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One of the Level 2 Functional English Writing exam papers asked students to write a speech.

I found a speech online and showed them how to use repeated words, emphasis, subheadings and to think about their audience. I then used the Drink Aware website to create this resource to enable students to practise speech writing.

This resource could also be used to practise writing letters or emails to colleagues to encourage them to think about drink driving, and to practise other aspects of writing styles for Level 2 exams.

Read a speech about learning to swim. Then plan and write your own speech encouraging teens to have a positive body image and follow a healthy life style.

Editor's note

I'm so pleased to see this resource as we have very few (only one other - I think!) speech writing resources and this format can and does occur in writing assessment at Levels 1 and 2 Functional Skills English. 

A resource suitable for GCSE or Functional Skills English (L2) that uses an image of an old lady as the basis of a series of activities for students to learn/embed the following:

• To understand how to quickly plan a piece of writing,
• To consider genre, audience, purpose, tone and use language devices
• To improve the impact of the writing.
• Use A FOREST to remember language features.

The power point presentation (18 screens) includes:

This is new from Sept 2015 for L2 reading.
It is a list of writing techniques – the name of the technique, a description and an example.

Editor’s note (updated 7/5/2017)
Also ideal for GCSE English revision.
Covers 14 techniques: similes, hyperbole, alliteration, rhetorical questions, superlatives, personification, analogy, colloquialisms, cliches, onomatopoeia, oxymorons, imperatives, metaphors and emotive language.

This resource is a writing task which asks the learners to use relevant literary devices (languages features) to compose a ‘For Sale’ ad for a house.

Prior to commencing the task, the learners are made aware of the following devices using a card match activity:

• Flattery
• Opinion
• Hyperbole
• Personal Pronouns
• Imperative Command
• Triples
• Emotive Language
• Statistics and Figures
• Rhetorical Questions
• Repetition

This is a short explanation with examples of eight sorts of conjunctive adverb arranged by type. There is an activity to complete, as well as some stretch/research activities for differentiation.

Editor’s note
Fully mapped to L2 Functional English and GCSE English

Reading comprehension and writing tasks designed to prepare adults who are returning to education and taking Functional English at Level 1 or Level 2.

Level 1 reading comprehension is based on two texts about returning to education. This is followed by two writing tasks. Level 2 includes all the L1 texts and questions plus an additional lengthy text and questions that involve summarising, and comparing and contrasting two or more texts.

Editor's note

Cats exploit humans by purring is a comprehension activity based on a BBC 2009 news report. Comprehension questions, vocabulary/synonyms and a writing task.

Pet Centipede is a humorous E1-2 story accompanied by comprehension, simple past tense and contractions questions.

A set of 9 email templates / writing frames for all levels.
Long ones, short ones, plain ones, shaded ones, some with proof reading tips, one with a focus on using conjunctions. Pick and choose to suit your learners.

With a useful Functional English mapping chart listing all the coverage and range writing statements for each level from E1 – L2.