Course description

Do you need a Level 2 English qualification for a job, an apprenticeship or a college course, but it's been years since you studied English? This course helps you prepare for Functional Skills English Level 2 at your own pace. It covers the reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar you need, practice for speaking, listening and communicating, and the exam technique that helps you show what you can do.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons. Each one explains a skill in plain English with tables and examples, works through a realistic example, lists the common slips, answers the questions learners often ask and ends with a Try it exercise. You follow three adults at a Saturday study group in Oldham: Becca, a healthcare assistant who wants to become a nursing associate; Junaid, a warehouse worker heading for an electrical course; and Wioletta, a bakery supervisor training to be a teaching assistant. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, model answers and a cheat sheet, and the extras include a study planner, an error log, a spelling list, a letter and email layout guide, discussion and presentation planners, and two full practice papers for reading and two for writing, with model answers and marking guides. Every practice text, practice paper and model answer was written for Rootlet.

What you'll learn

• Getting started: what Functional Skills English Level 2 is, how assessment usually works, booking through a centre, funding, and your starting point and error log.
• Reading for meaning: purpose and audience, main points and details, layout and presentation features, answering reading questions in your own words, and dictionaries.
• Reading critically: facts and opinions, inference, language and tone, bias and points of view, and comparing texts.
• Spelling: methods that make words stick, a Level 2 word list with memory tricks, homophones, prefixes and suffixes, and checking your spelling without a spellchecker.
• Punctuation: full stops and comma splices, commas, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, brackets, hyphens and inverted commas.
• Grammar, sentences and paragraphs: complex sentences, subject and verb agreement, consistent tenses, articles and modal verbs, and paragraphs that hang together.
• Letters, emails, complaints and reports: a planning and proof-reading routine, formal layouts, firm but polite complaints, reports with findings and recommendations, and reading a writing task.
• Articles, reviews and persuasive writing: headlines and openings, fair reviews, persuasive techniques with evidence, writing to inform, and improving a draft.
• Speaking, listening and communicating: active listening, taking part in a formal discussion, giving a short talk from prompt cards, and asking and answering questions.
• Exam technique and practice papers: time and marks, planning under pressure, managing nerves, access arrangements, and two full reading and two full writing practice papers with model answers.

Who it's for

Adults in England working towards Functional Skills English Level 2, whether you're studying alone, taking a class at a college or adult learning service, or want extra practice alongside one. Level 2 is at the same level as a GCSE in English at grade 4, so it's best if you're already comfortable with everyday reading and writing and want to reach that standard.

Please note

This course is independent practice and preparation. It isn't an accredited course, it isn't endorsed by any awarding organisation, and it doesn't lead to a qualification. You take the Functional Skills English exams themselves with an awarding organisation, through a college, adult learning service or other approved centre.

What will I learn?

• Identify the purpose, audience, main points and details of a text, and answer reading questions in your own words
• Tell facts from opinions, make inferences with evidence, spot bias and compare how two texts present ideas
• Spell commonly misspelt words and homophones correctly, and check your spelling without a spellchecker
• Use full stops, commas, apostrophes, colons, semicolons and inverted commas accurately
• Write complex sentences with correct agreement, consistent tenses and well-linked paragraphs
• Plan, write and proof-read formal letters, emails, complaints and reports
• Write clear articles, reviews and persuasive texts for a given audience and purpose
• Take part in a formal discussion, give a short talk from prompt cards and ask detailed, relevant questions
• Manage your time, plan under pressure and stay calm in reading and writing exams
• Work through full practice papers and mark your own work with model answers and marking guides

Frequently asked questions