Recent Changes

Changed on 24 May 2023

Using English at Work and College

A set of tasks to practise reading and writing skills. Read about a student and his work and college life.

  • Practise using conjunctions.
  • Learn synonyms
  • Practise using punctuation correctly.
  • Write about your own experience of studying and working

Editor's notes

So practical and down to earth! Find out about Joseph's day to day college life and his busy job with Deliveroo. Also very useful for E2-E3 Functional Skills English students.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
General literacy / English
FE E2.13 Use basic punctuation correctly (e.g. full stops, question, exclamation marks)
FE E3.13 Use a range of punctuation correctly (e.g. full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, commas)
FE E2.8 Understand the main points in texts
FE E3.9 Identify, understand & extract main points & ideas in/from texts
FE E2.19 Write in compound sentences, using common conjunctions to connect clauses
ESOL
ESOL Rt/E2.1a Use a range of strategies to trace & understand main events
ESOL Rw/E2.2a Recognise a range of familiar words
ESOL Rt/E3.1a Understand how meaning is built up in a variety texts of more than one paragraph
ESOL Ws/E2.1a Construct simple and compound sentences
ESOL Ws/E2.3a Use correct punctuation, e.g. capital letters, full stops, question marks
ESOL Ws/E2.1a Construct simple and compound sentences
ESOL Ws/E3.3a Use punctuation to aid clarity in relation to beginnings and ends of sentences
ESOL Ws/E3.2a Use basic sentence grammar accurately
Context
Education and teaching
Employment skills & Public services
Independent living

Changed on 24 May 2023

Primary School bus crash shocks the community

Simplified news article about a bus crash in Australia. Reading activity with DARTs. Can be extended into a speaking and listening and writing activity.

Editor's notes

A very sad story.  Ideal for E2-E3 reading and discussion (and equivalent Australian levels). Dictionary/vocabulary work, T/F questions, sentences, cloze exercise and discussion prompt.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
FE E2.6 Make appropriate contributions to simple group discussions with others about a straightforward topic
FE E3.6 Make relevant contributions to group discussions about straightforward topics
FE E2.10 Use effective strategies to find words meanings & check spelling e.g. simple dictionary, spell-checker
FE E3.11 Use strategies to find meaning of words e.g. dictionary, context, word types
FE E2.8 Understand the main points in texts
FE E3.9 Identify, understand & extract main points & ideas in/from texts
FE E2.11 Read & understand sentences with more than one clause
ESOL
ESOL Reading
Context
News, Politics & Government items
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism

Changed on 23 May 2023

Favourite downloads: April 23

23 May 2023

Top downloads during during April 2023. If you're new to skillsworkshop, this can be a useful place to start. Titles old and new (Dec 2005 to March 2023) covering all levels of Functional Skills Maths & English, and ESOL, from Entry Level 1 through to Level 2.

Read more

Changed on 23 May 2023

Practice multiple choice spelling questions for E3 and beyond

English Entry Level exam revision. This is based on the exercises in the Functional Skills Entry Level English writing exams.  It provides revision and practice in spelling and reading sentences. 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. 12 pages.

Editor's notes

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE E2.16 Spell correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
FE E3.17 Spell correctly words designated for Entry Level 3
FE L1.21 Spell words used most often in work, study and daily life, including specialist words
FE L2.22 Spell words used in work, study & daily life, including a range of specialist words

Changed on 23 May 2023

Answer sheets

Resources may or may not have answer sheets. This depends on whether the contributor provided answers and/or whether I (Maggie Harnew) have time to produce them.

In 2017 I introduced restricted answer sheets, particularly when it takes a lot of time and effort to produce the answers (many sheets also include detailed Reformed Functional Skills mapping). All site contributors are entitled to request restricted answer sheets. It's my way of saying 'thank you' and also encouraging new people to share resources. 

Changed on 18 May 2023

Australia: a country rapidly changing

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
Context
History, culture, museums, libraries

Changed on 18 May 2023

Cyclones in Australia

A simplified reading about cyclones with reference to the two cyclones in Australia in February 2015 followed by some exercises. The exercises are at different levels to meet the very different abilities of students in my class.

Editor’s note
Lovely selection of reading materials and exercises – includes fill-in tables, questions, word searches (two levels), and a blank map to add cyclone paths. E1-E3.

Update (28/2/15)
Small error in wind speed chart now corrected.

Level
Entry Level 3
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 1
M8
English
AL Ww/E1.2
AL Rt/E3.1 Understand longer texts
AL Rt/E2.1 Follow main points of short texts
Functional English reading
Context
News, Politics & Government items

Changed on 18 May 2023

The Melbourne Cup

A short description of the famous Australian horse race followed by comprehension questions. Includes suggested answers.

Level
Entry Level 3
Entry Level 2
English
AL Rt/E3.1 Understand longer texts
AL Rt/E2.1 Follow main points of short texts
Functional English reading
ESOL
ESOL Rt/E3.1a Understand how meaning is built up in a variety texts of more than one paragraph
ESOL Rt/E2.1b Use reading strategies to obtain information from texts
Context
Sport and fitness
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism
Animals, animal care, farming & equine

Changed on 18 May 2023

At the Cafe E1-2 Functional Maths & English (SL&C)

 UPDATED 19/4/23   -  UK and Australian versions both updated: an error fixed (headings on p2 in both versions) and remapped for Reformed Functional Skills Maths and English. Covers:

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
FE E1.4 Make requests & ask straightforward questions using appropriate terms & registers
FE E1.6 Make clear statements, communicate feelings & opinions on straightforward topics
FE E2.2 Make requests & ask clear questions appropriately in different contexts
FE E2.5 Clearly express straightforward information & communicate feelings / opinions
FE E1.5 Respond to questions about specific information
FE E2.3 Respond appropriately to straightforward questions
Maths
FM Simple one step problem(s)
FM E1.1 Read, write, order, compare numbers to 20
FM E1.3 Add numbers which total up to 20, & subtract numbers from numbers up to 20
FM E1.5 Recognise coins & notes, write them in numbers with the correct symbols (£, p) where these involve numbers up to 20
FM E2.12 Calculate money with pence up to £1 & in whole £s of multiple items, use correct symbols (£ or p)
FM E1.11 Read numerical information from lists
FM E2.22 Extract information from lists, tables, diagrams, bar charts
Context
Retail Hospitality Customer service
Catering Food Nutrition
Independent living

Changed on 18 May 2023

Steer clear of swooping magpies

[img_assist|nid=4771|title=|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=100|height=69]Another great set of three comprehension resources from Australia. Each with a related, differentiated crossword puzzle. All based on the same Australian news article about the danger of swooping magpies.
The Satellite (Australia) September 13 2010
http://www.thesatellite.com.au/story/2010/09/13/steer-clear-of-swooping…

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Functional English reading
AL Recognise and understand a range of words
Context
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism
Animals, animal care, farming & equine