Subject Content

Open Awards Level 2 Functional Skills Qualifications in English supports learners to be able to speak, listen, communicate, read and write clearly, accurately, confidently and with effectiveness. Learners should be able to:

Listen, understand and make relevant contributions to discussions with
others in a range of contexts;

• Apply their understanding of language to adapt delivery and content to suit audience and purpose;
• Read a range of different text types confidently and fluently, applying their knowledge and understanding of texts to their own writing;
• Write texts of varying complexity, with accuracy, effectiveness, and correct spelling, punctuation and grammar;
• Understand the situations when, and audiences for which, planning, drafting and using formal language are important, and when they are less important.

Learners should, with some direction and guidance, be able to apply these functional skills to informal and some formal contexts, in familiar situations.

Scope of study: Speaking, Listening and Communicating

The scope of study (SoS) for Speaking, Listening and Communicating, including the SoS references from the DfE Subject Content is included below:

Learners should be able to apply their speaking, listening and communicating skills in the following contexts at Level 2 (all of varying lengths):

• extended narratives
• information (information may be on technical, concrete or abstract topics)
• discussions
• detailed explanations and presentations

The SLC assessment is made up of two sub-tasks:

• Task 1 (10 minutes): presentation followed by Q&A
• Task 2 (10 minutes): group discussion

Please note, the total assessment time takes into account a break of up to ten minutes between the two sub-tasks.

At this level, learners can present specific pieces of information as required during a discussion within the group without carrying out a formal presentation. Assessment of learners’ skills in Speaking, Listening and Communicating will be conducted using two discussions in a group of between three and five learners.

If three learners are not available, other group members could be a work colleague, staff member or a similar appropriate person, but must not be the Assessor. These special circumstances would need to be approved by Open Awards prior to the assessment taking place.

For SLC, there is no boundary mark. A ‘Pass’ is awarded to learners who meet the Pass criteria (outlined below).

The assessment criteria that learners are required to meet in order to demonstrate this performance (described by the pass descriptor) are listed under the Scope of Study above and set out in the ‘Record of Learner Achievement and Assessment Record Sheet’. Each Scope of Study must be achieved in order for a ‘Pass’ to be awarded for this component.

Scope of study: Reading

The scope of study (SoS) for Reading, including the SoS references from the DfE Subject Content is included below:

Learners should be able to apply their reading skills in the following contexts at Level 2:

• In a range of straightforward and complex texts of varying lengths
• On a range of topics
• On texts that instruct, describe, explain and persuade

Scope of study: Writing

The scope of study (SoS) for Writing, including the SoS references from the DfE Subject Content is included below:
 

Spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG)

Please note that 40% (12 out of 30 marks per writing task) of the total marks available for the Writing component will be allocated to SPaG. Please see the sample mark schemes for more information.

Writing Composition

Learners should be able to apply their writing skills to straightforward texts of varying lengths in the following contexts at Level 2:

• Articles
• Narratives
• Explanations
• Reports

Please note that for the Writing component, learners must not have access to external aids in relation to spelling, punctuation and grammar. This includes dictionaries, spelling, and grammar checking software.

Information from Open Awards Level 2 Functional Skills Qualification in English