A pass in any of the three Functional Skills areas at level 2 is worth 23 points or half a GCSE A*-C. Pass all three and that's 1- passes. And for schools they count towards league table positions.
So do Functional Skills represent a real opportunity for success with borderline learners?
At the heart of the issue is the fact that Functional Skills qualifications are very different from GCSEs in the same subjects. Because Functional Skills are all based on practical situations, students need to think for themselves, analyse unfamiliar problems and communicate solutions. "Teaching to the test" looks to be out, and will undoubtedly be replaced with the need for lots of practice based on real life scenarios and situations.
A key problem facing schools and colleges is that student-focused resources are scarce with the major exam boards and Government bodies focusing most of their efforts on producing teacher resources. A Google search reveals that the most engaging student resources are coming from new companies in the market such as Guroo.
Displaying some real forward thinking, Guroo have even produced a Bluffers Guide to Functional Skills on their website:
www.guroo.info/functional-skills-info/
