FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts

L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of straightforward texts

Subject content [reformed] functional skills: English (DfE, Feb 2018): 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/functional-skills-subject-content-english

Major update 19/01/24 written in 2005 but updated and re-mapped to reflect the Reformed Functional English Content. Page one is will prompt discussion and is probably best tackled in pairs or small groups. Page 2 is a handout with plenty of examples to study before moving on to the final pages of challenging exercises.

Answers are available (resource contributors only) please see answer sheets page for more details

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
AL Ws/L2.4 Use apostrophes & inverted commas
Adult Lit Rs/L2.2 Use punctuation to help interpret the meaning and purpose of texts
Apostrophes
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L1.19 Use a range of punctuation correctly (e.g. full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, commas, possessive apostrophes)
FE L2.20 Punctuate writing correctly using a wide range of punctuation markers e.g. colons, commas, inverted commas, apostrophes, quotation marks
ESOL
ESOL Ws/L1.3a Use punctuation to aid clarity and meaning
ESOL Ws/L2.4a Use a range of punctuation to achieve clarity in simple and complex sentences
ESOL Rs/L1.2a Use punctuation to help understanding
ESOL Rs/L2.2a Use wide range of punctuation to help interpret meaning and purpose

A reading scheme of work for L1+2 Functional Skills English, designed for the Pearson assessment. It is a 12 lesson unit designed to equip learners with the skills needed to read successfully and confidently in their wider lives, as well as pass their reading assessment. The lessons offer differentiated options for L1 and L2 learners, so it can be used for either level 1 or 2 learners, or mixed ability groups. There is an MTP (medium term plan) which outlines the content of each lesson, along with PPTs, Word/PDF resources, video links, etc.

Editor's notes

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L1.17 Read & understand a range of specialist words in context
FE L2.15 Use a range of reference materials & resources (e.g. glossaries, legends/keys) for different purposes
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE L2.11 Identify when main points are sufficient & when specific details are important
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L2.16 Understand organisational features & use to locate relevant information in a range of sources
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L1.11 Identify meanings in texts & distinguish between fact & opinion
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L1.15 Infer from images meanings not explicit in the accompanying text
FE L1.16 Recognise vocabulary typically associated with specific types and purposes of texts (e.g. formal, informal, instructional, descriptive, explanatory and persuasive)
FE L2.13 Identify implicit & inferred meaning in texts
FE L2.14 Understand how textual features/devices can shape meaning for different audiences/purposes
FE L2.17 Analyse texts, of different levels of complexity, recognising their use of vocabulary and identifying levels of formality and bias
FE L2.18 Follow an argument, identifying different points of view & distinguishing fact from opinion
FE L2.19 Identify different styles of writing & writer’s voice
FE L1.10 Compare information, ideas & opinions in different texts
FE L2.12 Compare information, ideas & opinions in different texts, inc. how they are conveyed

Corrections  (May 15, 2025 8.32pm) Apostrophe error in title fixed on all 6 pages.  (May 15 2.30pm) Bonus question 25 part c: the answer has 7 letters - not 8. Apologies!

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L1.17 Read & understand a range of specialist words in context
FE L2.15 Use a range of reference materials & resources (e.g. glossaries, legends/keys) for different purposes
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE L2.11 Identify when main points are sufficient & when specific details are important
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L2.16 Understand organisational features & use to locate relevant information in a range of sources
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
Functional English reading
FE L1.15 Infer from images meanings not explicit in the accompanying text
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L1.16 Recognise vocabulary typically associated with specific types and purposes of texts (e.g. formal, informal, instructional, descriptive, explanatory and persuasive)
FE L2.13 Identify implicit & inferred meaning in texts
FE L2.14 Understand how textual features/devices can shape meaning for different audiences/purposes
FE L2.17 Analyse texts, of different levels of complexity, recognising their use of vocabulary and identifying levels of formality and bias
FE L2.19 Identify different styles of writing & writer’s voice
Context
History, culture, museums, libraries
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism

A PowerPoint taking learners through the definitions of plurals, omissive apostrophes and possessive apostrophes with examples and a brief quiz.

Editor's notes

Bright and cheerful with very clear graphics and descriptions. Apostrophes appear at all levels of the Functional Skills English content (and plurals at E2 and E3) and this PPT could easily be adapted (by adding, omitting or editing slides) to suit all levels from E1 to L2. 👍

 

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE E2.14 Form regular plurals
FE E3.14 Form irregular plurals
FE L1.19 Use a range of punctuation correctly (e.g. full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, commas, possessive apostrophes)
FE L2.20 Punctuate writing correctly using a wide range of punctuation markers e.g. colons, commas, inverted commas, apostrophes, quotation marks
ESOL
ESOL Rs/L1.2a Use punctuation to help understanding
ESOL Rs/L2.2a Use wide range of punctuation to help interpret meaning and purpose
ESOL Ws/L1.3a Use punctuation to aid clarity and meaning
ESOL Ws/L2.4a Use a range of punctuation to achieve clarity in simple and complex sentences
ESOL Writing: word focus - spelling and handwriting (Ww)

Reading pratice using an article from The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/may/22/phone-kids-losing-their-love-for-music with questions that will aid L1 and L2 learners to develop their reading skills. 

Editor's note

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L2.14 Understand how textual features/devices can shape meaning for different audiences/purposes
FE L2.16 Understand organisational features & use to locate relevant information in a range of sources
FE L1.11 Identify meanings in texts & distinguish between fact & opinion
FE L1.16 Recognise vocabulary typically associated with specific types and purposes of texts (e.g. formal, informal, instructional, descriptive, explanatory and persuasive)
FE L2.15 Use a range of reference materials & resources (e.g. glossaries, legends/keys) for different purposes
FE L2.18 Follow an argument, identifying different points of view & distinguishing fact from opinion
Context
Art Film Media Music Radio TV
Family and relationships

Updated Apr 19 2024 (corrections made to pages 1&3 of the main PDF and page 2 of "Your Budget")

This resources uses the Spring 2024 budget and makes it accessible for learners on L1 and L2 English courses. The resource gives them the budget break down and some comprehension questions based on L1 and L2 reading exams. 

Learners are then asked to design their own budget and think about why they would give money to certain areas outlined in the budget. 

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FS Eng L1.5 Express opinions and arguments and support them with evidence
FS Eng L2.6 Express opinions and arguments and support them with relevant and persuasive evidence
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE READING understanding and locating information
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
Maths
FM L1.1 Read, write, order & compare large numbers (up to one million)
FM L2.1 Read, write, order & compare positive & negative numbers of any size
Context
Employment skills & Public services
Business & Money management
News, Politics & Government items

Based on two adapted newspaper articles (an article and a comments page), this bumper set of 22 reading questions covers all the L1 & L2 Functional Skills English reading content descriptors, using assessment-style questions. There are two texts and the paper is split into three sections. 

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE L1.10 Compare information, ideas & opinions in different texts
FE L1.11 Identify meanings in texts & distinguish between fact & opinion
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L1.15 Infer from images meanings not explicit in the accompanying text
FE L1.16 Recognise vocabulary typically associated with specific types and purposes of texts (e.g. formal, informal, instructional, descriptive, explanatory and persuasive)
FE L1.17 Read & understand a range of specialist words in context
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L2.11 Identify when main points are sufficient & when specific details are important
FE L2.12 Compare information, ideas & opinions in different texts, inc. how they are conveyed
FE L2.13 Identify implicit & inferred meaning in texts
FE L2.14 Understand how textual features/devices can shape meaning for different audiences/purposes
FE L2.15 Use a range of reference materials & resources (e.g. glossaries, legends/keys) for different purposes
FE L2.16 Understand organisational features & use to locate relevant information in a range of sources
FE L2.17 Analyse texts, of different levels of complexity, recognising their use of vocabulary and identifying levels of formality and bias
FE L2.18 Follow an argument, identifying different points of view & distinguishing fact from opinion
FE L2.19 Identify different styles of writing & writer’s voice
Context
Science, Nature & Weather
Mental health, awareness & psychology
News, Politics & Government items

Based on an adapted newspaper report, this set of 26 reading questions covers many L1 and L2 Functional Skills English content descriptors. Unlike assessment papers, the 24 questions are arranged under topics so could be used for targeted revision: purpose and main points, detail and inference, punctuation (for understanding), style and tone, words and language, organisational features. Some questions are deliberately challenging and you may want all learners to tackle all the questions.

Editor's note

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L1.17 Read & understand a range of specialist words in context
FE L2.15 Use a range of reference materials & resources (e.g. glossaries, legends/keys) for different purposes
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE L2.11 Identify when main points are sufficient & when specific details are important
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L2.16 Understand organisational features & use to locate relevant information in a range of sources
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L1.11 Identify meanings in texts & distinguish between fact & opinion
FE L1.15 Infer from images meanings not explicit in the accompanying text
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L1.16 Recognise vocabulary typically associated with specific types and purposes of texts (e.g. formal, informal, instructional, descriptive, explanatory and persuasive)
FE L2.13 Identify implicit & inferred meaning in texts
FE L2.14 Understand how textual features/devices can shape meaning for different audiences/purposes
FE L2.17 Analyse texts, of different levels of complexity, recognising their use of vocabulary and identifying levels of formality and bias
FE L2.19 Identify different styles of writing & writer’s voice
Context
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism
History, culture, museums, libraries

Read a text about people being awarded Honours.

Answer exam style questions.

Editor's notes

Lovely new year resource that focuses on three everyday people that have given outstanding service to charities and their communities. 2 page text adapted from a Guardian article. The 20 reading questions cover general comprehension, language  and organisational devices, punctuation, vocabulary-dictionary work and more!

There's also a final question that could be used as a discussion prompt or a short writing task.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE L2.11 Identify when main points are sufficient & when specific details are important
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L2.16 Understand organisational features & use to locate relevant information in a range of sources
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L1.15 Infer from images meanings not explicit in the accompanying text
FE L1.11 Identify meanings in texts & distinguish between fact & opinion
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L2.14 Understand how textual features/devices can shape meaning for different audiences/purposes
FE L2.19 Identify different styles of writing & writer’s voice
Context
News, Politics & Government items

A topical resource based on a news story. Reading comprehension at approx. L1 plus a writing task with planning and email response sheet.

Embedded maths through reading the table. This resource also offers opportunities as a discussion starter.

Similar to the resource found here https://www.skillsworkshop.org/resources/shocking_sugar_levels_in_high_street_hot_drinks but based on a more recent news story. 

Editor's note

Level
Level 1
English
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L1.24 Use format, structure & language appropriate for audience & purpose
FE L1.25 Write consistently & accurately in complex sentences, using paragraphs where appropriate
Maths
FM E3.21 Extract information from lists, tables, diagrams, charts; create frequency tables
Context
News, Politics & Government items
Catering Food Nutrition
Sport and fitness