Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

Two pages of extra questions for our very popular "John's Crazy Socks" resource by Eleanor Kliffen (Jan 2018). Ideal for homework or stretch & challenge.  Questions are mixed levels with a focus on *parts of speech, punctuation and grammar (tense).  Language features are also touched upon. 

Editor's note

Although parts of speech are not specifically covered in the FS Content descriptors, a basic knowledge of nouns, verbs and subjects can be very useful when teaching sentence structure.

Two sets of differentiated texts and reading questions based on a news article about a local radio station (Bromyard FM). The subject matter still relevant even if the lockdown is (hopefully!) a thing of the past.

Editor's note

The E1 version has simplified vocabulary and sentence structure and has 4 multiple choice questions that cover all three E1 reading criteria. The E2-E3 version has a longer more complex text with six questions (not multiple choice) mostly covering 'main points and ideas'.

NEW 8/2/22  answer sheets now also  available for both versions (E2-E3 and L1-L2) - visit our ANSWER SHEETS page for more information.
New 27/1/2022  A related interactive Wordwall activity (using punctuation to aid understanding) is now available to accompany this resource.

NEW 8/2/22  answer sheet now also  available - visit our ANSWER SHEETS page for more information.
New 27/1/2022  A related interactive Wordwall activity (organisational and textual features) is now available to accompany this resource. 

A hastily put-together New Year resource based on a short Guardian article about the record breaking temperatures experienced in the UK on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Two Excel spreadsheets to track students performance in Functional Skills Maths and Functional Skills English from Entry Level 1 up until Level 2. Can be used by teachers and I also send electronically or print them off and give students to complete themselves. 

Read the extract from 'Are cat cafes good for cats?' and then answer the comprehension questions. When you have finished, complete the writing task.

Editor's note

Covers many E3-L1 content descriptors including: main points and detail, purpose of text, using punctuation to aid understanding, language features, dictionary/vocabulary work and  distinguishing between fact and option. Ideal for mixed level groups. Each question is mapped to the relevant subject content descriptor. 

Read the extract and complete the comprehension tasks. When you have finished complete the writing exercise. 

Editor's note

Covers many E3-L1 content descriptors including: main points and detail, purpose of text, using punctuation to aid understanding.  Ideal for mixed level groups. Each question is mapped to the relevant subject content descriptor. 

This is an E3 practice reading paper based on the Pearson E3 assessments. I have included words from the E3 spelling list and mirrored the layout and question types. Useful for summative assessment in the lead up to exams.

Editor's note

Such a useful resource! Exactly like current Pearson-Edexcel assessments but also provides robust practice for all E3 English learners regardless of the Awarding Organisation. 10 page exam paper and a separate 1 page mapping document with teaching notes. No answer sheet.

I put this together when I found so many of my learners trying to hone their employability skills did not know what a lot of the words on job descriptions meant. 

Resource 1 (Definition matching cards: job skills and attributes): I laminated these and cut them up and they worked in pairs or threes to match them up.

There are two other linked resources, as below, to help students with getting to grips with the keywords used in Job Descriptions and Person Specifications. 

Use alone or as a consolidation resource for learners after attempting  E2 Homophone Cloze Exercises’ and/or  E3 Homophone Cloze Exercises – Set 1’ . Covers 7 sets of homophones from the E2 and E3 spelling lists. There are also some follow-up exercises.