Functional Skills English Level 2 – GCSE Equivalent

Exam slots are available 24*7 from Monday to Sunday. If you are in a rush and would like to book your exam sooner, then you can book your remote online exam within 3 working days for Open Awards, 1 working day of enrolment for NCFE, 2 working days of enrolment for TQUK and within 7 working days for Pearson Edexcel.

Please note the exam price advertised on the website for the Open Awards remote invigilation exam is applicable for weekdays (Monday to Friday between 9 am to 5 pm). If you would like to book the Open Awards remote invigilation exam at the weekend then there is an additional £25+Vat applicable.

You can decide on the exam date and place according to your convenience.

*Offline examinations will be held at our Swindon and London centres. Please get in touch with us for more information.

TQUK Exam Result Release Notice

Please be advised that exams sat between the following dates will not receive results within the usual 6 working days time period. The result release dates are as follows:

• Exams sat between 04/11/2024 – 08/12/2024: Result release date – 09/12/2024
• Exams sat between 17/02/2025 – 23/03/2025: Result release date – 24/03/2025
• Exams sat between 02/06/2025 – 06/07/2025: Result release date – 07/07/2025
• Exams sat between 29/09/2025 – 02/11/2025: Result release date – 03/11/2025

Attend Live Microsoft Teams class twice a week. Please find the class schedules below.

Class Schedule-Functional Skills English Level 2

Class Schedule-Functional Skills English Level 2 (Revision Class)

• NCFE, TQUK, Pearson Edexcel and Open Awards are OFQUAL-regulated and nationally recognised; however, the only difference lies in the exam booking and result turn-around time.
• You can book your remote online exam within 2 working days of enrolment for NCFE, within 7 working days for Pearson Edexcel, 2 working days of enrolment for TQUK and within 3 working days for Open Awards.
• You can get your NCFE results in 7 days, your Edexcel results in 20 working days, your TQUK  results in 6 working days and your Open Awards results within 16 working days.
• Universities and apprenticeships accept all of the awarding bodies. This distinction allows learners to choose the awarding body that aligns best with their educational and career goals.

Unit 1: Speaking and Listening
The speaking and listening section entails comprehensive learning and activities, including presenting and narrating skills, argument presentation techniques, and more.

Unit 2: Reading
Learn to read a text with the help of scanning, skimming, and detailed reading. Also, learn how to find organisational features’ purpose from the text.

Unit 3: Writing
The writing part will cover English grammar, including punctuation, spelling, syntax, etc., enabling you to avoid all the writing errors and mistakes.

This Level 2 Functional Skills English course will help you build a solid foundation in English. Throughout the course, it will provide you with various learning materials and activities to enhance your understanding of these subjects.

• Initial Assessment: To identify the current level of a student’s abilities and recommend the appropriate course to enrol in upon completion.
• Diagnostic Assessment: Identifies skill gaps and produces an individual learning plan
• Learning Resources: Comprehensive video tutorials, practice quizzes & topic-based tests
• Progress Tracker: To record your progress in the course
• Free Mock Test: Access our free mock test facility for professional feedback and to prepare for the final exam.

This level 2 English qualification is available to:

• All students of all academic backgrounds
• No experience or previous qualifications are required.
• However, you will require a laptop/desktop computer (ChromeBook is not allowed for the exam) and a good internet connection.

NCFE Online Remote Exam System Requirements

To sit your assessment, you’ll need:

• a laptop/desktop with webcam and microphone; you can’t sit the assessment on a tablet or smartphone
• a good Wi-Fi connection – recommended minimum 1Mbit/s upload, minimum 10Mbit/s download
• a smartphone or tablet (Apple iOS 8.0 / Android 4.1 or higher) – this will be used to record you taking the assessment
• a suitable environment – a quiet room with no distractions

Pearson Edexcel Online Remote Exam System Requirements

Hardware Requirements:

• Windows 7 SP1 or greater
• Dual Core Processor
• Minimum 10GB hard disk space
• RAM 512mb
• Strong stable internet connection
• Minimum screen resolution of 1024×768
• Windows Media Player version 11 or above
• A working webcam on the desktop or laptop being used to take the test.
• Working microphone and speakers on the desktop or laptop being used to take the test. (Note: headphones are not permitted)
• A smart device with the ability to add the required App – Android 5.1 or higher and iOS (Apple) 10.0 or higher with a working camera (Note: Huawei P30, Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016), Google Pixel 3 and newer are not compatible with the App.)

Browser Requirements:

• Google Chrome 85 or higher – with the ability to add a Chrome Extension to allow for screenshare.

Open Awards Online Remote Exam System Requirements

IT System Requirements:

Supported Browsers:

• Chrome: 88.0.4324 or above
• Microsoft Edge: Version 95.0.1020.44 or newer
• Firefox: 94.0 or above
• Safari: 15.0 or above

Please note that Chromebook is not compatible. Safe Exam Browser is not used for remote invigilation.

Browser Settings:

• Popups must be enabled

Hardware Requirements:

• Laptop/PC with minimum 14” screen and 1024×768 resolution
• Webcam
• Stable internet connection (minimum 3mbps download speed)

Please be Ready with the Following on your exam day:

• Government-issued photo ID (passport, driving licence, or college ID)
• Mirror or mobile device with Microsoft Teams installed
• Quiet, secure room with no notes, books, or distractions
• Blank paper (both sides) for working out – must be destroyed on camera after the exam

TQUK Online Remote Exam System Requirements

Secure Browser Installation

You must download and install the TQUK Secure Browser at least 1 day before your exam. This is essential for launching and taking the exam. Please follow the instructions for your operating system:

To Download Secure Browser For The TQUK Online Exam Click here

Pre-Exam Checklist

Hardware Requirements:

• A laptop or PC (Windows 10 or higher) or Apple Mac (please note smartphones, tablets (iOS & Android), Windows 7 & 8, and machines using unsupported operating systems are not compatible with the secure examination platform)
• A stable internet connection with at least 3 Mbps download speed.
• A webcam to verify your identity and monitor you throughout the exam.
• Audio: Ensure the audio settings are correct for communication with the invigilator. ((Note: headphones are not permitted)

Browser Requirements:

• Ensure pop-up blockers are disabled to allow the secure browser to launch.

Other Requirements:

• Keep charging cables plugged in throughout the exam to prevent your device from losing power.
• Avoid distractions: Disable notifications and ensure the room is free from background noise.

Please be Ready with the Following on your exam day:

• Government-issued photo ID (passport, driving licence, or college ID)
• Quiet, secure room with no notes, books, or distractions
• Quiet, secure room with no notes, books, or distractions

Blank paper (both sides) for working out – must be destroyed on camera after the exam

The Functional Skills NCFE, Pearson Edexcel, TQUK  and Open Awards Qualification in English at Level 2 consist of 3 exams. These are Reading, Writing and Speaking, Listening and Communicating.

SLC Exam Pearson Edexcel / NCFE: Speaking, listening and communicating will asses through one 5-minute presentation and linked question and answer session in groups of three to five. Also, one 15-minute formal discussion together in groups of three to five learners is included. This exam happens via Microsoft Teams.

SLC Exam Open Awards/ TQUK: Speaking, listening and communicating happen through one 10-minute presentation and linked question and answer session in groups of three to four. Also, one 10-minute formal discussion together in groups of three to five learners is included. This exam will be on Microsoft Teams.

Reading is evalute through a test consisting of multiple-choice, short open-response and medium open-response questions.

Reading/Writing Exam Pass Mark: Learners should achieve the overall marks mentioned in the table to pass the reading exam. However, the awarding process will determine specifically where the pass mark sits for each assessment version. Therefore, the pass mark may vary between assessments.