First wave of Made-for-Wales Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs) now available

Following the publication of our approved specifications for the first wave of our Made-for-Wales GCSEs and related qualifications, and in line with the Qualifications Wales’ agreed timeline, we have now published the associated Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs)*. These will support teachers and lecturers in their preparation for first delivery from September 2025.  

Commenting on this publication, Ian Morgan, WJEC’s Chief Executive: “The publication of the Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs) forms part of the introductory journey for schools and colleges in the delivery of these exciting new qualifications. They provide an indication of the style of assessment and associated mark schemes, which will help them prepare for the first assessments. 

The SAMs form part of a comprehensive support package that we are developing for each qualification, which consists of the approved Specification, SAMs, Guidance for Teaching, alongside a suite of free adaptable digital resources. 

This package will be complemented with a schedule of extensive face-to-face Professional Learning which is available to schools and colleges across Wales in the spring term. 

The documentation, resources and Professional Learning will help teachers to understand how these qualifications can be delivered and support the ambitions of the Curriculum for Wales.” 

Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs) demonstrate what an assessment may look like prior to there being any live assessment materials available. SAMs are produced to support teachers, lecturers and learners in understanding how content in the specification may be assessed. They provide sample questions and mark schemes that teachers and lecturers and learners can use in their assessment preparation. 

*Please note, for our reformed GCSE in Religious Studies, the full suite of SAMs will be available in early 2025, however, SAMs for Units 2 and 4 are available to download now. 

Utilising SAMs  

We recommend that teachers and lecturers utilise the whole raft of support that will be available when delivering our qualifications, which includes our Specification, SAMs, Guidance for Teaching and resources.   

SAMs can be used as part of teacher-directed activities or learner-directed activities. They can be used for examination practise once learning on a topic or unit has been completed. They can also be used as a guide for teachers or learners to create their own questions to evaluate learning and identify areas for improvement. It is really important to understand that the purpose of the SAMs is to illustrate what an assessment could look like in future examination series and therefore should be used once learning has been completed. 

In accordance with Qualifications Wales’ timeline, we will publish Guidance for Teaching in January; this Guidance will support teachers in preparing for assessment and will highlight opportunities for embedding aspects of the Curriculum for Wales into the delivery of the qualifications. 

Additional support

We will provide a ‘SAMs walk-through’ blended learning module for teachers and lecturers and face-to-face training for each qualification which will include suggested teaching approaches and approaches to assessment.  

The SAMs walk-through will be a pre-recorded presentation designed to support learners, teachers and lecturers to understand the structure of non-examination assessments and question papers. It will detail question types, assessment objectives and marking methods and will be available to access via WJEC’s Portal secure website in the summer term 2025.  

In addition, we have bespoke FAQs in relation to our FAQs which are available here.  

FREE adaptable resources and Professional Learning 

To support the delivery of these qualifications, we will be producing a package of FREE adaptable digital resources. We will begin publishing these materials from the end of the autumn term, further information is available via the following announcement. 

Alongside these resources, we are also delivering a tailored schedule of online and face-to-face Professional Learning opportunities. These FREE nationwide courses are available to centres across Wales. Each course will be delivered by trained subject experts who will provide insight into each qualification and offer pragmatic advice and guidance. Further information on these courses, including our Pan Wales Roadshow is available here. 

Stay up to date 

To keep you up to date with the latest news, opportunities and FAQs regarding the new GCSEs and related qualifications, visit our ‘Made-for-Wales’ web area. This area hosts a wealth of material, including an introduction to our Qualification Development Team who are leading the creation of the new qualifications.