English Functional Skills L1

The course is suitable for anyone who has achieved Entry Level 3 and wants to progress to Level 1. The course is also suitable for anyone working at Level 1. This course is for all students who are proficient in spoken English. You can take speaking and listening, reading and writing exams when you are ready.

On this course, you will practise your speaking and listening so you can participate in conversations and discussions effectively, making valid points and giving well-argued opinions. You will also create and deliver a small group presentation.
You will practise different reading techniques to understand the overall meaning of different texts. You will develop your skills in locating information and detail and how to identify inferred meaning in text. You will study the structure of texts, e.g. e-mails, letters, articles, reports, Internet forum posts.
You will practise your writing skills. You will learn to write different types of text for different purposes and audience by making notes, planning, drafting and editing. You will improve your grammar and punctuation and develop different spelling strategies
By the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Listen understand and make relevant contributions to discussion.
2. Plan and deliver a short presentation.
3. Use methods of reading to understand a variety of longer texts.
4. Improve spelling for words used most often in work, study and daily life.
5. Write in complete sentences with accurate use of punctuation and grammar.
6. Plan, draft and organise writing which is fit for purpose and audience.

Teaching methods: Visual demonstration and verbal explanation. Written handouts with visual diagrams. One-to-one teaching. Group discussions
Learning methods: Hands-on practical activities, Reading handouts and following instructions.
One-to-one and group discussion.
How students are assessed: Questions and answers during group discussions and one-to-one teaching.
Record of students' progress and achievement on an assessment sheet as they achieve the course objectives. Practical work produced is evidence of learning.

You only need a notebook, a pen, and a personal dictionary, if you have one. If you do not have a personal dictionary you can use the dictionaries at the centre.
You will need to do homework and you will keep a Student Learning Plan to help you organise your studies.

You can take Functional Skills exams throughout the year in Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing.

At the end of this course, you will be ready for a Level 2 literacy class and a variety of other classes - for example, in the Business, IT and Digital Media section. You will be able to do some of these courses while doing your literacy class. See www.marywardcentre.ac.uk