Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

Based on the exercises in the Functional Skills Entry Level English exams, this is a revision resource that also provides practice in spelling and reading. I use this as a starter activity, whilst the students are settling into the classroom. It is not intended to be completed at one time. The resource is kept in their folders and can also be used in spare time or for homework. 

This resource uses a flow chart to help guide learners to the correct use of apostrophes.

Editor’s note
Updated Aug 2016. now includes irregular plurals such as ‘children’.

These resources were created to support learners in developing knowledge of spelling rules.

Handout 1 can be used to support learners who struggle with spelling words with an interior /ks/ sound, such as access and excess.

Handout 2 can be used to support learners who struggle with spelling words that start with PER and PRE.

Visual colour-coded resource, explaining the main plural spelling rules. Created for E2/E3 learners, but could also be useful for all visual learners working between E2-L2.

Includes: colour-coded fact sheet, blank table, worksheet and flash cards to cut out and laminate. Could be used for a number of different activities.

A practice paper written for Entry 3 Adult Literacy C&G exams at E3 but suitable for, and fully mapped to, Functional English.

All activities are based on a New Year’s Eve theme. The main text and related comprehension questions are about New Year’s Eve superstitions. Other activities include form filling, alphabetical order, dictionary work, planning and writing, and group discussion.

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Three differentiated writing tasks / practice papers on the same theme. First, you apply to appear in a Christmas Concert at the village hall. Later, you hear you have got a place in the concert and write an email inviting your friends to come and watch.

I wrote these tasks as an informal summative assessment end-of-term activity for a mixed level E1-E3 group of 16-19 year-olds, but they are suitable for any age group.

A fabulous City and Guilds style E3 literacy assignment that covers all aspects of E3 speaking and listening, reading and writing (see editor’s note below). Based on a trip to a seaside music festival, it makes a very appealing summer-time revision activity for music fans of any age.

A fabulous City and Guilds style E3 literacy assignment that covers all aspects of E3 speaking and listening, reading and writing (see Editor’s note below). Based on a real trip to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford it is written in a generic style and could be any local museum / art gallery.

A useful one page reminder about using apostrophes of omission and possession.

Questioning for understanding is a really useful help sheet that encourages learners to ask relevant questions (any topic, any level). Based on Kipling’s “What and Why and When, And How and Where and Who” with teaching ideas and useful links.

For a related resource using the same idea to investigate and write newspaper reports please see Ellie Walsh’s Looking at Newspapers (below).