5 Top Tips for Functional Skills

Are you looking to start a functional skills course? Not sure where to start? This article aims to prepare you for both the Maths Functional Skills and English Functional skills courses. Read Laura’s top five tips on how to get yourself ready for the functional skills level 1 & 2 exam in maths or english.

Laura Wright’s top 5 tips

1 – Know what you want to achieve

Before embarking on a task, ask yourself ‘why am I doing this?’ If you don’t know the answer to this simple question then whatever you’re doing, be it writing an email, preparing a presentation or analysing data, is going to be very difficult and possibly a waste of time! Without knowing the purpose of our actions, we are unlikely to achieve the outcomes we want. So before you put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, ask yourself ‘what is the purpose of this?’ I guarantee you will be much more focused in your approach and you may actually achieve your desired outcome.

2 – Know your audience

Consider whether what you have written or prepared is on the right track to meet your objectives; evaluate the effectiveness of the language; make changes which will provide more clarity. Have you made the point that you were intending to? Is it easy to understand? Will the recipient do what you want them to?

3 – Build in time to reflect, review and refine

Work with an apprenticeship provider who is interested in you and your business from day one, if they engage with you as a person, they are more likely to support you through the challenging points in your apprenticeship when you may lose your focus, they should be invested in you too.

4 – Don’t be afraid of numbers!

I often hear people say “I’ve never been good at maths” when in actual fact most of us are using maths in practical situations on a regular basis. What about when the alarm goes off? I bet everyone can work out if there’s time to hit the snooze button! And what about when you have to alter a recipe, multiplying or dividing amounts to suit the number of people at your table. Not to mention working out if you can afford to buy that new … (insert your preferred item here). If you can do these things, then you can do the math, as the Americans say!

5 – Live in the now

“Remember that the present is all you have. Make ‘now’ the center of your life.”
Eckhart Tolle

If you missed out on getting a GCSE or O-Level in Maths or English at grade C then our Functional Skills Level 2 courses can give you the qualifications needed for that next job requirement. Find out more about our Pearson Edexcel Functional Skills courses.

Accredited Apprenticeships at Whyy? Change

At Whyy? Change we also offer a wide range of apprenticeships such as; Leadership, Quality HSE, Marketing and Lean & Six Sigma. To be eligible for an apprenticeship a Functional Skills Level 2 in Maths and English is required. At Whyy? Change we are able to deliver the Level 2 qualification alongside your apprenticeship, so there’s no need to worry!