Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

Topical set of resources covering reading, writing and discussion.Two simplified texts – one writer likes fireworks; the other does not! What do you think?
Ideal for, and fully mapped to, Entry Level 1 and 2 Functional English. With teaching tips and extension ideas.

E3 reading comprehension based on a short news article about the replacement of ASBOs with criminal behaviour orders.

Questions cover purpose and layout of text, general comprehension and vocabulary. Ideal for, and fully mapped to, E3 Functional English. Teaching tips also included.

A great project that covers many Functional maths and Functional English criteria. You win the lottery, buy a mobile phone shop and have to furnish it from catalogues and/or Internet sites.

Learn about budgeting, displaying data, working with areas and floor plans, bank statements, rounding, estimating, and much more. Everything must be written up as a comprehensive report with a clear conclusion (a great guidance page on report writing is included in the resource).

An interactive PowerPoint that could be used by the whole class or individually to identify the four main purposes of text. I used it with a new L2 group as a whole class activity.

First, we discussed why people write and wrote their ideas down. Tthen we moved on to looking at the PowerPoint. Each example text was discussed and its purpose(s) was identified. We then looked at the relevant BBC Skillswise factsheets (links are provided within the PPT) to see if the example text shared the same features.

Comprehension questions, writing and discussion based on car adverts. This resource is suitable for motor vehicle students, or a more general audience.

Learners can discuss the important features of a car advert and the advice they would give their tutor. They can then practice writing their own car adverts (not full sentences). They can also write down the advice they would give their tutor, using full sentences and paying attention to spelling and punctuation.

Ideal for, and fully mapped to, Entry 2-3 Functional Skills English.

This is a resource that was designed for use in a computer classroom. It allows learners to research what is needed in a cover letter to find employment. For this resource to work most successfully I would advise that learners carry out the ‘research’ stage (Tasks 1 & 2) of the lesson in pairs or small groups.

Aimed at getting motor vehicle students talking in readiness for Functional Skills English (speaking, listening and communication) exams.
Lots of prompts for discussing the pros and cons of driving modified cars. Fully mapped to E3 Functional English.

A reading exercise that practises reading instructions in the context of hair and beauty. A real life text accompanied by questions to assess reading in detail, responding to a text, purpose of text, and commenting on how meaning is conveyed.
Ideal for, and fully mapped to, L1-2 Functional English.

This is a worksheet that can be used for discussion and /or writing. The learners can discuss the advice they would give and then practice writing it down in full sentences using correct selling and punctuation. It also helps them to start thinking about being tactful!
Ideal for, and fully mapped to, Functional English writing and discussion.

A truly functional set of everyday reading and writing tasks based on medicine instructions. Activities include:

• reading comprehension questions
• matching instructions to the correct tube/bottle/packet
• writing instructions
• cloze exercise
• word search
  Fully mapped to E2 Functional English and with extra teaching tips.