Core Skills

Functional Skills qualifications support the development of practical skills in English, maths and ICT, and are designed to help learners gain the most out of work, education and everyday life. There’s a strong focus on explanation and problem-solving, with a choice of paper assessment or on-screen, on-demand assessment.

Problem solving is at the heart of Functional Skills; they require the learner to apply their knowledge and understanding in a range of familiar and unfamiliar situations. Functional Skills are a mandatory element in apprenticeships as well as being stand-alone qualifications in their own right at Entry Level 1-3, Level 1 and Level 2.

Our Functional Skills qualification are ideal for those learners wishing to improve their maths and English qualifications in addition to studying a vocational qualification.

An intermediate apprenticeship requires the achievement of Functional Skills at Level 1 in English and maths and, depending on the vocational programme, ICT. An advanced apprenticeship requires a Level 2 achievement in Functional Skills in both English and maths, and ICT depending on the course.

Level 1 Functional Skills are equivalent to a GCSE Grade E-D.

Level 2 Functional Skills are equivalent to GCSE Grade C-A*.

This includes GCSEs obtained from summer 2012 onwards with an Enhanced Functional Content (EFC). Equivalencies for the new 1-9 GCSE have not yet been published.

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