Functional Skills English Level 2: Exams and Preparation

Functional Skills English Level 2 is an Ofqual-regulated qualification in which learners show they can read, write, speak, listen and communicate in English, and GOV.UK accepts a Pass in it alongside GCSE English at grade 4 for level 3 to 7 apprenticeships. The Department for Education subject content gives it three components: speaking, listening and communicating; reading; and writing. Pearson, City & Guilds and NCFE each offer it, with Reading and Writing set and marked by the awarding body and the speaking component assessed by the centre.

Each component is graded pass or fail, and a certificate needs a Pass in all three at the same level. Reading and Writing are available on demand, on paper or onscreen, with sittings booked in advance, and preparation tends to work best when it follows the published subject content statements and the marks given to spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Who needs Level 2 Functional Skills English?

Apprentices are one group who need it, because the GOV.UK rules for level 3 to 7 apprenticeships list Functional Skills level 2 English, regulated by Ofqual and achieved at Pass, as an accepted English qualification alongside GCSE English at grade 4. Apprentices aged 16 to 18 at the start of training must achieve an English qualification to complete the apprenticeship if they hold no suitable equivalent, and apprentices aged 19 and over can be funded for a level 2 English qualification if the employer agrees.

The same GOV.UK page says that English qualifications are only acceptable when English is the apprentice's primary language, meaning the apprentice was taught, assessed or examined through English, unless a rule states otherwise. Learners moving on from ESOL who are unsure whether that condition applies to them should ask the employer or training provider before booking.

Outside apprenticeships, NCFE lists traineeships, study programmes, T Levels and use as an alternative to GCSE, and states that there are no pre-entry requirements. Pearson names progression to a GCSE in English or similar qualifications and describes development of English skills as part of an apprenticeship or in employment, while City & Guilds describes Level 2 as a foundation for progression into employment or further technical education.

What are the three components?

The Department for Education subject content divides Level 2 into speaking, listening and communicating, reading, and writing, each with its own statements. Speaking, listening and communicating draws on extended narratives, information on technical, concrete or abstract topics, discussions, detailed explanations and detailed presentations. Candidates identify relevant information, ask detailed and pertinent questions, express opinions and arguments supported by relevant and persuasive evidence, and interject and redirect a discussion using appropriate language and register.

Reading covers a mix of straightforward and complex texts on varied topics that instruct, describe, explain or persuade. Candidates judge when main points are enough and when specific detail matters, compare ideas across texts, identify implicit and inferred meaning, use reference materials, and analyse vocabulary, formality and bias. They also follow an argument by identifying different points of view and distinguishing fact from opinion.

Writing covers articles, narratives, explanations and reports, both straightforward and complex. Candidates use a wide range of punctuation, correct grammar and modality devices, and spell work, study and everyday words including specialist terms. They also choose a format and structure such as templates, paragraphs, bullet points or tables, adapt language and register with persuasive techniques, and construct complex sentences consistently and accurately.

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How is each component assessed?

Reading and Writing are each a single assessment set and marked by the awarding body, while the speaking component can be set and marked by the centre where the learner studies. Pearson describes its speaking assessment as internally set and internally marked, and its Reading and Writing as externally assessed, on paper or onscreen, on demand. City & Guilds offers paper-based and onscreen sittings that must be booked in advance, and NCFE describes two external assessments plus one controlled assessment, with online assessment available.

Pearson's speaking assessment lasts up to 25 minutes in total, made up of a 5-minute presentation with a linked question and answer session in groups of three to four, and a 15-minute formal discussion in groups of three to five. Learners may use notes, which are checked to confirm they contain no prepared script. City & Guilds allows up to 30 minutes for the component, with Reading at 1 hour and Writing at 1 hour 20 minutes.

Speaking is judged against a pass performance descriptor, which asks that learners generally demonstrate the requirements for the level consistently, effectively and to an appropriate degree for that level, and Ofqual's conditions set no boundary mark for it. A qualification certificate needs a Pass in all three components at the same level, and results from different levels cannot be combined.

What do the reading and writing papers ask?

The Pearson Reading paper lasts 75 minutes, carries 35 marks and uses multiple choice, short open response and medium open response questions. The City & Guilds Reading assessment asks candidates to read two source documents, answer questions on each and make comparisons across them, and it is designed to meet 100% coverage of the subject content. Inference, bias, formality and the difference between fact and opinion are therefore all fair targets for questions.

The Pearson Writing paper lasts 60 minutes, carries 36 marks and has two tasks, with 42% of the marks assessing spelling, punctuation and grammar. Ofqual's conditions set that weighting for Levels 1 and 2 at 40 to 45% of the Writing marks. City & Guilds sets two texts based on given scenarios, and Pearson states that candidates are given a suggested word quantity range in each Writing assessment.

The composition statements in the subject content show what the tasks look for: text of a suitable detail and length, a format and structure matched to purpose, cohesion through organisational markers, language and register suited to audience, and complex sentences used consistently and accurately. A candidate writing a formal email, report or article therefore gains from planning the paragraphs before drafting.

Model answer: Formal email of complaint about a training venue

Task: Your company booked a conference centre for a two-day team training course. On both days the heating in the training room did not work and the problem was not repaired after you reported it. Write an email of about 250 words to the centre manager. Explain what happened, describe the effect on the course and say what you would like the centre to do.

"

Subject: Complaint about heating failure during our training course

"

Dear Sir or Madam,

"

I am writing to complain about the conditions during the two-day team training course that my company held at your conference centre last week.

"

On both mornings the heating in the training room was not working, and the room was so cold that several delegates kept their coats on throughout the sessions. When I reported the problem to reception at nine o'clock on the first day, I was told that an engineer would attend within the hour. Nobody arrived that day, and the same fault occurred again on the second morning.

"

As a result, the trainer had to shorten two of the planned sessions, because delegates could not concentrate or take notes comfortably. Our company paid the full price for a service that was clearly not delivered to the standard described in your brochure, which promised a comfortable and fully equipped learning environment.

"

I would therefore be grateful if you would refund half of the room hire fee, which I consider a fair reflection of the reduced value we received. I would also appreciate an explanation of why the fault was not repaired after it was first reported.

"

Please reply within ten working days. If we cannot reach a satisfactory solution, I will have to consider taking the matter further through our company's complaints procedure.

"

Yours faithfully,

Team Training Coordinator

What this model answer does:

• Format and structure (Writing statement L2.25): a subject line, formal salutation and sign-off, and one purpose per paragraph give the email the layout the task asks for.
• Organisational markers (L2.26): phrases such as "As a result" and "therefore" link cause, effect and request, so the reader can follow the sequence of events.
• Language and register (L2.27): formal vocabulary, no contractions and a polite but firm request suit a manager who has the power to act.
• Complex sentences (L2.28): subordinate clauses, such as "which I consider a fair reflection of the reduced value we received", are punctuated accurately, which also serves the spelling, punctuation and grammar marks.

How does it differ from GCSE English and ESOL?

Level 2 Functional Skills English is graded only as pass or fail, with no numbered grade, and GOV.UK apprenticeship rules accept a Pass alongside GCSE English at grade 4 for level 3 to 7 apprenticeships. Pearson names a GCSE in English as a progression route after Level 2, so the two sit as separate qualifications. Reading and Writing can be sat on demand, and a component already passed can be carried forward when another is retaken.

Learners moving on from ESOL work towards the same subject content statements as every other Level 2 candidate, so the papers test reading, writing and speaking at that level in the same way for everyone. Bilingual dictionaries are allowed in the Reading component, and no dictionary or spelling and grammar checker is allowed in the Writing component, so accurate spelling and punctuation in English need to be secure without support.

Can you retake a failed component?

A learner who fails can resit only the failed components and carry forward the ones already passed. Pearson requires a different version of the component assessment from the one first taken, and advises centres to allow time for additional teaching and learning before the resit. City & Guilds applies the same rule that a candidate does not see the same version more than once, and a candidate who has taken every paper-based version can be booked onto the onscreen assessment, and the reverse.

Ofqual's conditions require awarding organisations to permit a learner to carry forward a result from a previous attempt, including when not all three components were attempted. City & Guilds adds that there is no formal time limit on using a passed component, although a certificate is awarded only once all three components are achieved at the same level. Speaking assessments have no fixed dates and can be run at any time after registration.

How should you prepare?

Preparation works best when it starts from the subject content statements, because the papers are built on them. List the Reading statements (inference, bias, formality, comparing texts, fact and opinion) and the Writing statements (punctuation, grammar, spelling, format, register, complex sentences), then tick each one only after practising it on a real text. Sample assessment materials and delivery guides for Reading and Writing are published on the awarding bodies' own sites.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar carry 40 to 45% of the Writing marks, so they deserve early and regular practice: sentence punctuation, apostrophes, commas in complex sentences, subject and verb agreement, and the spelling of work and study words. Practise without a dictionary or spell-checker, since neither is available in the Writing paper.

For Reading, practise on pairs of texts about the same topic, noting for each question where the evidence sits, whether a statement is fact or opinion, and how word choice signals formality or bias. Time a full paper to the length of the paper you will sit, and support open answers with words from the text.

For the speaking component, prepare a presentation on a topic you can support with evidence, use brief notes instead of a script because prepared scripts are not permitted, and practise interjecting politely to redirect a discussion. Check each piece of writing against the composition statements and against the pass descriptor wording of consistently, effectively and to an appropriate degree.

Related guides

• What is ESOL?
• ESOL Entry 1, 2 and 3
• ESOL Level 1 and Level 2
• ESOL courses and free places in England
• Functional Skills English Level 1
• CEFR levels explained for employers
• How long B1 to B2 takes

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