Contextual Resources

A set of tasks to practise reading and writing skills. Read about a student and his work and college life.

• Practise using conjunctions.
• Learn synonyms
• Practise using punctuation correctly.
• Write about your own experience of studying and working

Editor's notes

So practical and down to earth! Find out about Joseph's day to day college life and his busy job with Deliveroo. Also very useful for E2-E3 Functional Skills English students.

Various activities to practise travel and transport themes and ideas. Read about a journey to college, answer comprehension questions and exam style questions,  form questions, use adverbs of frequency and conjunctions, along with speaking, listening  and writing practice - all on the subject of a journey to college. 

Editor's notes

Engaging and relevant! Written for E3 ESOL but the reading text and several of the exercises (for example: conjunctions) also provide useful and relevant practice for E2-L1 Functional Skills English. 

Entry 3 activity to reinforce the importance of good attendance and punctuality in college. First activity asks students to choose and circle the correct word and further activities practise spelling, grammar, vocabulary and punctuation at Entry 3 level. 

Editor's notes

A brilliant idea and excellent practice for ESOL students - especially at the start of the academic year. 

Why might we decide to go to university as a mature student? Slides for L1 and L2 English learners to find out more about their career choices (in this case, applying for a university level course) while building their Functional English skills.

Editor's note

Slides for L1 and L2 English learners to find out more about their career choices (in this case, a teaching assistant) while building their English skills.

Editor's note

Texts, video and image stimuli to develop and promote speaking and listening discussion to address the question 'Is it good to listen to music while studying or working?'

Activity to be tutor led and therefore delivery can be adapted to suit learner audience to include more analytical discussions about purpose, tone, language and textual features and similarities between sources.  

Level 2 reading comprehension analysing purpose, fact and opinion, organisational features, main points/arguments, looking for information.

Based on the BBC article 'Coronavirus: Should university students get a refund?'.

Editor's note

Due to the length of the very interesting text I have mapped it only at Level 2. However, some questions might be suitable for Level 1.
There is no answer / mapping sheet for this resource. If you would like to create and share one, please get in touch.

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

Editor’s note (11/3/2015)
Now includes an E2-3 version.

Topical L1-2 Functional English reading and writing tasks based on publicity about the latest, terrible round of adult education cuts.

Two cleverly differentiated resources. One for L1-2, the other for E2-E3. Both consist of a reading comprehension and two writing tasks.

Written for a GCSE English class but is equally suitable for Level 2 Literacy. Various tasks based on a transcript of a speech about education cuts (in 2010).
Please also download the related PowerPoint (see below).
Contributed by Rebecca Galbraith, Rose Veitch and Rachel Emmett.