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Jessica Jeffery
Recruitment and Partnerships Specialist at The TEFL Institute Group. Holds a business degree plus TEFL and CELTA, taught in Thailand and Italy, and helps students find high quality jobs and internships.
Last reviewed: 15 November 2026
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Skills section asks you to improve at a skill, or learn a new one, over a set period, with a regular weekly commitment and sign off from an assessor. Good ideas for sixth formers include languages, coding, music, writing and teaching, and a structured online course can work if your DofE leader agrees.
If you are in Year 12 or Year 13 and choosing a Skills activity, this guide covers what the section expects, ideas that suit students your age, and where a teaching qualification could fit. It also links to our guide to supercurricular activities for UK sixth formers for ideas that go beyond DofE.
Key takeaways
- Bronze starts at 14, Silver at 15 and Gold at 16. Gold adds a fifth section, the residential.
- The Skills section is about developing a personal interest, creative skill or practical skill, and showing improvement over time.
- Your DofE leader and assessor decide whether an activity counts. Always ask before you start.
- A TEFL course is a possible Skills activity if it is structured, has measurable progress and your leader agrees.
- UCAS lists Duke of Edinburgh awards among the examples you can mention in your personal statement.
What is the DofE Skills section?
The Skills section is one of the core parts of a DofE programme. It is there to encourage you to develop a personal interest, creative skill or practical skill, either by improving at something you already do or by trying something new. Bronze and Silver have four sections in total, and Gold has five.
You work towards goals that you set with your leader, and an assessor, who is usually an adult with some knowledge of the skill, confirms that you committed to it and improved. Minimum time periods depend on your level and on whether you have completed the previous one, so check the current figures with your DofE leader or on the official DofE website before you plan.
What makes a good Skills activity?
A good Skills activity gives you a regular routine, a clear starting point and a way to show you have improved. The best ones also leave you with something you can describe, such as a piece of work, a recording or a certificate.
Think about how you will prove progress at the end. A language gives you a conversation you could not have held before. A coding project gives you a working app. A course with quizzes and tutor feedback gives you a record of how you moved from module to module.
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Which Skills section ideas suit sixth formers?
The best ideas for sixth formers are those that fit around A levels, build on something you care about and give you evidence to talk about later. These examples are common choices, and each still needs your leader’s agreement.
| Idea | What you could show at the end | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Learning a language | A short recorded conversation or a language level test | Languages, travel, international courses |
| Coding | A finished app or website | Computing, engineering, maths |
| Learning an instrument | A short performance or a graded exam | Music, performing arts |
| Creative writing | A portfolio of finished pieces | English, journalism, humanities |
| Learning to teach | A completed teaching qualification and a practice lesson plan | Education, languages, psychology |
Can a TEFL course count as a DofE skill?
It may, if your DofE leader and assessor agree that it meets the Skills section’s expectations. Learning to teach is a practical skill with clear stages, and a course gives you a visible record of progress. We cannot promise your group will accept it, so ask your leader before you enrol and explain how you will show improvement.
The 120-hour Sixth Form TEFL Course is built for students aged 16 to 18. It has ten modules that each end in a quiz you can retake, a personal tutor who marks your work, and a certificate you can verify online. It also carries 120 CPD credits from The CPD Group. Those features make progress easy to document, which is what an assessor needs to see.
How do you set goals and show progress?
Agree your goals with your leader at the start and write them down. For a course, a simple goal could be to complete a set number of modules by a set date, and to be able to plan and explain a short lesson by the end.
Keep a short weekly note of what you did and what you found hard. Save your quiz results and any tutor feedback. At the end, your assessor can read that record alongside the certificate and sign off the section with confidence.
Will it help your UCAS application?
It can. UCAS lists Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of York awards among the examples you can use when answering its third personal statement question, which is about what else you have done to prepare outside education. The same page says to reflect on why each experience is useful, not just to name it.
Our guide to writing about a TEFL course in your UCAS personal statement shows how to turn a Skills activity into two or three honest sentences. Staff read your answers as a whole, so pick the strongest examples and avoid repeating them.
What can schools do to help?
Schools that run DofE can pair it with a sixth form enrichment programme, so students who want a teaching related Skills activity have a structured option with group pricing and progress tracking. Our page for heads of sixth form and enrichment leads explains how the course fits a timetable.
If you are planning ahead, our guides to gap year ideas in the UK and paid gap year work abroad show where a teaching qualification can lead after Year 13.
Ready to choose your Skills activity?
Talk to your DofE leader first, agree the goals, then decide. If learning to teach appeals, see what the 120-hour Sixth Form TEFL Course includes and take the details to your leader.
Tara and Jess talk through different TEFL and EFL topics, from finding work abroad to life in the classroom.
FAQs
Questions students ask us
It is the section where you develop a personal interest, creative skill or practical skill, either by improving at something you already do or by learning something new. You set goals with your leader, and an assessor confirms your commitment and progress.
Popular choices include learning a language, coding, an instrument, creative writing and learning to teach. Pick something that fits around A levels, builds on an interest and gives you evidence of progress, such as a recording, a project or a certificate.
It may, if your DofE leader and assessor agree it meets the section’s expectations. Learning to teach is a practical skill with clear stages and a visible record of progress. We cannot promise acceptance, so ask your leader before you enrol.
You can start Bronze from 14, Silver from 15 and Gold from 16. Bronze and Silver have four sections, and Gold has five, with a residential added. Time requirements vary by level, so check the current figures with your DofE leader.
Yes. UCAS lists Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of York awards among the examples for its third personal statement question. Explain what you did, what you learned and why it is useful for your course, rather than just naming the award.
Schools can offer structured options through a sixth form enrichment programme, such as the 120-hour Sixth Form TEFL Course, with group pricing and progress tracking. Leaders still need to confirm that each activity meets DofE requirements.
