English Functional Skills

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Good reading, writing and speaking skills are essential in all areas of your daily life, whether at home, at work, in educational settings or in your social life

Whether you need to read and reply to a letter or email, fill in a form, or apply for a job or college course, you'll need good reading and writing skills to make sure you understand what information you're being asked for and that you provide the details that are required.

Even if you just want to read an article on your phone or tablet, do your shopping online or put your feet up with a good book, good reading skills are essential for those things too!

And if you need to make a phone call or speak to someone face-to-face, ask a question in a shop, or attend a job interview or medical appointment, having good speaking and listening skills will give you the confidence to take an active part in the conversation and get the information you need.

In the workplace, employers will look for strong reading, writing and speaking skills to ensure that you comply with company procedures, understand tasks you are asked to complete and can communicate with customers in a professional and helpful manner.

You will learn in a practical way, applying your skills to a range of scenarios that you will encounter on a day-to-day basis and will work take part in group discussions, presentations and activities to enable you to continually use and improve your skills and confidence throughout the duration of the course.

Also, did you know, that if you don't have English at GCSE grade C/4 you can study this course for free?

For more details email admissions@wolvcoll.ac.uk

The Level 2 English Functional Skills is available either in college or online to enable you to fit studying around your other commitments. Please note: if you choose the online course you will need to attend college for an assessment before the course starts and to sit an exam at the end of the course.

There are no entry requirements to undertake functional skills qualifications. However prior to starting the course you will be asked to attend an assessment to ensure that you are placed on the correct level course for you.

During this course you will develop a range of skills to enable you to read, write, listen and speak confidently and independently.

Speaking and listening skills

Listen and take part in short discussions
Communicate information, ideas and opinions clearly on a range of topics
Listen and ask questions
Understand others' view points and respond accordingly using appropriate language skills

Reading techniques

Read and understand the main points, ideas and details in a range of texts - eg book, newspapers, websites, online articles, blogs etc
Compare information, ideas and opinions in a range of different texts
Recognise the use of language to engage different audience
How to read and check your own work for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
Interpret the meaning of images or graphics that accompany text
Understand the organisation and structure of text to help the reader find relevant information

Writing techniques

The correct use of punctuation and grammar - such as full stops, commas, apostrophes
Understanding formal and informal language and which is the most appropriate to use for the target audience
Communicate information, ideas and opinions clearly and accurately
Use the correct format, structure and language to engage the target audience
Use different sentence types or paragraphs to convey different points

By studying this course you will:

Understand how English is used in work and daily communication
Understand when and how to use a range of different writing techniques
Learn how to interpret information for different meanings
Develop an appreciation for reading
Improve your listening skills
Develop your confidence in speaking by being able to deliver presentations
Gain valuable team working and communication skills by taking part in group activities

You will assessed through continual assessment of your speaking and listening skills and two 45 minute exams that you will sit when you are ready.

The skills you will learn from this course will enable you use your English, maths and ICT skills effectively to progress to a range of other courses at the college or get a job.