Key Facts
Qualification purpose
Prepare for further learning or training and/or develop knowledge and/or skills in a subject area
Qualification Grading Type
Pass
Assessment Methods
Why choose this qualification?
The learning outcomes and assessment criteria reflect the national literacy standards from Entry 1 to Level 2. The qualifications in English are built from seven small units at each level. Each unit covers one aspect of a skill, is a qualification in its own right and is also included in rules of combination for a larger award for the relevant skill area and a certificate which covers all the skill areas.
Each unit is underpinned by the national standards for adult literacy (QCA 2005) and mapped to the Adult Literacy Core Curriculum (DfES 2001 and later revised 2006-7). The units have also been mapped to the Functional Skills standards and where appropriate to the GCSE grade descriptions for English.
The English qualifications cover:
- Speaking, listening and responding
- Reading for purpose, meaning and information
- Writing to communicate
The design of the qualifications reflects the announcements by the Skills Funding Agency with regard to the development of English skills. They have been developed in collaboration with representatives of Further Education Colleges, Adult and Community Learning Providers, the voluntary sector and Offender Learning providers. The unit and qualification design provides maximum flexibility with the opportunity to certificate either a specific skill area according to an identified need, for example a particular aspect of reading, a whole skill area e.g. reading, or the opportunity to develop and certificate a broader range of skills.