key skills that complement the subjects and courses already available for learners. Learners get real-life experience of the world outside school and learn how to apply skills in practical situations.

The Welsh Bacc award is based on specified combinations of qualifications to help learners get the most benefit from these experiences and skills.

Structure of the Welsh Bacc

The Welsh Bacc is for learners in Year 10 and Year 11. It is available at 2 levels: 

  • Foundation (Level 1)
  • National (Level 2)

Both levels:

  • have multiple elements
  • require learners to complete the Skills Challenge Certificate (SCC)
  • require learners to achieve the required level of attainment in supporting qualifications

A diagram illustrating the components of the Welsh Bacc along with more information can be found on the WJEC website.

Changes to the Welsh Bacc

The Welsh Bacc as an aggregated qualification will no longer be available to learners. The last cohort of learners entered into the aggregated qualification in September 2024. The Welsh Bacc will be awarded for the last time in summer 2026.  

The SCC will continue to be available as a standalone qualification for learners starting Year 10 in 2025 and 2026.

From 2027 the SCC will be replaced by the Skills Suite, which forms part of the full 14 to 16 qualifications offer.

Furthermore, in September 2023 the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate was replaced by the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales. This qualification will be awarded from Summer 2025.

More information can be found in the 'Advanced Skills Baccalaureate' Wales section.

Skills Challenge Certificate (SCC)

The SCC is a standalone, graded qualification. It is valued as a GCSE. The SCC can be achieved and awarded without the supporting qualifications that are part of the Welsh Bacc.

The SCC focuses on the essential and employability skills young people need for their future lives. 

These skills are developed and assessed through the 4 components which are as follows:

  1. Individual project
  2. Enterprise and Employability Challenge
  3. Global Citizenship Challenge
  4. Community Challenge

The combined outcomes of the 4 components will determine whether the SCC is awarded.

The SCC is designed to include learning and assessment that will enthuse, engage and motivate learners in the classroom, the workplace and in the wider community.

Learners will study topics and issues of their choice, relevant to their future study and career plans.

Learners will need to consider how the application of their skills may impact on individuals, employers, society and the environment.

Who is offered the SCC

The SCC should be offered to all year 10 learners in schools. Individual learners should be entered at the appropriate level.

There are no statutory requirements for learners to undertake any qualification. Therefore, the SCC is not compulsory.

Why we want learners to continue with the SCC

We want all learners to benefit from the SCC as it ensures that learners have:

  • access to a broad and balanced curriculum
  • opportunities to develop their practical skills in real-life situations, ensuring a well-rounded and adaptable skill set

The SCC provides an opportunity for learners to develop the wider skills and knowledge that align with, and build upon, the four purposes of the curriculum. It also aligns with the new skills suite of qualifications being introduced in 2027.

We want all learners in Wales to be:

  • ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
  • enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
  • ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
  • healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society

The SCC allows learners to develop their wider skills and confidence. This enables and empowers them to become responsible and active citizens within a diverse society. 

The Enterprise and Employability Challenge specifically supports learners to become enterprising, creative contributors who will be better prepared to play a full part in life and work.

The Global Citizenship and Community challenges give learners the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of society, the community in which they live and an awareness of global issues, events and perspectives. This helps them to become ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world.

  • The individual project gives learners the opportunity to undertake work related to:
    their studies
  • an area of particular interest to them
  • the further or higher education course they wish to pursue

When the SCC may not be offered

For some learners, undertaking the SCC may not be the right choice. Therefore, we need some flexibility. 

Schools should be providing opportunities that are in the best interests of their learners. When deciding whether an individual learner can be exempt from taking the SCC we expect schools to use their professional judgement. They should give due consideration to each young person’s wellbeing and their ability to reach their full potential.

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

Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales

The Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales (AdvSBW) is a standalone skills-based Level 3 qualification. It is equivalent in size and demand to an A level. The AdvSBW supports learners to become effective, responsible, and active citizens ready to take their place in a sustainable global society and in the workplace. It promotes learning inside and outside of the classroom with learners encouraged to choose areas of study which are of personal interest and linked to their future studies and careers.

The qualification provides opportunities for learners to progress from the skills development at the heart of the Curriculum for Wales, and to engage with current and important issues as citizens of Wales and the world. 

Through completing the AdvSBW qualification, learners will:

  • develop, apply and be assessed on their skills related to planning and organisation, critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity and innovation, and personal effectiveness (the ‘integral’ skills)
  • have opportunities to further develop their skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence (the ‘embedded’ skills)
  • develop an appreciation of the importance of skills development as a key aspect of life-long learning
  • engage in active, creative, and learner-led opportunities
  • enquire and think for themselves, plan, make choices and decisions, solve problems, and reflect on and evaluate these
  • develop initiative, independence, and resilience
  • work independently, take on responsibilities and work effectively with others

How the AdvSBW is structured

The AdvSBW qualification has 3 units:

  1. the Global Community Project
  2. the Future Destination Project
  3. the Individual Project
The Global Community Project

This project supports learners to develop and demonstrate application of the integral skills. Learners also consider complex global issues and participate in local community activities to promote citizenship in a sustainable world and Wales. 

The Future Destination Project

This project supports learners to develop and demonstrate application of the integral skills. Learners also explore future destination goals for life, employability and citizenship in a sustainable world and Wales. 

The Individual Project

This project enables learners to develop and demonstrate application of the integral skills. Learners also plan, manage and conduct an independent research project (extended written project or artefact).

Higher education and the AdvSBW

The skills, attributes and behaviours developed through the AdvSBW are greatly valued by universities. It SCC can help students gain entry to higher education.

Universities are autonomous bodies. They are responsible for setting admission criteria for their courses. Universities across the UK, including Russell Group universities, are generally very positive. Many accept the AdvSBW for entry requirement purposes.

However, there are differences in how different universities treat the AdvSBW as part of their offer-making process. Some universities treat the AdvSBW as equivalent to an A level. Other universities will make alternative offers for students who achieve the AdvSBW.

The AdvSBW is sometimes treated differently for different courses in the same university.

Some universities and faculties have a strict policy of only making entry offers based on A level grades. But many of these will consider the experiences gained by learners on the AdvSBW when deciding whether or not to make an offer.

Those universities that don’t accept the AdvSBW as an entry requirement still value it for the broader skills and experiences that it gives the young person. The AdvSBW can enhance applications, including personal statements and interviews.

The most recent information about universities that accept the AdvSBW can be found on the WJEC website.

Employers and the AdvSBW

The AdvSBW helps young people develop the skills that employers need in their workforce. This gives learners better access to varied opportunities when they leave education and enter the workplace.

Employers and experts from across the UK helped developed the AdvSBW. The content of the specification presents schools with a choice of delivery models, so a creative approach to curriculum requirements can be taken.

Who is offered the AdvSBW

The AdvSBW should be offered to all learners aged 16 to 19 on a 2-year course. It will normally be taken alongside other Level 3 qualifications, such as a combination of A levels and (or) vocational qualifications. The qualification is however not age specific. As such, it provides opportunities for learners to extend their life-long learning.

There are no statutory requirements for learners to undertake any qualification. Schools and colleges are able to provide opportunities that are in the best interests of their learners. We expect schools and colleges to use their professional judgement, giving due consideration to each young person’s needs, wellbeing and their ability to reach their full potential.