Level 2 Functional Skills English
Speaking, listening and communication assessment guidelines
Level 2 Speaking, listening and communication consists of two activities.
Activity 1 - Discussion
The candidate will need to have one discussion as part of a group.
The discussion should be based on an unfamiliar topic.
Candidates will need to demonstrate the following skills in the discussion:
consideri
ng complex information
giving a relev
ant cogent response in appropriate
lang
uage
adapting contributions in discussions to suit audience, purpose and
situation
making
significant contributions to discussion, taking a range of
roles
helping to move discussion forward.
Candidates should be informed that their contribution to the discussion is to be assessed and
be made aware of the assessment criteria.
Activity 2 - Presentation
The candidate will need to prepare a short talk or presentation on a familiar topic.
Candidate
s will need to demonstrate the following skills in their presentation:
presenting inform
ation and ideas clearly
presenting information and ideas persuasively to othe
rs.
Candidates should be informed that their presentation is to be assessed and be made aware
of the assessment criteria.
The candidate should be informed that they might also like to:
intr
oduce the topic
present information and ideas
Functional Skills English Level 2 – Speaking, listening and communication
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give their own point of view
make conclusions/recommendations.
Guidance for assessors
Assessment must be carried out by an appropriate member of staff and should be
supervised by appropriate staff within the centre.
You must choose topics of discussion and presentation that reflect real life as much as
possible and are of interest to the candidate.
The discussion could be with peers, staff members or other suitable people.
You need to be familiar with the topic that is being discussed in Activity 1 and inform
the candidate before the assessment of the chosen unfamiliar topic. The candidate
should be informed of the unfamiliar topic in the session that takes place before the
assessment session, or a week before hand, whichever is the greater.
The assessor is not expected to take part in the discussion at this level.
Indicate clearly the end of the discussion.
You must also be aware of the candidate’s familiar topic for their presentation in
Activity 2.
For the discussions and presentation at level 2, the size of the group should be three
or more people (including the presenter). The group will typically consist of peers,
staff members or other suitable people. The assessor is not expected to take part in
the discussions or presentations at level 2 and therefore, is not counted as one of the
minimum three people. The word ‘unfamiliar’ in the FS English Speaking listening and
communication standards refers to the topic of the discussion, not the group
members.
Examples of assessment evidence
Details of the candidate’s performance must be recorded on the Level 2 Assessment
record sheets. Centres must use the Assessment record sheets provided by City and
Guilds.
Two assessment record sheets fully and accurately completed are required at this
level.
The tick boxes should be completed where the assessment criteria have been
demonstrated. The recorded comments should address the candidate’s performance
as a whole, and need not address each assessment criterion individually. However,
Functional Skills English Level 2 – Speaking, listening and communication
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when making overall comments it is important that the assessment criteria are not
merely repeated, as comments should show HOW the candidate met the criteria.
Additional notes or observations are optional.
Candidate performance
The candidate must meet all the criteria for the discussion and presentation to prove
competence.
Definitions
Familiar topic: topics that will be recognisable to the candidate and of which they will have
prior knowledge.
Unfamiliar topic: topics requiring use by the candidate of new information, ideas or
opinions.
Group: In this context a group is defined as three or more people.
Suggested topics for the Activity 1 – Discussion:
climate change
credit crunch
swine flu.
Suggested topics for Activity 2 – Presentation:
holiday destination
healthy diet
popular tourist attractions in your area.
Timing of assessments
It is suggested that 5-10 minutes be allowed for the discussion in Activity 1.
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In order that the criteria can be demonstrated by any one individual, within a group
situation, the timing of the discussion may vary according to the size of the group.
It is suggested that 3-10 minutes be allowed for the presentation in Activity 2.
The combined total for both activities must not exceed 30 minutes.
Preparation time for discussions may occur outside of teaching time.
Additional access and inclusion guidance
Additional guidance on access and inclusion for functional skills speaking, listening
and communication
Speaking, listening and communication within Functional Skills qualifications are defined as
non-written communication, normally conducted face-to-face.
In exceptional circumstances, assessment may take place remotely, provided that the
medium through which remote assessment takes place:
does not create barriers to achievement and success
enables candidates to demonstrate achievement against the full range of standards
using the full range of permitted strategies, and
meets the security requirements specified in criterion 58f of 'The statutory regulation of
external qualifications' (QCA/04/1293).
The term 'speaking, listening and communication', as used by these standards, is intended to
be interpreted in a broadly inclusive way and is not intended to create any unnecessary
barriers to candidates with speech or hearing impairment.
The needs of individual candidates will vary but, as guidance, the term should be interpreted
as meaning communication, discussion and presentation that:
can include use of sign language (eg British Sign Language, sign-supported English)
provided this is made accessible to all participants in the discussion. (It is recognised
that BSL is a language in its own right and not a form of English. BSL is, however,
permitted as an alternative to English for the assessment of speaking, listening and
communication where BSL is the candidate's normal way of communicating in the
contexts described by the standards). No other languages are permitted as alternatives
to English;
can include access to augmentative speech equipment and such software as constitutes
the candidate's normal way of working;
does not depend solely on the use of written language or require the individual/s with
whom the candidate is communicating to be able to read (as these skills are covered by
the requirements for reading and writing.
cent
Functional Skills English Level 2 – Speaking, listening and
communication assessment record sheet 1
Formal Informal Unfamiliar Familiar
Unfamiliar topic of discussion
_____________________________________________________
A tick in the box indicates that the assessor has confirmed that the candidate has adequately
demonstrated the criterion. The assessor should write down some examples that the
candidate has used to demonstrate the skills.
Candidate name: Centre name:
Confirm that the candidate: Tick box Overall comments:
2.1.1
Considered complex
information and gave a relevant
cogent response in appropriate
language
2.1.2
Presented information and ideas
clearly to others
2.1.2
Presented information and ideas
persuasively (eg use of
supporting statements,
evidence, etc)
Functional Skills English Level 2 – Speaking, listening and communication
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2.1.3
Adapted contributions to suit
audience, purpose and situation
2.1.4
Made significant contributions
to discussions, helping to move
discussion forward
2.1.4
Took on a range of roles
Candidate has
demonstrated competence
Candidate has not yet
demonstrated competence
Assessor name
Signature Date marked
Internal verifier (if sampled) Signature Date marked
External verifier (if sampled) Signature Date marked
click to sign
signature
click to edit
click to sign
signature
click to edit
click to sign
signature
click to edit
Functional Skills English Level 2 – Speaking, listening and communication
7
Functional Skills English Level 2 Speaking, listening and
communication assessment record sheet 1-Presentation
Formal Informal Unfamiliar Familiar
Familiar topic of presentation _____________________________________________________
A tick in the box indicates that the assessor has confirmed that the candidate has adequately
demonstrated the criterion. The assessor should write down some examples that the
candidate has used to demonstrate the skills.
Candidate name: Centre name:
Confirm that the candidate: Tick box Overall comments:
2.1.2
Presents information and ideas
clearly to others
2.1.2
Presents information and ideas
persuasively (eg use of supporting
statements, evidence, etc)
2.1.3
Adapts contributions to suit
audience, purpose & situation
Functional Skills English Level 2 – Speaking, listening and communication
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Candidate has demonstrated
competence
Candidate has not yet
demonstrated competence
Assessor name
Signature Date marked
Internal verifier (if sampled)
Signature Date marked
External verifier (if sampled)
Signature Date marked
click to sign
signature
click to edit
click to sign
signature
click to edit
click to sign
signature
click to edit