Independent living

A short poem on the theme of jobs and careers.  Can be used as a reading and pronunciation exercise or may be extended to include a discussion around jobs, ambitions and qualifications.  Can also be used as a basis for written work.

Editor's notes

Super for many levels and situations - includes a list of suggested questions/prompts.

Slides designed to support delivery of Gateway's EDSQ (Essential Digital Skills Qualification), unit 1, at Entry Level and Level 1, with embedded Functional Skills English activities at L1 and L2. This set of slides covers section 1 of the standards (Using Devices and Handling Information) and includes: using devices, finding & evaluating information, managing and storing information, and identifying and solving technical problems

Editor's notes

Update 24/2/22: written by Sharon Roberts and Alexandra Bates, both of Essex ACL. 
This is a fun activity which encourages ESOL learners to engage with digital technology and transacting online. It provides opportunity to explore vocabulary related to shopping while also discussing the advantages of shopping for food online. It can be adapted to all levels and can be extended for a longer activity if required.

Editor's note

17/1/22 Minor update - page number signposting at top of pages 5&6 corrected.
 highly functional, carefully graduated set of questions based on current (Dec 2021) Royal Mail information  about parcel and letter sizes, and first and second class mail prices. Written just before Christmas but can be used all year round. Main topics are: extracting information from tables, converting metric measures, formulae expressed as words, and working with money and decimals.

Author's note

This is an E3 practice reading paper based on the Pearson E3 assessments. I have included words from the E3 spelling list and mirrored the layout and question types. Useful for summative assessment in the lead up to exams.

Editor's note

Such a useful resource! Exactly like current Pearson-Edexcel assessments but also provides robust practice for all E3 English learners regardless of the Awarding Organisation. 10 page exam paper and a separate 1 page mapping document with teaching notes. No answer sheet.

Reading, writing and discussion activities based on one of  the Edexcel exam contexts ('Learning to Drive').  PowerPoint includes chunked texts, key vocabulary tables, a video resource, and discussion and writing prompts. Resource lends itself well for additional reading comprehension prompts and explorative discussions. 

Editor's note

The reading focus is purpose, tone and organisational / formatting features. The final task is to write an online forum entry. 

Role play prompts to encourage learners to be assertive and say 'no' in situations they feel uncomfortable in.

This resource is based on the DfES ESOL Skills for Life recording 'Phoning about symptoms'. It gives exam practice questions (C&G style) in the first section and in the second section an activity to enable learners to tune in to the sounds of English. The first section can be completed in class and the second at home or the whole sheet can be given for homework. Listening development at home enables learners to listen as often as they wish and tune in until they hear the text more clearly.

A set of Entry Level tasks - all based on a vending machine. The main focus is money but positional vocabulary is also covered. Skills covered include: recognising letters and numbers for items in a vending machine, identifying coins to pay with, working out change from £1,  checking answers, rounding and estimating, distinguishing between right and left.

Editor's note

A delightfully functional resource. With teaching notes. Fully mapped to the Reformed Functional Skills content.

I wrote this resource to explore the Reformed Entry Level 2 reading and writing content, and the format of the new assessments from various awarding organisations (AO).