Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

Displaying 1 - 10 of 447 resources:

Since the demise of the Excellence Gateway (EG) on September 30 2023, there is no official Government backed website where the old Skills for Life core curricula are available. The EG has (partially) migrated to the Education & Training Foundation (ETF) at https://www.et-foundation.co.uk/ but there is no sign of these classic documents. 

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Adult literacy curriculum
ESOL
General ESOL

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. 

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
English
Use knowledge of punctuation and capitalisation
ESOL
General ESOL
ESOL Rs/E3.2a Recognise function of CLs, full stops, commas, question- exclamation- and speech marks, bullet points /numbering
ESOL Rs/L1.2a Use punctuation to help understanding
ESOL Rs/E3.1b Use knowledge of syntax and grammar to work out meaning
ESOL Rs/L1.1a Use implicit & explicit grammatical knowledge to predict meaning & check for sense
ESOL Ww/E3.1a Apply spelling knowledge to a wide range of common & special-interest words
ESOL Ww/E3.1b Apply knowledge of strategies to aid with spelling
ESOL Ww/L1.1a Apply knowledge about vocabulary to aid accurate spelling
ESOL Ww/L1.1b Use strategies to aid accurate spelling
ESOL Rw/E3.5a Use variety of reading strategies to read/understand unfamiliar words
ESOL Rt/E3.1a Understand how meaning is built up in a variety texts of more than one paragraph
ESOL Rt/L1.5a Use skimming, scanning and detailed reading in different ways for different purposes
Context
Education and teaching

Learners use a gap-fill to complete positive and negative restaurant reviews.
I designed this resource to encourage learners to use a thesaurus to help improve their vocabulary and use more interesting adjectives.

I’ve used it with Entry level and Level 1/2 learners.

Editor's note

Fully mapped to the new 2018 Functional English content which comes into effect September 2019.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
English
FE E2.17 Communicate information using words & phrases appropriate to audience & purpose
FS English E2.20 Use adjectives and simple linking words
FE E2.19 Write in compound sentences, using common conjunctions to connect clauses
FE E3.22 Use language appropriate for purpose & audience
FE L1.24 Use format, structure & language appropriate for audience & purpose
Adult Lit Ws/E2.2 Use Adjectives
Context
Catering Food Nutrition

I created this activity for my ESOL students but it would also work well for Functional English.
The idea is taken from Laura Jeffrey Kiiza’s text types mind map drag and drop activity (L1) – see link below under See also.

Students first use Laura’s drag and drop activity on the computer (this covers both persuasive and instructive texts).
I then gave them the features of persuasive texts (see page 1 of resource) which they cut up and stick on the text on page 2 (or they could simply annotate the text using coloured pens etc.).

Level
Level 1
Level 2
GCSE L1-5
English
Rt/L2.4 Read an argument and identify the points of view
Rt/L2.2 Identify the purpose of a text and infer meaning which is not explicit
Rt/L1.2
GCSE English Reading AO2 Explain & analyse language & structure
Functional English reading
ESOL
ESOL Rt/L2.4a Understand and identify how written arguments are structured
ESOL Rt/L2.2a Identify the purposes of a wide range of texts, whether inferred or explicitly stated
ESOL Rt/L1.2a Know how language and other textual features are used to achieve different purposes

A reading comprehension and vocabulary activity suitable for both ESOL and Literacy / Functional Skills. The activities are based on a BBC News article about John Cronin’s online business, John’s Crazy Socks. John, who has Down’s Syndrome, is a co-founder of the business, along with his father, Mark.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
English
Adult Literacy: Engage in Discussion
Use reading strategies
Rw/L1.2
Identify main points and detail
Plan, compose and draft
Follow and understand
Functional Skills English
ESOL
ESOL: Reading word focus - vocabulary, word recognition, phonics (Rw)
ESOL: Writing - text focus (composition)
ESOL: Reading text focus - comprehension (Rt)
Context
Employment skills & Public services
Business & Money management

This is a basic editable word wheel which you can print, cut out and attach together with a brass paper fastener.
Learners can concentrate on one word at a time. Word wheels can be used for building vocabulary, spelling practice and much more. Suitable for all levels of Functional Skills and ESOL.
Instructions and ideas are included within the PPT. For example:
Stretchy:

  • Write positive or negative words in the table
  • Look up words that are unfamiliar

Stretchier:

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE READING and understanding words
FE WRITING Spelling
FE WRITING Sentence structure and paragraphs
AL Apply strategies to spell correctly
AL Recognise and understand a range of words
ESOL
ESOL Writing: word focus - spelling and handwriting (Ww)
ESOL: Reading word focus - vocabulary, word recognition, phonics (Rw)
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond

This is a spelling/phonetics resource that could be used as a starter, differentiated activity or filler. Learners colour in the squares where the words have an /f/ sound, these words are hidden with words that are ‘gh’ but aren’t pronounced /f/. When completed the grid shows a smiley face. There are a few trap words in here which can be used for dictionary or internet search practice.

Level
GCSE L1-5
Level 2
Level 1
Entry Level 3
English
Word origins
AL Ww/L2.1 Spell technical words
Functional English - writing
AL Ww/L1.1 Spell & use spelling strategies
GCSE Writing AO6 Vocabulary, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation
AL Ww/E3.2 Use phonic knowledge to help spelling
Homophones, homographs & confusables

A set of two exercises (one vocabulary exercise, then a directed writing exercise) plus an extension (fun exercise where learners use the ‘wrong’ register to write a text) to learn about formal and informal language in English.

Editor’s note
No answers
Love the final exercise :) The examples (which involve David Beckham and a broken washing machine) are hilarious.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
GCSE L1-5
English
Functional English - writing
Wt/L2.6
Adult Lit Wt/L2.5 Use formal & informal language appropriate to purpose & audience
Adult Lit Wt/L1.4 Use language suitable for purpose and audience
GCSE Writing AO5(a) Use tone, style and register for different forms, purposes & audiences
FE Writing composition

A revision activity for Level 1 Functional Skills English reading and writing.

Editor’s note
Reading questions cover all aspects of the FS criteria. The writing activity (formal letter) stresses the use of persuasive techniques and is ideal for both Level 1 and Level 2. It includes a useful writing checklist.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
Functional English - writing
Wt/L2.6
Adult Lit Wt/L2.5 Use formal & informal language appropriate to purpose & audience
Adult Lit Wt/L1.4 Use language suitable for purpose and audience
Functional English reading
Context
Voluntary, Charity and Community
News, Politics & Government items