report writing task functional skills

Writing: The Exam Revision

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Functional skills english level 2 practice papers, functional skills english level 2 pocket revision guide, functional skills english level 2 revision cards, filter by level, filter by exam board, writing: the exam.

You will need to understand what you will encounter in the exam.

This page will leave you feeling more prepared about the writing section!

Would you pass functional skills English level 2?

Why not test your knowledge now and see if you would pass. A score of around 60% means you would probably pass your functional skills English level 2. 

You may be provided with a word count for each of the tasks.

The word count gives you a rough estimate of how much writing is expected for each question.

The time allowed on the front of the paper will also give you an estimate of the time you need to put in to each task.

For each task, there will also be an allocated set of marks :

• The marks hint at the amount of information needed in your answer.
• For example, if the question is 3 marks , usually 3 bits of information are needed.

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Preparation

Planning will enable you to prepare your answer effectively. You can do this by writing down some notes in bullet point form.

This will enable your answer to have a clear structure (a beginning, middle and end).

A plan should be for rough notes only – so don’t spend too long on it!

Read the question carefully and multiple times . It may help to highlight key words in the question to answer it fully!

Writing Effectively and Clearly

Look for any mistakes on spelling or grammar. Also the clarity of writing – make sure it can be understood. These areas make up 40% of the mark !

Use full sentences and paragraphs

Make sure that you answer the full question

Read through your answer to make sure it has a logical flow and that the points you have made add up and make sense

Checking your answer is helpful to ensure you are writing clearly and effectively.

Check that you have:

• Answered both questions in the paper
• Used different sentence types
• Used an appropriate amount of detail

Sophisticated Vocabulary Phrases

Using sophisticated vocabulary in your exam will help you to communicate effectively.

For contrast :

• (Something) differs from/contrasts with (something else)

For similarities :

• (Something) is similar to/is comparable to (something else)
• Similarly/Likewise/In the same way

For patterns :

• What is striking/What stands out/What can be seen clearly is…

For cause and effect :

• (Something) may cause/can lead to/ can result in…
• Resulting from/Stemming from…
• Thereby, therefore, consequently, because of this

For moving on :

• In this next section/I will continue/In the section that follows…
• As explained earlier/As previously stated/As I mentioned earlier/As was pointed out…
• Turning to/Moving on now to consider/Before thinking about (something), it is important to think about/Having discussed (something), I will now talk about…

For beginning :

• I will argue that/discuss/analyse/explore/assess…

For discussing a source :

• The writer highlights/mentions/questions whether/draws our attention to…

For concluding :

• Overall/Considering all of this evidence/Taken together/Collectively…

Question - How do I improve my chances of passing the level 2 English exam?

Answer – Subject knowledge assessment. This useful tool identifies the key areas of the exam you will need to work on in order to pass your level 2 exam for the first time. 

Example: Question

”You recently went on a school trip to a theme park . The head of year has asked you to write a review of the day out which will be published in the school newsletter.

In your review , you should :

• Say what you liked or disliked about the trip
• Say how and why the trip could have been improved
• Explain whether you should go back to the theme park or go somewhere different for the next school trip

Aim to write about 250 to 300 words (Level 2)

Aim to write about 200 to 250 words (Level 1) 

Example: Answer

Example : Analysis of Answer

• Clear structure

Paragraphs about each bullet point in the same order

• Correct punctuation

Use of commas, exclamation marks, colons, full stops, full sentences

• Good use of connectives and organisational markers

‘consequently’, ‘however’, ‘therefore’

Between the suggested amount

• Lots of sentence types
• Wide range of tenses

present (‘I believe’), past (‘I enjoyed’ + more) and future (‘I will be able to’ + more)

• Writing is easy to follow and reads well
• Writing is relevant to the question

Covers each bullet point adequately

Additional Resources

Exam tips cheat sheet, writing: the exam worksheet and example questions.

Writing: The Exam L2

Writing: the exam l1, you may also like....

This comprehensive set of 10 Functional Skills English Level 2 Practice Papers (5 reading papers + 5 writing) is a great way to revise for your upcoming reading and writing exams. These papers have been specifically tailored to match the structure, format and question types used by each of the main exam boards for functional skills English.

Revise and practice for your functional skills English level 2 exam. All topics covered in this compact revision guide.

Revise for functional skills English level 2, with these English level 2 fundamentals revision cards. Covering the building blocks of the essential areas of the level 2 exam.

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Functional Skills English Level 2 Subject Knowledge Assessment

What Is Functional Writing?

This guide explores the answer to the question: what is functional writing? It also explores how it impacts students both in the classroom and in their adult lives.

What is functional writing? Functional writing is a type of writing that teaches real-life writing skills, such as resume writing and making lists. It occurs in real-life scenarios.

Functional writing skills taught in the classroom relate to activities and actions students will need to take as adults in their daily lives. These skills go beyond the essay and report writing common in school lesson plans and focus on the life skills that require writing. They might include writing reports, creating lists, sending letters, and even texting friends. 

Understanding What Is Functional Writing in the Classroom

Characteristics of functional writing, examples of functional writing, functional writing in special education, assessing functional writing, the difference between functional writing and creative writing.

Writing instruction often teaches kids how to write reports, stories, poems, and essays. This instruction will focus on organizing thoughts with topic sentences and a clear, logical flow, creating a believable fictional world, or conveying feelings and emotions. While this type of writing instruction is important, it does not cover other areas of writing that happen in real life, such as resume writing, writing lists, and letter writing.

Functional writing should be part of any creative writing curriculum. These are the writing skills students need to be successful and confident in written communication as an adult. Teaching functional writing needs to be woven into standard writing practice and instruction. Hence, children finish school with a clear knowledge and understanding of how to tackle these important and practical writing processes.

Functional writing is also something that teachers should assess. Just like reports and essays, these need to have correction and feedback. These are the writing skills students need as adults, so feedback is vital.

Functional writing has specific characteristics that differentiate it from other writing styles. These include:

• Fixed format: These writing activities follow a fixed structure, such as the formatting for a formal letter.
• Economy: Writers need to present just the necessary information without flowery, excessive words.
• Abbreviations: Many abbreviations work well in functional writing, whereas abbreviations are not ideal in formal academic writing.
• Conventional language: Depending on the type of activity, functional writing activities tend to have a specific register or voice. For example, writing instructions requires imperative language, while an informal letter requires informal conversational language.

Many writing tasks fall under the heading of functional writing. Any type of writing that children will need in the real world as adults can fit into this category. A teacher can explore many of these as they work on writing instruction.

Some examples include:

• Shopping lists: These require some level of organization and thought but very little writing.
• To-do lists: Students should learn to write effective to-do lists to keep themselves on track.
• Formal letters: Formal letters with proper headings, openers, and signature lines are important in the classroom.
• Informal letters: Informal letters have formatting, but they are less stringent and more conversational.
• Memos: Memos send information within an organization to announce or explain something.
• Resume writing: Resumes include personal information, education history, and job history.
• Text messages and email: Some writing rules apply even within these informal communication types.
• Writing greetings in cards: Learning how to say “thank you” or “congratulations” in a meaningful way is an important life skill.
• Signing your name: Many students do not learn cursive, so signatures are part of functional writing.
• Job applications: Learning what information is often required on a job application and how to properly format and enter it helps students when they enter the workforce.
• Study guide writing: Students who can create their own study guides will be better able to prepare for tests and assessments.
• Process/direction writing: Step-by-step instructions, such as recipe instructions, have specific tone and formatting requirements.

The list is endless, as people need to communicate in writing throughout their lives. Taking some of these practical scenarios and transforming them into instructional content will help teachers prepare their students for practical life events where writing is essential.

Lessons must include grammar and word choice instruction and the various types of functional writing situations.

The Proper Age to Teach Functional Writing

Children should start learning functional writing when they begin to learn to write. Even young learners can be taught how to sign their names or make a shopping list.

Functional writing activities should be age-appropriate and fit the students’ abilities. For example, 3rd-grade students are probably not ready to learn how to write a resume, but they may be able to write a short book review for a book report.

On the other hand, middle school students are ready to use writing prompts to write something more in-depth. For example, these students might be able to learn how to write a formal business letter or write a meaningful thank-you card.

Functional writing tasks often focus on job applications and resumes at the high school level to prepare students for college and the workforce.

Regardless of age, one way to teach functional writing is by writing prompt flashcards. The flashcards should give the students enough information to complete the assignment. Still, they should leave enough information for the student to do some work to complete the assignment.

The special education classroom is where functional writing prompts, and tasks are vital. Students who have learning differences often struggle significantly with writing. This struggle can lead to setbacks in adulthood when they cannot make lists or write answers on job applications.

In the special education classroom, students often appreciate practical education. Since functional writing is differentiated from creative writing, many students feel more motivated to learn these skills because they see the practical application.

The goal of the special education classroom is to help students rise to their best potential and prepare them for adult life. For this reason, functional writing is a vital part of their instruction.

An assessment is an important part of the process when teaching any writing skill. Writing rubrics work well to assess functional writing. Giving students a rubric that outlines what the teacher requires will help them understand what they need to do to learn the skill.

Assessment of functional writing involves assessing the type of writing, like letters or resumes, and basic grammar skills. This assessment will include:

• Organization
• Word choice
• Sentence structure
• Punctuation
• Capitalization

Functional writing activities give teachers and students another way to assess whether grammar instruction has been effective.

Finally, when assessing these activities, teachers should look at whether or not the tone matches the writing activity. For example, if the students are asked to write a formal letter, they should use standard business language, not conversational. If they are asked to write directions to play their favorite game, they should use imperative, step-by-step instructional language, not narrative writing.

You may find this article on how to revise sentences helpful for the teaching and assessment process. 

Much writing instruction focuses on prompts and activities that encourage creative writing and informative writing. These skills are an important part of the writing world, but they are different from functional writing.

In creative writing, the goal is usually to tell a story or convey an emotion. It is also to entertain and share the human experience. You need plot development, character development, setting, narration, and conflict to do this well. You also need a healthy dose of creativity. If you are interested in creative writing, have a look at these creative writing ideas .

The goal of functional writing is to transmit information or organize thoughts. This type of writing is for personal reasons, such as notes or texts between people. It has fewer adjectives and adverbs because the goal is to convey a specific and clear message to one particular audience.

Both types of writing have merit. Both types of writing need to be part of the education experience. However, functional writing has far more practicality than creative writing, yet it is often not emphasized enough in the school curriculum.

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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How to write a narrative for functional skills english.

L1 and L2 Functional Skills English (City and Guilds) - tips on how to write a narrative and two writing tasks. (The second task is from City and Guilds.) 

Editor's note

Really useful guidance - suitable for all FS awarding bodies - with equally useful follow-up tasks.

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Functional Skills English Report Writing Task & Report Writing Formatting Template L1/L2 GCSE

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

8 February 2024

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Report Writing Task.

The learner has a report writing task to complete. They can plan and format their report correctly by using the included report writing template.

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