Functional Skills - Example Papers
There a many different awarding bodies that offer the Functional Skills qualification. The structure and format of the assessment can differ greatly from one to the next. Please find below a description of each and link(s) to example papers.
Pearson Edexcel
Pearson Functional Skills are qualifications in English, Mathematics and Digital that are available in England only from Entry 1 to Level 2. Suitable for learners of all ages, they’re also an accepted part of all Apprenticeship standards in England.
Pearson offer Functional Skills examinations at all five levels. Download details of their Entry Level specifications here and download their Level 1 & Level 2 specifications here.
At each of the five levels, there are two papers in each examination - Paper A) a non-calculator paper and Paper B) a calculator paper. Each cover the entire breadth of content at that level. Please find links to sample papers by level below.
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 2
AQA
AQA Functional Skills English (8720, 8725), and Functional Skills Mathematics (8361, 8362) qualifications will be coming to an end. The last cohort for first teaching will be September 2024. The final certification for will be in summer 2025, and there will be no resit opportunity.
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 1
City & Guilds
City & Guilds Functional Skills are qualifications in English, Mathematics and Digital that are available in England only from Entry 1 to Level 2. Suitable for learners of all ages, they’re also an accepted part of all Apprenticeship standards in England.
City & Guilds offer Functional Skills examinations at all five levels. Download details of their Entry Level specifications here and download their Level 1 & Level 2 specifications here.
At each of the five levels, there are two papers in each examination - paper 1) a non-calculator paper and paper 2) a calculator paper. Each cover the entire breadth of content at that level. Please find links to sample papers by level below. Each sample set contains both papers.
Level 2
NCFE
NCFE is an educational charity and leader in vocational and technical learning dedicated to powering a smarter education eco-system. It is one of the largest technical and vocational awarding organisations in the UK, we certificate hundreds of thousands of learners each year. Below is a link to their supporting material by Functional Skill Level.