Welsh Baccalaureate (Welsh Bacc) Core Transferable Skills and Reflection Syllabus

In a presentation, what aspects of non-verbal communication (body language) should a speaker manage?

Eye contact, posture, facial expressions, gestures, and movement. Positive body language conveys confidence and helps engage the audience.

Why are visual aids used in presentations, and what is one common mistake to avoid?

Visual aids reinforce key points, aid understanding and maintain interest. A common mistake is overloading slides with too much text and reading directly from them instead of summarising key points.

What is the purpose of an introduction and a conclusion in an oral presentation?

The introduction grabs attention, states the topic and outlines what will be covered. The conclusion summarises the main points, reinforces the key message and provides a clear, memorable ending.

Name three examples of digital communication tools and a suitable use for each.

Email (formal written messages and attachments), video conferencing such as Teams/Zoom (remote meetings and collaboration), and shared documents/cloud platforms such as Google Docs (real-time group collaboration).

What is netiquette in digital communication?

Netiquette is the set of conventions for polite, appropriate and respectful behaviour when communicating online, such as using a clear subject line, appropriate tone, no excessive capitals (shouting), and respecting others' privacy.

Give two advantages and one disadvantage of using digital communication tools for teamwork.

Advantages: instant communication regardless of location, and easy sharing/storing of files. Disadvantage: loss of non-verbal cues can cause misunderstanding, and technical issues or distractions can hinder communication.

What is active listening?

Active listening is fully concentrating on, understanding and responding to a speaker, rather than just passively hearing. It involves giving attention, not interrupting, showing engagement, and reflecting back to confirm understanding.

Name three techniques that demonstrate active listening.

Maintaining eye contact and nodding, paraphrasing or summarising what the speaker said to confirm understanding, and asking relevant follow-up questions. Avoiding interruptions also shows active listening.

What is the difference between an open question and a closed question?

An open question invites a detailed, extended response (e.g. 'Why do you think...?') and usually cannot be answered with one word. A closed question prompts a short, specific answer such as 'yes', 'no' or a single fact.

What does the acronym SMART stand for when setting objectives?

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic (or Relevant), and Time-bound. SMART objectives are clear, trackable, attainable, worthwhile and have a deadline.

Why is making an objective 'Measurable' important?

Because it lets you track progress and know definitively when the objective has been achieved, using clear criteria or quantities rather than a vague sense of completion.

Rewrite the vague goal 'get better at presentations' as a SMART objective.

Example: 'Deliver a five-minute presentation to my class with no notes by the end of this term, achieving at least 80% positive feedback from peers.' It is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

What is the difference between a long-term goal and a short-term objective?

A long-term goal is a broad aim achieved over an extended period (e.g. months or years). A short-term objective is a smaller, specific step completed soon that helps move you towards the long-term goal.

What is an action plan?

An action plan is a structured document that breaks a goal into specific tasks or steps, with assigned responsibilities, resources needed, and deadlines, used to organise work and track progress towards an objective.

List four elements typically included in an action plan.

The tasks/steps to be completed, the resources required, the person responsible, and the deadline/timescale for each task. Success criteria or milestones are often included too.

What does it mean to monitor an action plan, and why is it done?

Monitoring means regularly checking progress against the planned tasks, timescales and milestones. It is done to identify delays or problems early, so the plan can be adjusted to stay on track and meet the objective.

What is a milestone in the context of action planning?

A milestone is a significant checkpoint or marker of progress within a plan, used to confirm that a key stage has been completed on schedule and to help track overall progress.

Outline the main stages of a structured problem-solving process.

Identify and define the problem, gather information, generate possible solutions, evaluate the options, choose and implement the best solution, then review the outcome to check it worked.

What is the difference between the symptoms of a problem and its root cause?

Symptoms are the visible effects or signs that something is wrong, while the root cause is the underlying reason behind them. Effective problem-solving addresses the root cause, not just the symptoms.

Name two creative techniques used to generate possible solutions to a problem.

Brainstorming (generating many ideas freely without immediate judgement) and mind mapping (visually linking ideas around a central problem). SWOT analysis and trial-and-error are also used.

What is the difference between a decision and a justification?

A decision is the choice you make from the available options. A justification is the reasoned explanation of why you made that choice, supported by evidence, weighing of pros and cons, or criteria.

What is a pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) analysis used for in decision-making?

It is a technique for evaluating options by listing the benefits and drawbacks of each, allowing them to be compared systematically so the most suitable choice can be justified.

Why is it important to consider consequences and risks before making a decision?

Because decisions have outcomes that affect yourself and others; weighing the likely consequences and risks helps you choose the option with the best balance of benefit and acceptable risk, leading to a justified, responsible decision.

What is reflective practice?

Reflective practice is the process of regularly thinking about and critically reviewing your own experiences, actions and learning, in order to understand what happened, evaluate how well you did, and improve future performance.

List the stages of Gibbs' Reflective Cycle.

Description (what happened), Feelings (what you thought/felt), Evaluation (what was good and bad), Analysis (why it happened/what sense you can make of it), Conclusion (what else you could have done), and Action Plan (what you will do next time).

Name the four stages of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle.

Concrete Experience (doing/having an experience), Reflective Observation (reviewing/reflecting on it), Abstract Conceptualisation (concluding/learning from it), and Active Experimentation (planning/trying out what you have learned).

What is self-assessment?

Self-assessment is the process of evaluating your own work, performance and progress against set criteria or standards, identifying your strengths and weaknesses to recognise how well you have done and where to improve.

What is the difference between formative and summative feedback?

Formative feedback is given during a task to help you improve before the final outcome. Summative feedback is given at the end to judge or grade the completed work against standards.

What does it mean to 'act on feedback', and why is it valuable?

Acting on feedback means using the comments and suggestions you receive to make concrete improvements to your work or skills. It is valuable because feedback only improves performance if changes are actually made in response to it.

How can identifying your strengths and areas for development support your progression?

Recognising strengths lets you build on and use them effectively, while identifying areas for development shows what to target with goals and action. Together they create a clear, realistic basis for setting future goals and planning improvement.

What should an effective goal for future progression include to be useful?

It should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound), based on honest self-assessment and feedback, linked to a clear next step (such as further study, a career or skill development), and supported by an action plan to achieve it.