FUNCTIONAL SKILLS: Get ahead in life

Get ahead in work, education and daily life with a Functional Skills qualification. Functional Skills are the practical skills that allow you to progress in education, training and employment and make a positive contribution in the community in which you live and work. 

Learning Outcomes

Entry Level 1

This is the level for you if you would like to start with the basics by familiarising yourself with the language and tools involved, and by learning to solve short, simple problems. At this level you will:

• Understand the main points of short explanations
• Understand and follow instructions
• Respond appropriately to comments and requests
• Make contributions to be understood
• Ask simple questions to obtain specific information
• Read and understand simple regular words and sentences
• Understand short texts on familiar topics and experiences
• Use written words and phrases to present information
• Construct simple sentences using full stops
• Spell correctly some personal or very familiar words

Entry Level 2

If you have a bit of background knowledge or a qualification at Entry Level 1. At Level 2 you start building your skills by learning to solve straightforward problems in familiar contexts. At this level you will:

• Participate in discussions about familiar topics, making active contributions, with one or more people in familiar situations.
• Read and understand straightforward texts that explain, inform or recount information.
• Write short texts with some awareness of the intended audience.
• Identify the main points of short explanations and instructions
• Make appropriate contributions that are clearly understood
• Express simply feelings or opinions and understand those expressed by others
• Communicate information so that the meaning is clear
• Ask and respond to straightforward questions
• Follow the gist of discussions
• Understand the main events in chronological texts
• Read and understand simple instructions and directions
• Read and understand high frequency words and words with common spelling patterns
• Use knowledge of alphabetical order to locate information
• Use written words and phrases to record and present information
• Construct compound sentences using common conjunctions
• Punctuate correctly, using upper and lower case, full stops and question marks
• Spell correctly all high frequency words and words with common spelling patterns

Entry Level 3

You have some background knowledge in your chosen subject area but feel you need a little more support or guidance before moving on to Level 1. At this level you will:

• Follow the main points of discussions
• Use techniques to clarify and confirm understanding
• Give own point of view and respond appropriately to others’ point of view
• Use appropriate language in formal discussions/exchanges
• Make relevant contributions, allowing for and responding to others’ input
• Understand the main points of texts
• Obtain specific information through detailed reading
• Use organisational features to locate information
• Read and understand texts in different formats using strategies/techniques appropriate to the task
• Plan, draft and organise writing
• Sequence writing logically and clearly
• Use basic grammar including appropriate verb-tense and subject-verb agreement
• Check work for accuracy, including spelling

Level 1:

You're familiar with the basics and are ready to start using more creativity in your maths problem solving, ITC use or English. At this level you will:

• Make relevant and extended contributions to discussions, allowing for and responding to others’ input
• Prepare for and contribute to the formal discussion of ideas and opinions
• Make different kinds of contributions to discussions
• Present information/points of view clearly and in appropriate language
• Identify the main points and ideas and how they are presented in a variety of texts
• Read and understand texts in detail
• Utilise information contained in texts
• Identify suitable responses to texts
• Write clearly and coherently, including an appropriate level of detail
• Present information in a logical sequence
• Use language, format and structure suitable for purpose and audience
• Use correct grammar, including correct and consistent use of tense
• Ensure written work includes generally accurate punctuation and spelling and that meaning is clear

Level 2:

You have some knowledge and basic skills and are ready to handle more complex problems, often involving unfamiliar contexts. You'd like to learn how to express, understand or apply more advanced concepts or ideas. At this level you will:

• Consider complex information and give a relevant, cogent response in appropriate language
  
• Present information and ideas clearly and persuasively to others
  
• Adapt contributions to suit audience, purpose and situation
  
• Make significant contributions to discussions, taking a range of roles and helping to move discussion forward
  
• Select and use different types of texts to obtain and utilise relevant information
  
• Read and summarise, succinctly, information/ideas from different sources
  
• Identify the purposes of texts and comment on how meaning is conveyed
  
• Detect point of view, implicit meaning and/or bias
  
• Analyse texts in relation to audience needs and consider suitable responses
  
• Present information/ideas concisely, logically, and persuasively
  
• Present information on complex subjects clearly and concisely
  
• Use a range of writing styles for different purposes
  
• Use a range of sentence structures, including complex sentences, and paragraphs to organise written communication effectively
  
• Punctuate written text using commas, apostrophes and inverted commas accurately
  
• Ensure written work is fit for purpose and audience, with accurate spelling and grammar that support clear meaning

Course Modules

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Listening

Communication

Grammar

Career Benefits

A Functional Skill qualification at Level 1 or 2 is equivalent to a GCSE. Employers and educators have identified Functional Skills as vital for enabling people to have the practical skills to succeed in further learning, employment and life in modern society. The introduction of ‘functional’ skills will help ensure there are more prospective employees who can practically apply these ‘functional’ skills in work situations, helping to improve productivity. For Higher Education, improved skills in communication, ICT and mathematics will help you in entering further and higher education and to tackle your areas of study more confidently.

Teaching Methods

We primarily encourage you to learn through discovery and active practice, rather than being reliant on teachers, tapes and textbooks. Tasks are designed to respond to individual learning styles and needs, and we offer constructive feedback acknowledging that making mistakes is a crucial part of effective learning. We have a wide range of resources to help you develop your Functional Skills.

Assessment

The course is formatively assessed to monitor your progress and help you identify those areas that need extra attention. The final exam is external. 

Transferable Skills

You will develop a degree of self-reflection and begin to recognise your own strengths and weaknesses. Key skills such as problem-solving and working with others as well as functional skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT are embedded in the course. All of these are skills that allow you to progress in education, training and employment and make a positive contribution to your community.

Progression

There are five levels in Functional Skills, and successful completion of one level gives you progression to the next level. The upper levels, Level 1 and Level 2 are equivalent to a GCSE at grade D-F (Level 1) and A* -C (Level 2). A Level 2 qualification in English is mandatory for further education, apprenticeships and many job opportunities.

Awarding Body

City & Guilds

Entry Requirements

There are no formal entry requirements for this course, but an Initial Assessment will determine which level you can study at. To study with Atkins Academy, you must be at least 18 years old. If you are younger, you can apply for this programme through our sister organisation Atkins Acorns.

Course Modes & Fees

Day

Evening

Weekend