Contextual Resources

Various activities based around the subject of staying safe online, fake news and online scams. Practise and preparation for the reading exams with questions to practise alphabetical order, features of text, purpose, style, reading comprehension and alphabetical order.

Editor's note

Such a useful  and topical resource! Written for Entry 3 ESOL but also ideal for Functional Skills English and Digital Literacy. The reading text on page looks deceptively simple but some of the exam-style questions are challenging and would also be suitable for Level 1.

Read an exemplar answer to a writing question about Disappearing High Streets. Then plan and write your own article. Choice of two writing tasks (for Level 1-2 Functional Skills English). 

• Gambling and the National Lottery 
• How to get children off their computers and more active 

Editor's notes

This is just what other Functional English teachers need: I think it’s so important for learners to have realistic exemplar/model pieces of writing so they know what they’re aiming for. Also useful for ESOL.

A poem on the theme of neighbourhoods.  Can be used as a reading and pronunciation exercise or may be extended to include a discussion around housing, traffic, local communities or recycling.

Editor's notes

Super for many levels and situations - includes suggested questions and discussion prompts.

Additional DARTs (directed activities related to text) developed to be used with the My Busy Day/Housework  E1/2 reading text written by Laurence Fletcher in 2010 and further adaptations by Nafisah Graham-Brown in 2012.

Editor's notes

 Three delightful E1 worksheets with a focus on sentence structure (rearranging sentences and splitting sentences up into individual words).

Slides designed to support delivery of Gateway's EDSQ (Essential Digital Skills Qualification), Unit 5 (Being Safe and Responsible Online) at Entry Level 3 and Level 1, with embedded Functional Skills English activities at L1 and L2. This set of slides includes skills from sections 3 (Communication) .  The slides cover: how to report safety concerns, public Wi-Fi, Health and Safety and other online risks. Also many useful links to YouTube videos and other online learning applications. 

Slides designed to support delivery of Gateway's EDSQ (Essential Digital Skills Qualification), Unit 4 (Transaction) at Entry Level and Level 1, with embedded Functional Skills English activities at L1 and L2. This set of slides includes skills from sections 3 (Communication) and 4 (Transaction) of the standards.  The slides cover: online banking and buying, filling in secure forms with bank details, digital  footprints and using security systems such as Captcha, and much more. Also many useful links to YouTube videos and other online learning applications. 

Slides designed to support delivery of Gateway's EDSQ (Essential Digital Skills Qualification), Unit 3, at Entry Level and Level 1, with embedded Functional Skills English activities at L1 and L2. This set of slides covers skills from section 3 of the standards (Communication) which covers email, video-calling, etc. The main focus of the slides is communicating via email. Also includes many useful links to Wordwall quizzes and other online learning applications. 

Editor's notes

Slides designed to support delivery of Gateway's EDSQ (Essential Digital Skills Qualification), Unit 2, at Entry Level and Level 1, with embedded Functional Skills English activities at L1 and L2. This set of slides covers skills from section 2 of the standards (Creating and Editing) with the focus being on creating and editing accessible documents (Entry and L1). Includes link to a Wordwall quiz.

Editor's notes

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

Updated 24/3/22 10.30pm the writing resource is now available for download again. Apologies for any frustration. 11/3/22 3.00pm (typo fixed, page 3 question 8 writing assessment paper)

Two mega-sized Entry Level 1 Functional English assessments with a Mother's Day theme. Modelled closely on the Pearson-Edexcel assessments (but 1.5 times the size! ) but ideal pre-exam practice for any Awarding Organisation.