Essential Skills Wales (ESW) Support & FAQs

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Title	Essential Skills Wales (ESW) Support & FAQs

URL Name	Essential-Skills-Wales-ESW-Support-and-FAQs

Issue

Where can I find support for Essential Skills Wales (ESW) qualifications?

FAQ

Banner text reads: Essential Skills Wales (ESW) Support & FAQs

Our Essential Skills Wales qualifications are suitable for Post 16 learners, and for Pre 16 learners in alternative provision, such as Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and special schools at all levels.

The suite includes qualifications from Entry Level 1 to Level 3, although the levels available vary by subject. Essential Employability Skills is available from Entry Level 3.

They can be taken as stand-alone qualifications, or as a key component of other qualifications, including BTEC and apprenticeships.

For more information please click to expand the sections below:

Which subjects are available?

Pearson currently offers the below Essential Skills Wales qualifications. Please use the following links to see the individual subject pages on the Pearson Qualifications website:

Essential Application of Number Skills
Entry Levels 1 to 3	Levels 1 to 3
Essential Communication Skills
Entry Levels 1 to 3	Levels 1 to 3
Essential Digital Literacy Skills
Entry Levels 1 to 3	Levels 1 to 3
Essential Employability Skills
Entry Level 3	Levels 1 to 3

How are these qualifications assessed?

Assessment arrangements vary by qualification and level. Depending on the qualification, assessment may include a controlled task and either a confirmatory test or a structured discussion. Centres may also develop their own controlled tasks where permitted by the published guidance.

In most cases candidates’ work is internally assessed by centres; the only exceptions to this are the confirmatory tests within Essential Application of Number Skills (Level 1 - 3) and Essential Communication Skills (Level 1 - 3) which are externally set and marked by Pearson. Entry Level Application of Number and Entry Level Communication follow different assessment requirements and do not use the same two part controlled task and confirmatory element model.

Assessment arrangements for each of the Essential Skills qualifications are as follows:

Level	Qualification	Assessment Model	Internal vs External
Entry Levels 1 - 3	Essential Application of Number Skills	Controlled task	Externally set, internally assessed
Entry Levels 1 - 3	Essential Communication Skills	Controlled task	Externally set, internally assessed
Levels 1 - 3	Essential Application of Number Skills	Controlled task and confirmatory test	Task: externally set, internally assessed Test: externally set, externally assessed
Levels 1 - 3	Essential Communication Skills	Controlled task and confirmatory test	Task: externally set, internally assessed Test: externally set, externally assessed
Entry Levels 1 - 3, Levels 1 - 3	Essential Digital Literacy Skills	Controlled task and confirmatory structured discussion	Externally set, internally assessed
Entry Level 3, Levels 1 - 3	Essential Employability Skills	Controlled task and confirmatory structured discussion	Externally set, internally assessed

Detailed information on qualification assessment can be found in section 4 of the below document:

ESW - Suite of Qualifications Handbook - [PDF Download]

How do I access Confirmatory Tests

The confirmatory tests are externally set and are externally marked. The test paper will be allocated to each test sitting or candidate, and unlike the controlled tasks, centres are unable to choose a particular test paper or range of topics for their learners.

For instructions on how to order/book confirmatory tests and download them please see the following document:

Essential Skills Wales Confirmatory Tests User Guide - [PDF Download]

The confirmatory tests require a more formal environment than the controlled tasks, detailed instructions on delivering these examinations can be found in the below document:

ESW - Instructions for Conducting Examinations - Confirmatory Tests 2026 to 2027 - [PDF Download]

Where can I find Controlled Tasks?

Essential Skills Wales controlled tasks are available to download from our website via Secure Tests. You will only be able to access controlled task papers for the qualifications that your centre is approved to run.

An Edexcel Online account with the appropriate permissions is required to access live controlled tasks.

Quality Assurance

All internally assessed components must adhere to our quality assurance model to ensure standards are maintained. The Centre Guide to Quality Assurance for Essential Skills Wales (ESW) can be downloaded below:

ESW - Centre Guide to Quality Assurance 2026-27 - [PDF Download]

This handbook is your guide to quality assurance processes for Essential Skills Wales (2015) suite of qualifications. We advise that all Examinations Officers, Programme Managers, Lead Internal Verifiers, Assessors, and Internal Verifiers in centres offering ESW familiarise themselves with the contents of this handbook.

Back to Functional Skills: Support Index.

Detailed Instructions

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