WJEC GCSE Digital Technology Help, Wales

In short

Digital Technology, the second of WJEC's two computing GCSEs for Wales, was first taught in September 2026 and is first awarded in 2028. It has three units. Unit 1, The Digital World, is a 1 hour 30 minute digital exam worth 40 per cent. Unit 2, Digital Practices, is 20 hours of non-examination assessment worth 40 per cent: data work in a spreadsheet, a proposal, design options, then a multi-page website plus either a computer game or a 2D animation, tested and evaluated. Unit 3, Communicating in the Digital World, is 10 hours worth 20 per cent: a digital marketing campaign and its video. Units 2 and 3 are set by WJEC, marked in school and moderated; Unit 2 runs under supervision where the teacher may give no help beyond reading the instructions, and any help from anyone else must be declared. Modern Age Coders teaches the skills those tasks grade, web, game development, animation, video and spreadsheets, on practice briefs of our own before the controlled hours start, and the Unit 1 theory. We never touch a candidate's brief, research, assets or assessed work. The first lesson is free, then USD 100 a month in a group or USD 150 one to one.

Start here

Three courses for the Unit 2 products

The website everyone builds, and one course for each side of the game-or-animation choice. Cards open the full syllabus.

HTML & CSS for Beginners course thumbnail

DT / 01

HTML and CSS

Multi-page sites with navigation, media, links and consistent styles: the compulsory Unit 2 website.

Open the syllabus →

DT / 02

Game Development for Teens

Scripted game behaviour, characters, levels, sound and interfaces, for candidates choosing the game.

Open the syllabus →

DT / 03

Creative Coding and Animation

Animation, motion and video editing, for candidates choosing the 2D animation and for the Unit 3 video.

Open the syllabus →

Two opposite GCSEs

Computer Science and Digital Technology, side by side

Both are WJEC, both are Made for Wales, and a school may offer either or both. They assess almost opposite things.

WJEC's two computing GCSEs
	Computer Science	Digital Technology
First taught	September 2025	September 2026
First awarded	Summer 2027	Summer 2028
Examined	All of it: two on-screen exams	Unit 1 only, 40 per cent
Made in school	None	60 per cent, in 30 hours of non-examination assessment
At its core	Programming in Python, reading and extending code	Making digital products for a client: website, game or animation, video
Data work	Data structures inside programs	Cleaning and analysing a dataset in a spreadsheet
Tiered	No	No

For a Year 9 student choosing options, the question is less which is harder than which kind of work they want graded. A student who enjoys solving problems in code and performs well in exams will find Computer Science a closer fit. A student who likes making things people use and look at, and works steadily over weeks, may do better in Digital Technology, where most of the marks are earned at a desk in school over many sessions rather than on two exam mornings.

What Digital Technology rewards

Planning for an audience: the Unit 2 brief comes with qualitative data on styles and themes and a quantitative dataset to analyse for audience needs, trends and preferences.

Finished, working products, built from a design the candidate chose and justified, and tested throughout.

What it does not need

A particular programming language named in the rules. The products need scripting and web skills, but the specification does not fix one language the way Computer Science fixes Python.

Exam technique for most of the marks. Only Unit 1 is sat as an exam.

The WJEC Computer Science page covers the other GCSE in the same depth, and the page on Year 9 options sets out what the evidence says about choosing a computing subject at 14.

Source: the WJEC GCSE Digital Technology Specification, teaching from 2026, version 2, February 2026, and the WJEC GCSE Computer Science Specification, teaching from 2025, both linked from the WJEC Digital Technology page and its Computer Science counterpart.

Unit 2: Digital Practices

Twenty supervised hours, and one choice worth 25 marks

From the Unit 2 sample assessment pack. WJEC sets a new client brief each September; the tasks and the mark scheme do not change.

Unit 2 tasks, marks and suggested hours
Task	What the candidate produces	Marks	Suggested hours
1. Data	A cleaned, organised dataset, then analysis showing audience needs, trends and preferences, all in a spreadsheet	10	2.5
2. Proposal	A digital product proposal and a time plan	10	1
3. Design	Annotated design options, and a justified choice between them	15	2.5
4a. Website	A functional multi-page website with media, navigation, links and consistent styles	10	13, shared
4b. Game or animation	Either a multilevel computer game or a 2D animation	25	13, shared
5. Evaluation	An evaluation of the ongoing testing and of the finished products	10	1

Task 4 takes thirteen of the twenty hours and 35 of the 80 marks, and most of that sits in the second product. The website is compulsory but worth 10. The game or the animation is worth 25, nearly a third of the unit and its largest single allocation, so the choice between them is the decision with the most marks riding on it in Unit 2.

If the candidate chooses the game

A multilevel game that uses scripting to control its behaviour, characters, objects and environments with animation, sound effects and background music, and an interface that is intuitive and engaging.

The top band asks for "at least five complex, five medium, and five basic game development techniques" from WJEC's own list, all of them suitable. That is a volume of technique nobody learns inside thirteen supervised hours.

If the candidate chooses the animation

A 2D animation built with suitable production skills, sound that supports it, and multiple animation sets for different scenes and actions, and timeline control of timing and movement, graded against its own list of basic, medium and complex techniques.

The same logic applies: the techniques are graded by level, so they have to be familiar before the controlled hours begin.

The website, the spreadsheet work and the second product are all graded partly by counting techniques at three levels, basic, medium and complex, from lists in the assessment pack. A candidate who has used those techniques many times before, on unrelated projects, spends the supervised hours building. One who meets them for the first time in the room spends the hours learning, and the marks show it.

Source: WJEC GCSE Digital Technology Unit 2 Sample Assessment Materials (2025), including the candidate mark record sheet, the suggested timings and the mark bands for Task 4. The specification confirms that the client brief changes annually while the tasks and mark scheme stay the same.

What help is allowed

High control, and why we step back before it starts

Units 2 and 3 are marked in school and moderated by WJEC. The conditions are strict, and they cover outside help too.

Unit 2 conditions, from the sample pack
Condition	What it means
Supervision	Work is done under formal supervision in class, and stays in school between sessions
Teacher help	"No assistance may be given by the teacher beyond reading the instructions"
Other students	No communication with peers, even about unrelated topics
Research	Allowed in separate research time, with internet access, and it must be referenced when brought in
Outside help	Must be declared: "If you receive help and guidance from someone other than your teacher, you must tell your teacher who will then record the nature of the assistance given to you."
AI tools	Must be referenced, and copying a solution produced by AI is treated as cheating

What we do

Teach the techniques the tasks grade, at all three levels, on practice briefs we write ourselves: websites for invented clients, small multilevel games, short 2D animations, marketing videos, and messy spreadsheets to clean.

Finish that work before the school's controlled hours begin, so nothing we set can be mistaken for, or merged into, assessed work.

What we never do

Read a WJEC client brief, collect or edit assets for it, suggest designs for it, or look at any evidence a candidate is producing for Unit 2 or Unit 3.

Help during research time for the real brief either. That time is part of the candidate's own preparation and the declaration rule applies to it.

One practical point families miss. The software a candidate uses in the controlled hours is the school's, not ours. Before choosing a course for the game or the animation, ask the teacher which tools the department runs, and learn on the same or similar software so the techniques transfer without friction.

The page on declaring AI covers the wider rules on AI in assessed work across the UK.

Units 1 and 3

The exam that comes last, and the video in between

Unit 1 is the only exam, first sat in 2028. Unit 3 is ten more hours of non-examination assessment, around a marketing campaign.

Unit 1, The Digital World: the six areas
Area	What it takes in
1.1 Data	Measuring and storing data; analogue and digital data
1.2 Digital technology systems	Devices and connections, operating systems, software types, backup, cloud services, the systems development life cycle
1.3 Digital communication	Communication methods, reliability of online sources, social networking practices and ownership
1.4 The digital shift	Changing working practices, marketplace models, and the rise of services and monetised content
1.5 Securing data and systems	Threats, the consequences of cyber-attacks on organisations, digital footprints, legal and ethical responsibilities
1.6 Emerging technologies	How digital technologies develop, and artificial intelligence models

Unit 1 is a 1 hour 30 minute digital exam worth 80 marks and 40 per cent of the GCSE, mixing objective, short and extended answers. It is first available in 2028, while work for Units 2 and 3 can be submitted from summer 2027, so a school may run the coursework first and the exam at the end. The theory is broad rather than deep, and it rewards steady weekly study over a last-minute push.

Unit 3: Communicating in the Digital World

Ten hours of non-examination assessment worth 60 marks and 20 per cent. The candidate researches social media platforms, recommends one for the organisation in a second client brief, plans a campaign and produces a marketing video, then exports it in a suitable format.

As in Unit 2, research time sits outside the assessed hours and the work is marked in school and moderated.

Still on the earlier GCSE?

WJEC's earlier Digital Technology GCSE is closing: "Summer 2027 will be the final full assessment opportunity for this qualification", with a resit for the examinations in January 2028, subject to demand.

Year 10 entries to it stopped in September 2026, so it concerns only students already on it.

Our lessons are in English only, although WJEC publishes its qualifications in Welsh too. The Wales page sets out the whole system around both GCSEs.

Progression

Four rungs, finished before the controlled hours

The order matters more than the pace: every rung below the last should be done before the school starts Unit 2.

What a Digital Technology candidate should be able to do
Rung	When	What should be true
1. Spreadsheets and data	Year 9 or early Year 10	Cleaning, sorting and filtering a messy dataset, formulas and functions, charts that show a trend
2. Websites	Early Year 10	Multi-page sites with navigation, media, links and one consistent style, built without a template
3. The second product	Year 10	A small multilevel game or a short 2D animation, using techniques at basic, medium and complex level
4. Theory and video	Through Year 11	The six Unit 1 areas studied weekly, and short practice videos edited and exported

Rung three decides the most marks

The game or animation carries 25 marks. Deciding which to learn early, with the school's software in mind, gives a candidate a year to build depth.

The general order of skills runs down the coding roadmap.

The school sets the clock

Units 2 and 3 can be done at any point in the course, once the teaching is complete. We plan back from the date the school gives.

When the controlled hours begin, our lessons switch to Unit 1.

The catalogue

Nine courses for Digital Technology candidates

Sorted by unit. Where a student begins is decided in the free lesson.

I

Products for Unit 2

The website and the game

UK / DT1 / 01

HTML and CSS

Multi-page websites with clean navigation and one consistent style.

Open the syllabus

UK / DT1 / 02

JavaScript for teens

Interactive pages, the step that lifts a website beyond the basic level.

Open the syllabus

UK / DT1 / 03

Game development for teens

Scripted behaviour, levels, characters and sound in real games.

Open the syllabus

II

Media for Units 2 and 3

Animation, video and design

UK / DT2 / 01

Creative coding and animation

Motion, animation and video editing from first principles.

Open the syllabus

UK / DT2 / 02

Creative media for teens

Photo, video and design, for the Unit 3 campaign video and its assets.

Open the syllabus

UK / DT2 / 03

Canva and design

Layout, typography and social graphics for design options and campaigns.

Open the syllabus

III

Data and theory

Task 1 and Unit 1

UK / DT3 / 01

Data analysis

Spreadsheet cleaning, formulas and charts; pitched older, but its spreadsheet months are Task 1 exactly.

Open the syllabus

UK / DT3 / 02

Cybersecurity for teens

Threats, attacks and digital footprints, the heart of area 1.5.

Open the syllabus

UK / DT3 / 03

GCSE Computer Science

Systems, operating systems, cloud and the life cycle, shared with Unit 1.

Open the syllabus

How lessons work

Build the techniques, then step aside

Our teachers are in India, which never moves its clocks, so Wales runs four and a half hours behind in summer and five and a half in winter. Every time is agreed in UK time.

After school

The usual slot for Years 9 to 11.

Evening

For students with clubs or part-time work.

Weekend

Longer sessions suit game and animation work.

Techniques by level

Each technique taught and practised at basic, medium and complex level, so the lists in the assessment pack hold no surprises.

Invented clients

Practice briefs with their own data and style notes, written by us and never resembling a WJEC brief.

Tested as built

Testing recorded throughout every practice product, because Task 5 grades the testing as well as the result.

Spreadsheets early

Data cleaning and analysis first, since Task 1 opens the unit and sets up everything after it.

Stop before control

Practice ends before the school's supervised hours start, and lessons turn to Unit 1.

Small groups

Five to ten students at one rung, reviewing each other's practice products.

Student work

Things our students have made in class

A few pieces students made in ordinary lessons, none of it assessed. Plenty more sit in student labs.

AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

AI and ML

Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

AI and ML

GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees for Digital Technology lessons

Fees are charged monthly in US dollars, at one rate for all families outside India. There is no charge for the first lesson, and none at all until a course and a weekly time are agreed.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

A real lesson on Digital Technology skills
An honest view of which rung fits
A phone number is enough

Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

Five to ten students on one rung
One teacher through Years 10 and 11
Practice products reviewed each week
Unit 1 theory once controlled work starts

Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

A teacher for one student
Planned back from the school's dates
Suits a student deciding between game and animation

Enquire

What families say

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

Parents' Google reviews, as they wrote them.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Questions about WJEC GCSE Digital Technology

What families in Wales ask

How is the new GCSE Digital Technology assessed?

In three units. Unit 1 is a 1 hour 30 minute digital exam worth 40 per cent. Unit 2 is 20 hours of non-examination assessment worth 40 per cent, and Unit 3 is 10 hours worth 20 per cent. Units 2 and 3 are set by WJEC, marked in school and moderated.

How is it different from Computer Science?

Computer Science is entirely examined and centres on programming in Python. Digital Technology is sixty per cent made in school and centres on digital products for a client: a website, a game or animation, and a marketing video.

What does a candidate make in Unit 2?

A cleaned and analysed dataset, a proposal and time plan, design options, a multi-page website, either a multilevel computer game or a 2D animation, and an evaluation of the testing and the products.

Should my child choose the game or the animation?

Whichever they can build to a higher level with the school's software. It is worth 25 of the unit's 80 marks, so the decision deserves a year of practice rather than a guess in the first session.

Do the tasks change each year?

The client brief changes every year. WJEC says the tasks and the mark scheme stay the same, which is why the skills can be prepared well in advance.

Can a tutor help with the coursework?

Not with the assessed work itself. In Unit 2 teachers may give no help beyond reading the instructions during the supervised hours, and help from anyone else must be declared and recorded. We teach the techniques beforehand, on our own briefs, and stay away from the real ones.

When is the first exam?

Unit 1 is first available in 2028. Work for Units 2 and 3 can first be submitted in summer 2027, and the first full award is in 2028.

Is it tiered?

No. Every candidate takes the same assessments.

What about the earlier Digital Technology GCSE?

Its final full assessment is in summer 2027, with a resit for the examinations in January 2028, subject to demand. It stopped taking Year 10 entries in September 2026.

What does it cost?

The first lesson is free. Afterwards one monthly fee in US dollars applies, lower for a group place than for a teacher of your own, shown in the fees section above and never charged ahead of time.

Elsewhere on this site

Other pages for Welsh families

The other WJEC computing GCSE, the Welsh system, and choosing at 14.

WJEC GCSE Computer Science

The fully examined alternative, and its program you did not write.

Coding and AI classes in Wales

Primary school to sixth form across Wales.

Choosing computing at Year 9

What the evidence says about the choice at 14.

Understand the code, do not copy-paste it

AI tools near assessed work, and the declaration rules.

Student hackathons in the UK

Where young makers build things for real audiences outside school.

Coding classes in the UK

Where every UK page on this site is gathered.

Start here

Book a free first lesson

Leave a number and we will call at a UK time that works for you. The lesson covers real Digital Technology skills and ends with a rung to begin on and a view on game or animation.

Want to read first? Every course page sets out its syllabus, how we teach explains who the method suits and who it does not, and student labs shows real student work.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · contact@modernagecoders.com

WhatsApp is quickest and free from a UK phone. Messages reach our office in India, so the number begins +91.

Three courses for the Unit 2 products

HTML and CSS

Game Development for Teens

Creative Coding and Animation

Computer Science and Digital Technology, side by side

What Digital Technology rewards

What it does not need

Twenty supervised hours, and one choice worth 25 marks

If the candidate chooses the game

If the candidate chooses the animation

High control, and why we step back before it starts

What we do

What we never do

The exam that comes last, and the video in between

Unit 3: Communicating in the Digital World

Still on the earlier GCSE?

Four rungs, finished before the controlled hours

Rung three decides the most marks

The school sets the clock

Nine courses for Digital Technology candidates

Products for Unit 2

HTML and CSS

JavaScript for teens

Game development for teens

Media for Units 2 and 3

Creative coding and animation

Creative media for teens

Canva and design

Data and theory

Data analysis

Cybersecurity for teens

GCSE Computer Science

Build the techniques, then step aside

Techniques by level

Invented clients

Tested as built

Spreadsheets early

Stop before control

Small groups

Things our students have made in class

NutriLife

Misti

GuardianX

SkyCast

Fees for Digital Technology lessons

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

What families in Wales ask

How is the new GCSE Digital Technology assessed?

How is it different from Computer Science?

What does a candidate make in Unit 2?

Should my child choose the game or the animation?

Do the tasks change each year?

Can a tutor help with the coursework?

When is the first exam?

Is it tiered?

What about the earlier Digital Technology GCSE?

What does it cost?

Other pages for Welsh families

WJEC GCSE Computer Science

Coding and AI classes in Wales

Choosing computing at Year 9

Understand the code, do not copy-paste it

Student hackathons in the UK

Coding classes in the UK

Book a free first lesson

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

Related courses and guides

Learn more

Free resources

From the blog

Start here