Functional skills - maths

Overview

This course is for anyone who wants to improve their career prospects, gain access to further education, or to support their family with their maths skills. This course is also ideal for anyone simply wanting to improve their maths skills for personal reasons.

This course will teach you about the Maths you may encounter in your everyday life, including understanding numbers, calculating, time, shape and space and using data.

Our classes are small and welcoming, you will work with others and on your own through a combination of whole class teaching and individual work in breakout rooms using zoom.  You will be taught by supportive and friendly tutors who provide lots of practical help and guidance. Courses are available online during the daytime or in evenings, so you can fit study around your own requirements

Entry requirements

If you have not yet achieved a level 2 Functional Skills qualification in Maths, or a grade 4 at GCSE, you can enrol on this course. You will first need to meet with one of our friendly team and they will ask you to do a skills check to make sure that this is the right course for you. To make an appointment with our team please contact your local Learn Devon centre.

Assessment criteria

You will take an assessment at the end of the course. Even though the course is online, these assessments are taken in exam conditions at your nearest Learn Devon centre. The assessment contains two papers, which are taken on the same day, one after the other with a short break in between (if needed). For the first paper you are not allowed to use a calculator but you can for the second.

What do I need?

You will need a pen, pencil and a notebook, as well as the items listed in the equipment list below. Squared paper can be really useful to organise your work.

You will need a calculator for this course, we recommend the Casio fx-93GT PLUS but anything similar will work just as well. You will also need a simple geometry set containing a protractor, as well as a 30cm ruler. Talk to your tutor about any books that they would recommend to help you on this course.

What can I do next?

Learners who successfully complete this course may wish to go on to undertake the next level up (i.e. a learner who achieves a level 1 qualification may wish to progress to a level 2). Once a level 2 has been achieved, you may wish to progress to a GCSE maths course. Some employers and colleges/universities will accept applicants with a Level 2 Functional Skills qualification instead of a GCSE.