Made-for-Wales specifications submitted for approval
We are delighted to announce that our draft specifications for the first wave of GCSEs and related qualifications have been submitted to Qualifications Wales for approval. These 18 new specifications will be available to centres to deliver from September 2025, and have been designed to support the ambitions of the Curriculum for Wales.
Commenting on this significant achievement, Delyth Jones, WJEC’s Assistant Director, Qualification Development: “On behalf of WJEC, I would like to thank the active participation of our writers and reviewers, our advisory groups, subject teams and our Qualification Development Team who have ensured we have submitted these high-quality specifications to Qualifications Wales on time.
We were very pleased with the quality of our submissions which I attribute to our co-construction approach to the development of these qualifications and the commitment and expertise of our staff. We have actively engaged and listened to a broad range of stakeholders to ensure that these qualifications are inclusive, diverse and can support the ambitions of the Curriculum for Wales.
We are confident that our new qualifications will inspire and engage learners across Wales by providing them with new and updated opportunities to gain a broad range of knowledge, understanding and skills. Furthermore, each qualification has been designed with our teachers in mind, ensuring that the specifications can provide them with exciting opportunities to embed aspects of the Curriculum for Wales.
We look forward to sharing our draft specifications with our centres shortly, once we’ve updated them following feedback from our regulator, and once again I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in this exciting development for education in Wales.”
The draft specifications will be available via our website during the summer term, with the final approved versions published from September. A comprehensive assessment pack for each qualification, including detailed assessment arrangements and sample assessment materials, will then be published in December, followed by Guidance for Teaching in January.
Qualification Outlines – interactive SWAYS
In January we published our final Qualification Outlines for these qualifications, alongside our Consultation Report which outlines the actions we have taken, based on the outcomes of our consultations.
Alongside these materials, our teams have also developed individual interactive Sways, which provides further insight into our approach to each qualification. These are available via the subject pages.
FREE Professional Learning
To support the delivery of these new qualifications, we are delivering a comprehensive 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 will lead the creation of the new GCSEs.