Essential Skills Wales
Essential Communication Skills (ECommS)
Level 1 controlled task
Candidate pack
Health and wellbeing
Sample 1
Candidate name:
Candidate number:
Unique Learner Number (ULN) (if applicable):
Date registered for ECommS with awarding body:
Centre name:
Centre number:
You have up to 4 hours in total to complete this controlled task, although that
time can be split over a number of sessions.
Details of when each session started and ended must be recorded below
Date controlled task started:
Date controlled task completed (no more than eight weeks later):
Session 1
Duration
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Session 8
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Date
Duration
Duration
Duration
Duration
Duration
Duration
Duration
Total time spent:
If more than eight sessions are required, any further dates/durations should be recorded on a
separate sheet.
Produced jointly by the four Essential Skills awarding bodies:
Agored Cymru
City & Guilds
Pearson
WJEC
This task pack contains a scenario, a set of instructions and some
source material.
 Make sure you read through the scenario, instructions and source material
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2
carefully before you start.
You will be supervised throughout your time working on this task, although
during that time you can use most of the equipment that would normally be
available to you in a real-life situation (although you shouldn’t need to access
the internet).
All work submitted must be entirely your own. You are not allowed to be given
any help with the skills that are being assessed through this controlled task.
Make sure you hand in all of your work at the end of each session. You are not
allowed to take any task materials away with you, or have access to these
between sessions.
Make sure you sign the declaration at the back of this pack at the end of your
final session working on this task.
Essential Communication Skills | Level 1 controlled task | SAMPLE 1
Task instructions: Health and wellbeing
What do you need to find out?
The scenario
This task is about health and wellbeing.
Part 1
You need to use Source 1 to find information to help you take part in a
discussion and write a letter to a family member or friend.
Part 2
You need to use Source 2 to find information to help you write a leaflet for
the local community.
What you need to do – Part 1
Reading
You must be able to identify the main points and ideas in the document
you have read. You can look up the meaning of any words you do not
understand.
 Read Source 1 Five steps to wellbeing to help you prepare for and
take part in a discussion. You must also use this information to write
to a friend or family member.
 You must show your preparation for the discussion. You could
make notes or lists, use a flow chart or spider diagram or you could
make notes on the source document to identify the main points and
ideas.
 You must hand in these notes or plans at the end of the task.
Resources you should use:
Source 1
 The Five steps to wellbeing document.
Essential Communication Skills | Level 1 controlled task | SAMPLE 1
3
Speaking and listening
Discussion (Minimum 10 minutes)
Using information from Source 1, prepare to take part in a discussion by
listing the five steps to wellbeing in the order in which you are most likely
to carry them out.
Take part in the discussion. Give reasons for your decisions.
 Say what you think/feel about the subject.
 Make sure you ask others in the group their opinions.
 Make a note of any points made during the discussion that you feel
may be useful in your writing task.
Writing
Write to a friend or family member to persuade them to join you in a
wellbeing activity. Give reasons for your invitation. You may wish to
suggest which activities are suitable.
Use some of the information you found in Source 1. You may include
information that you have learnt from the discussion. Your written
document should be at least 250 words long.
▪
▪
▪
▪
Produce a plan
Write/word process a first draft
Check your draft makes sense
Correct any mistakes.
Your final version should have correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.
You should use complete sentences and paragraphs in your writing.
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Essential Communication Skills | Level 1 controlled task | SAMPLE 1
What you need to do – Part 2
Reading
You must be able to identify the main points and ideas in the document
you have just read. You can look up the meaning of words you do not
understand.
 Read Source 2 and find information that will help you to prepare to
write a leaflet aimed at your local community, giving
advice/information on eating healthily.
 You must show your preparation for writing a leaflet. You could
make notes or lists, use a flow chart or spider diagram or you could
make notes on the source document to identify the main points and
ideas.
 You must hand in these notes or plans at the end of the task.
Resources you should use:
Source 2
 A healthy, varied diet.
Writing (C1.3)
You must use the information you have found in the source document to
write a document that is at least 250 words long.
Write a leaflet aimed at your local community about how to eat healthily.
▪ Produce a plan
▪ Write/word process a first draft
▪ Check your draft makes sense and any correct any mistakes.
Your final version should have correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.
You should use full sentences and paragraphs
Essential Communication Skills | Level 1 controlled task | SAMPLE 1
5
Source 1
Five Steps to Wellbeing
There are five steps that we can take to improve our mental wellbeing. If you give them a
try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from your life.
Your mental health is important. Some mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety,
are common. If you have such an illness, it's important to get the right treatment. However,
there's more to good mental health than avoiding or treating mental illness. There is also
positive mental wellbeing.
What is mental wellbeing?
Mental wellbeing is more than just happiness. It is about living in a way that is good for you
and good for others around you.
Mental wellbeing includes:
 Happiness
 Enjoyment
 Confidence
 Engagement with the world
 Being able to cope when times are tough.
Wellbeing and society
We have become richer over the last 50 years but our mental wellbeing has not improved.
Many of the things we often think will improve our mental wellbeing – such as more
possessions, more money to spend or expensive holidays –do not improve the way we feel
about ourselves and our lives.
Five steps to mental wellbeing
There are five steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing.
Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and
neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships.
Be active – you don't have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of
football. Find the activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life.
Keep learning – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and confidence.
So why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, or
figure out how to fix your bike?
Give to others – even the smallest act can count whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind
word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your
mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks.
Be mindful –Think about your feelings and thoughts. Think about how you fit into the world
around you.
Adapted from: NHS Choices
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Essential Communication Skills | Level 1 controlled task | SAMPLE 1
Source 2
A healthy, varied diet
What is a healthy diet?
No single food contains all the things the body needs to be healthy. A good diet depends on
the balance of all the foods that are eaten over time. It should include a variety of foods. It
will also depend on how active the person is.
We need energy to carry out everyday tasks such as walking and moving. We also need
energy for the things we do without even thinking, such a breathing. A healthy diet will give
us all the energy we need. If we eat and drink more than we need then we will gradually put
on weight. This can cause problems in later life.
The Eatwell Plate shows us the different foods we need- and in what proportions
Each food group gives us different things we need for our everyday life so we need to eat
foods from all of the groups. Some foods should only be eaten as a treat and in small
amounts.
Fruit and vegetables give us vitamins, minerals and fibre. The advice is to eat at least 5
portions of different fruit and vegetables every day.
Most people should eat more starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, rice and pasta as
they are good sources of energy, vitamins and fibre. The advice is to eat these foods with
every meal. It is best to eat brown bread and brown rice or pasta as they have even more
fibre. Some people think starchy foods are fattening but in fact they help you feel full.
Dairy foods such as cheese, milk and yoghurt contain calcium and other
nutrients. The Eatwell Plate tells you how much you should eat compared to fruit,
vegetables and starchy foods
Lean meat, fish, eggs and beans provide protein. Try to eat oily fish at least once
a week.
Biscuits, fizzy drinks, crisps and cakes are high in sugar and/or fat. They are nice as
treats but should only be eaten in small amounts.
Essential Communication Skills | Level 1 controlled task | SAMPLE 1
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Declarations
The candidate and assessor declarations must be completed.
Candidate name:
Candidate declaration:
I confirm that this is entirely my own work and it was completed during the
supervised sessions stated on the front cover.
Candidate signature
Date
For centre staff and awarding body use only
Assessor declaration:
I confirm that this candidate has met the standard required for the
controlled task. The controlled task was conducted under the specified
conditions and completed within the working period and working time
requirements.
Assessor signature
Date
Internal quality assurer (IQA) declaration:
(if sampled)
I have internally quality assured this work and confirm that the standards
have been met.
IQA signature
Date
External quality assurer (EQA) declaration:
(if sampled)
I have externally quality assured this work and confirm that the standards
have been met.
EQA signature
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Essential Communication Skills | Level 1 controlled task | SAMPLE 1
Date