ASDAN is currently an Awarding Body for both Key Skills and Adult Literacy and Numeracy qualifications. ASDAN also has its own suite of qualifications and programmes, many of which offer opportunities for the teaching and learning of functional skills within existing programmes.

The value of Functional skills is in teaching learners to be able to develop and choose appropriate skills needed to solve problems, or deal with everyday situations and tasks.

Check this page first to make sure that your question has not yet been answered

1. Where can I get the standards from?
   From the QCA web site link www.qca.org.uk



2. Where can I get more information from?
   From the QCA site, the Functional skills Support Programme (FSSP) and from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCFS) web site


3. When will the assessments be?
   The next scheduled assessments are January and May 2009


4. What will the assessments be like?
   Check the heading on this page on Functional Skills Assessments with ASDAN


5. Will there be certificates for the pilot?
   Yes, the candidates will achieve a Functional skills qualification in each subject and at each level they achieve.


6. Will Functional skills be on the SCAAT tables?
   Yes according to QCA and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCFS).
   FS Equivalence Table


7. Will there be UCAS points for Functional skills?
   This is under discussion with QCA and UCAS.

As you may know, some Awarding bodies are piloting functional skills in conjunction with GCSE. Others, including ASDAN, are piloting functional skills as a stand-alone qualification. This gives our centres considerable scope to develop learners’ functional skills in programmes which they find motivating and relevant. This is a great advantage to both staff and learners, whatever type of centre you work in.

What we are piloting
ASDAN is piloting the three functional skills subjects: English, mathematics and ICT. We are also piloting all five levels in these subjects: Entry Levels 1-3 and Levels 1 and 2.

How ASDAN is assessing
We offer assessment in line with QCA guidance. The first external assessments took place early in 2008. We currently offer paper-based, and plan to offer electronically available external assessments. All our assessments are designed to test candidates’ mastery of functional skills in relevant contexts.

Assessments last between 1 and 2 hours at levels 1 and 2, with more flexibility for Entry Level assessments.

Functional Skills Asessment Model

English Assessments
There are two parts to the assessment at each level:
A speaking and listening observation activity set and marked by the centre, sampled by ASDAN.
A reading and writing task which can be done in one session, or divided into a reading task, followed by a writing task completed separately. The task-based questions at Levels 1 and 2 use source materials pre-released to centres. Assessments are set and marked by ASDAN.

Mathematics Assessments
There is one assessment at Entry level, which consist of a practical paper at E1, short written questions and a practical task at E2, and one written paper at E3. At Levels 1 and 2, there are two papers, one with short written questions and one with a longer task using pre-release source material. At Entry level, we use a combination of internal and external assessment. Level 1 and 2 assessments are externally set and marked. All assessments will last for 1-2 hours.

ICT Assessments
At Entry levels 1 and 2, there is one paper containing tasks and questions. At each of the other three levels there are two papers consisting of either tasks or a mixture of tasks and questions. Data files and/or source material are provided. Assessments are externally set and marked. All assessments will last for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

Chief Examiner Report English May 2008 episode

• Guidance for Assessors
• Speaking and Listening
• Entry 1
• Sample Assessment Record
• Sample Assessment Guidance
• Entry 2
• Sample Assessment Record
• Sample Assessment Guidance
• Entry 3
• Sample Assessment Record
• Sample Assessment Guidance
• Level 1
• Sample Assessment Record
• Sample Assessment Guidance
• Level 2
• Sample Assessment Record
• Sample Assessment Guidance

Reading and Writing
• Entry 1
• Sample Assessment Record - Reading
• Sample Assessment Guidance - Reading
• Sample Assessment Record - Writing
• Sample Assessment Guidance - Writing
• Entry 2
• Sample Assessment Guidance
• Sample Assessment Record
• Entry 3
• Sample Assessment Record
• Level 1
• Sample Assessment Record
• Sample Source Booklet
• Level 2
• Sample Assessment Record
• Sample Source Booklet

Chief Examiner Report Maths May 2008 episode

• Entry 1
• Sample Tasks
• Sample Mark Scheme
• Sample Tutor's Notes
• Entry 2
• Sample Tasks
• Sample Mark Scheme
• Sample Tutor's Notes
• Entry 3
• Sample Tasks
• Sample Mark Scheme
• Level 1
• Sample Tasks (1)
• Sample Tasks 2
• Sample Source Document
• Sample Mark Scheme
• Level 2
• Sample Tasks (1)
• Sample Tasks (2)
• Sample Source Document
• Sample Mark Scheme

Chief Examiner Report ICT May 2008 episode

• Entry 1
• Sample Task Sheet
• Sample Source Material
• Sample Supervisor Record
• Additional Instructions To Centres
• Entry 2
• Sample Task Sheet
• Sample Source Material (1)
• Sample Source Material (2)
• Sample Supervisor Record
• Additional Instructions To Centres
• Entry 3
• Sample Task Sheet (1)
• Sample Task Sheet (2)
• Sample Source Material
• Sample Supervisor Record
• Additional Instructions To Centres
• Level 1
• Sample Task Sheet 1
• Sample Task Sheet 2
• Sample Source Material (1)
• Sample Source Material (2)
• Sample Candidate Record
• Additional Instructions To Centres
• Level 2
• Sample Task Sheet 1
• Sample Task Sheet 2
• Sample Source Document
• Sample Source Material
• Sample Candidate Record
• Additional Instructions To Centres