Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

A knowledge organiser / vocabulary crib sheet for Entry 3 Reading, along with two WordWall quizzes for students to test their understanding. Vocabulary is based on the City and Guilds ESOL reading assessments at Entry 3 and covers text types, purpose, layout and images. 

Wordwall quiz 1 - text type and purpose

Wordwall quiz 2 - types of images

Editor's notes

An A5 handout resource that acts as scaffolding for learners during the writing process at L1 and L2. The handout includes a proof-reading checklist, handy hints and tips and quick reminders of the elements of writing they must remember to include to ensure success. 

Editor's note

Beautiful and incredibly useful. 

Based on Maggie Harnew's Halloween Complex Sentences resource, this resource is aimed at Entry 3 ESOL students working towards the City and Guilds ESOL writing assessment, but may also be useful for Level 1 students.  Students look at examples of complex sentences and answer some questions about them. Finally they are asked to complete some complex sentences, as in Task 1 of the C&G assessment. 

A visually appealing double-sided A4 handout to aid L1 and L2 learners in their revision of language features and organisational features they will need to know for Edexcel FS exams.

Editor's note

Just beautiful! And very useful for end of year consolidation and revision.

Updated May 26 (new images & formatting): A PPT session that introduces learners to the Level 1 and 2 Functional Skills SL&C assessments and provides some small group tasks and brainstorms. Aimed at adult learners and linked to employability.

Editor's note

Easily adapted for any Awarding Organisation and any discussion topic.

A reading comprehension exercise with a writing task included for Level 1 and 2.

Based on a recent article on the BBC News website about Gavin Williamson and the subject of mobile phones in schools and the use of technology during the lockdown.  A topic that is certain to get the students engaged!

Included is a basic guide on how to write an article.

Editor's notes

Includes separate answer sheet and curriculum mapping. The guide to writing an article is really useful.

Developed after a training session with Geoff Petty, I use this self-assessment checklist for mixed level groups. 

Although colour-coded to various levels, the idea is that any learner, regardless of level, can use the checklist to assess their own writing, and map their strengths and weaknesses.  It also helps  teachers to see how effectively learners are able to self-evaluate.   I have found it to be a really good tool to foster independent learning.

Editor's note

I created this resource to try to engage my learners during lockdown. There are two reading tasks based on the same text, which I adapted for level 1 learners by using more basic vocabulary. The reading task can then be followed by the writing a blog task and I have included a step by step sheet to help with the writing task.

This set of steps (taken from Coady & Nation (1988)) with a worked example shows students one process for doing a ‘best guess’ of what to do when they come across a new word. Followed by a set of 10 exercises with some lovely, unusual words.

Editor's note
Fully mapped to GCSE and the new 2018 Functional English content

 UPDATED 19/4/23   -  two errors fixed on page 12 no 4 (two occurrences of the word 'you' replaced with 'your').

This booklet has many different tools to improve spelling that have been collected from various sources (a list of these resources can be found in the back of the book).

For E3 upwards it could be used as a self-study booklet. For levels before E3 it may be useful to 'cherry pick', be used as a tutor manual and/or an in-class group activitiy.