Adult Numeracy, Functional Maths, and GCSE Resources

Displaying 1 - 10 of 19 resources:

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. 

Learners then plan a presentation/talk to share their budget and their rationale with others.

Editor's notes

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

A quick but very useful match-up activity that makes a good starter activity for financial literacy or employment skills courses - and it's bound to prompt discussion.

Editor's note

Written for an Australian audience but I have added a UK version on page 2.  Learners can draw lines to match the items or, for a reusable resource, the page could be laminated and/or cut into 12 cards. 

 

 

Level
Level 1
Level 2
Maths
Functional Maths
General numeracy / maths
Popular topics
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond
Context
Employment skills & Public services
Business & Money management

This exercise can be used in several different ways.  The cost of living crisis has hit everyone and this one pot pasta dish can save on gas/electric by making everything in one pan.  The main idea is to cost the ingredients as it is, but then think of alternatives to the original recipe. Then if you double the recipe up, how much are you saving by buying 500g of mince?  How much are you saving by buying a 4 pack tin of tomatoes?  Look at the different prices of dried pasta.  Look at how much frozen mince is.  This is about converting g - kg too.

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
Maths
FM Simple one step problem(s)
FM Straightforward problem(s) with more than 1 step
FM E3.10 Calculate with money using decimal notation & express money correctly in writing in pounds and pence
FM E3.16 Compare measures of weight including grams & kilograms
FM L1.4 Use multiplication facts and make connections with division facts
FM L1.11 Add, subtract, multiply & divide decimals up to 2 decimal places
FM L1.12 Approximate by rounding to a whole number or to one or two decimal places
FM L1.17 Work with simple ratio & direct proportions
FM L1.20 Convert between units of length, weight, capacity, money and time, in the same system
FM L2.13 Calculate amounts of money, compound interest, percentage increases, decreases & discounts inc. tax & budgeting
Context
Independent living
Catering Food Nutrition
Business & Money management

Reading and related activities focusing on a simplified version of a BBC news article reporting the results of the 2021 Australian Census. Ideal for practising reading strategies including:  relating images to text, using headings, skimming, scanning and using context to predict. My (Australian) students found it challenging but were engaged in the content. Lots of possible ways it could lead into other written and oral activities. Numbers and a graph involved so can also be used to revise numeracy concepts such as percentages and extracting information from graphs.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
General literacy / English
FE READING main points & detail
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L2.15 Use a range of reference materials & resources (e.g. glossaries, legends/keys) for different purposes
Maths
General numeracy / maths
ESOL
ESOL Reading (R)
Context
History, culture, museums, libraries

A topical resource that requires students to interpret a news infographic and calculate the difference between two times. There is also a second question for Level 2 learners on Speed, Distance, Time. As well as enabling students to practise time calculations it can lead to discussion about this controversial rail project.

Editor's notes

Really topical and interesting. With curriculum mapping. No answer sheet.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
Maths
FM Straightforward problem(s) with more than 1 step
FM Complex multi-step problem(s)
FM L1.20 Convert between units of length, weight, capacity, money and time, in the same system
FM L2.15 Calculate using compound measures inc. speed, density & rates of pay
Context
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism
Motor vehicles & Transport

This is a project based on Benford's law. I had this idea after watching the Numberphile series on YouTube. This is a project based activity that involves many skills including working with large numbers, using percentages, representing data and probability.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
Maths
FM Complex multi-step problem(s)
FM L1.1 Read, write, order & compare large numbers (up to one million)
FM L1.14 Calculate percentages of quantities, inc. simple percentage increase / decrease by 5% & multiples of
FM L1.15 Estimate answers to calculations using fractions and decimals
FM L1.27 Represent discrete data in tables, diagrams & charts inc. pie charts, bar charts, line graphs
FM L1.28 Group discrete data & represent grouped data graphically
FM L1.30 Understand probabilities on a scale from 0 to 1; use to compare the likelihood of events
FM L1.31 Use equally likely outcomes to find probabilities of simple events & express as fractions
Context
Business & Money management

A topical and challenging series of differentiated questions for upper E3 to Level 2. Based on a news report about the May 2015 relief effort and a table of statistics about the world’s largest earthquakes.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
Entry Level 3
Maths
Functional Maths - numbers and the number system
Functional Maths - measures, shape & space
Functional Maths - handling information and data
Context
Voluntary, Charity and Community
News, Politics & Government items

The main resource has four pages. Three of the pages contain a chart and a brief to a group of students to discuss and write some sentences saying what the chart tells them. The twist is that each group of 3 students has a different chart drawn from the same data as the groups next to them. The fourth page has the table from which the charts were drawn.

The charts used are: dual/clustered bar chart comparing types of drink sold on two days. A stacked/composite bar chart and a percentage bar chart of the same data.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
Maths
HD1/L2.1
HD1/L1.1
Functional Maths - handling information and data
Context
Retail Hospitality Customer service

An activity to explore money management and negative numbers. Be prepared to signpost students if need be.

The activity starts with discussing who is most likely to get into debt and then by recognising that anyone can if they don’t have good money skills.

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
Maths
N1/L2.1
N1/L1.2
AN MSS1/L1.1 Add, subtract, multiply & divide sums of money and record
AN MSS1/E3.1 Add & subtract money using decimal notation
Functional Maths
Context
Business & Money management

A numeracy or Functional Maths worksheet that uses data handling, rounding, days and dates, percentages and fractions related to the Radio 1 presenter Chris Moyles.
It is based on The Guardian’s Infomania page in ‘The Guide’.
Also useful as revision material.
Could be used for a discussion on Chris Moyles and musical taste.
Questions are aimed at Level 1 with some at Entry 3 or Level 2.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
Entry Level 3
Maths
General numeracy / maths
Functional Maths
Context
Art Film Media Music Radio TV