This course is designed to enable you to:

·         Develop your skills in reading, writing and communication in everyday situations

·         Understand different types of writing and the best way to get information from them

·         Communicate effectively in the real world

Is it for me?

Functional Skills English has been introduced to help learners develop the practical skills to apply what they have learnt to everyday situations, such as writing an effective job application, and take the most from life, learning and work.

The course will suit anyone who wants to improve their skills in English, and wishes to gain a stand-alone qualification in the subject.

What’s involved?

Functional Skills English aims to ensure that each individual is confident and capable when using the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, and is able to communicate effectively and adapt to a range of audiences and contexts.

This includes being able to explain information clearly and succinctly – expressing a point of view reasonably and persuasively, and using English to communicate effectively. In practical terms, this means that in life and work each individual should be able to:

• Present information logically and use language, format and structure that is suitable for the intended audience
• Make different kinds of contributions to discussions
• Read and understand texts in detail

Functional Skills English is available at entry level and level 1. Learners will be offered up to eight opportunities in any academic year to take the assessment. Each level has three components: Reading, Writing & Speaking, Listening & Communication.

Functional Skills English contains three separate assessments per level:

• One external reading test
• One external writing test
• One internal speaking, listening and communication task

Entry Requirements:

Grade E-G at GCSE English Language and an initial assessment.

Which courses go well with this?

This course can be taken alongside a range of level 2 and level 3 courses.

Progression:

Students who pass Functional Skills English at level 1 or better will be able to progress onto the GCSE English Language course.