F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Exam Ready: Level 1 Reading Walkthrough
READING · LESSON 10 OF 10
Lesson by English
This lesson contains 19 slides, with interactive quizzes and text slides.
F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Exam Ready: Level 1 Reading Walkthrough
READING · LESSON 10 OF 10
Functional Skills English Level 1 · Reading · Lesson 10 of 10 (about 60 minutes)
Covers: revision of subject content 9 to 18, with exam technique. Speaking and listening (statements 2, 3, 6) run through the pair talk.
Before the lesson: print the handout (Sources A and B, the mini-paper and the module checklist), one per learner. The mini-paper is done on paper.
Device-free fallback: every activity works with the printed sources, mini whiteboards and hands up.
Description: Functional Skills English Level 1 Reading, lesson 10 of 10. Learners revise the whole reading module, practise exam technique and sit a timed 10-mark mini-paper that they mark themselves.
Tags: level 1 reading, exam technique, reading exam, revision, multiple choice, time management, fact and opinion, comparing texts, specialist words, reading tables, exam practice, functional skills english, further education, adult learners Image credit: Createasea / Unsplash
😄 Great – ready to go
🙂 Good
😐 Okay
😕 Not great today
😴 Tired
Wellbeing check: last lesson of the module. How are you feeling today?
Phase 0 · Wellbeing check (first 2 mins)
A quick, low-stakes check-in. Only totals show, so nobody is singled out. Say: "There's no right answer. It just helps me plan today."
Act on it: if several learners choose the last two options, ease the pace and build in a pair task early. Exam talk can raise worry: stress that today is practice. Check in privately with anyone you are concerned about, and follow your college's wellbeing and safeguarding route.
Editor note: if any emoji have not come through, re-add them in the editor.
Device-free fallback: learners show 1–5 fingers, or write a number on a sticky note face down.
The price
The date and time
How to get there
Who or what is on
If it's accessible for me or my family
You're thinking of going to a local event. What do you check first?
Phase 1 · Hook (0–4 mins)
No wrong answer. Vote, then ask two or three learners why. Everyone checks different things first, and that is exactly what reading the question first does in an exam: it tells you what to hunt for.
Device-free fallback: hands up for each option.
What we're doing today
R E A D I N G
Today you will
Why it matters
plan your time in the exam
use the marks and the question to guide you
try a timed mini-paper and mark it
You already have the reading skills.
A clear plan helps you show them, stay calm, and get every mark you deserve.
Phase 2 · Goals (4–6 mins)
Frame this as a walkthrough, not a test. Everything today uses skills from lessons 1 to 9.
The Level 1 reading assessment lasts about an hour. Learners read everyday texts (web pages, emails, leaflets) and answer multiple-choice and short written questions, with the marks shown.
Device-free fallback: read the slide aloud; learners copy the three goals.
Name a reading skill or strategy you've learned in this module.
Phase 2 · Activation: module recap (6–9 mins)
Collect as many as possible: main point, details, skim, scan, fact, opinion, inference, audience, purpose, images, specialist words, context clues, punctuation, headings, tables, comparing texts.
Probe: "Which one would help with a question about price?" (Scanning a table.)
Device-free fallback: pairs list as many as they can in 60 seconds; build a web on the board. Image credit: Jessica Pamp / Unsplash
Before you start
Read the questions first. Then you know what to look for.
Use the marks. 2 marks = two points.
Plan your time. About a minute a mark. Save 5 minutes to check.
Phase 3 · Teaching: exam plan (9–12 mins)
Say: "Reading the questions first is like checking the price before you go: you know what you're looking for."
Marks: 2 marks usually means two points. Give exactly that many; extra answers can cost a mark if one is wrong.
Time: about a minute a mark, then 5 minutes to check.
Misconception: reading every source slowly before the questions wastes time.
Device-free fallback: write the three steps on the board. Image credit: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
Multiple choice in 3 steps
R E A D I N G
1
Read the question and underline the key word.
2
Eliminate (cross out) the answers that are clearly wrong.
3
Check the last two against the text. Then choose.
Phase 3 · Teaching: multiple choice (12–15 mins)
Click to reveal each step. Eliminate means cross out. Model it on the next question you meet in the lesson.
Tip: a wrong option is often true but only a detail, or sounds likely but is not in the text.
Support: learners write A B C D in the margin and physically cross letters out.
Device-free fallback: write the steps on the board one at a time.
Quote it or say it?
R E A D I N G
Copy from the text
Use your own words
The question says find, identify or give a word.
Copy the exact words. Keep it short.
The question says explain or in your own words.
Say what the text means.
Then check: every part answered?
Phase 3 · Teaching: quote or own words? (15–17 mins)
The question word tells you what to do. "Find", "identify", "give a word" = copy. "Explain", "in your own words" = rewrite.
Misconception: copying a whole paragraph is not an answer. Copy only the words that answer the question.
Checking: reread each question and tick it off. Did you give the number of points the marks ask for?
Device-free fallback: the same, read aloud.
www.ashworthartsfestival.org.uk
SOURCE A · 1 of 2
Ashworth Arts Festival
Your town. Your festival.
Music, film and art across Ashworth this July
From Friday 17 to Sunday 19 July, Ashworth's park, library and town hall will be full of music, dance, film and art. Most events are free, and many are made by local people.
Last year, more than 4,000 people came along. "It's the best weekend of the year," says festival director Grace Okonkwo. "Everyone should come and try something new."
Last year's drumming circle
**Heading.** Short and friendly. "Your" speaks straight to local people: that's the audience.
**Strapline.** Sums up the main point: what, where and when.
**Fact or opinion?** "4,000 people" can be checked: a fact. "The best weekend" is Grace's view: an opinion.
**Image.** All ages, smiling, outdoors. What does it tell you about who the festival is for?
Phase 4 · Source A (17–21 mins)
Ask: "If a question asks for the purpose, where do you look first?" (Heading, strapline, first paragraph.) Read aloud while learners follow on the handout, then open the hotspots.
Revision links: hotspot 1 audience (statement 12), 2 main point (9), 3 fact and opinion (11), 4 image (15).
Vocabulary: a festival director runs the festival.
Device-free fallback: printed Source A; learners label the four features. Image credit: Sara Cottle / Unsplash
www.ashworthartsfestival.org.uk/whats-on
SOURCE A · 2 of 2
What's on
Event
Day and time
Where
Price
Drumming circle
Lantern workshop
Open-air film night
Choir concert
Fri 6pm
Sat 11am
Sat 8.30pm
Sun 3pm
Park bandstand
Library
Ashworth Park
Town Hall
Free
£3
Free
£5 (under-16s free)
Access for everyone
All venues are step-free, so wheelchair users can get in easily.
A British Sign Language interpreter at the choir concert
A quiet space in the library all weekend
Blue Badge parking on Mill Lane
Booking
Free events: just turn up.
Paid events: book at the library desk or online. Places are limited, so book early!
**Table.** Read across a row for one event. Read down a column to compare days or prices.
**Specialist word.** Use the clue after it: "so wheelchair users can get in easily". What must step-free mean?
**Brackets.** They add extra information. Who gets in free?
**Command and exclamation mark.** "Book early!" tells you what to do and makes it feel urgent.
Phase 4 · Source A, continued (21–24 mins)
Model reading the table: "Read across a row for one event. Read down a column to compare." Ask: "Which events cost nothing?" (Drumming circle, film night.)
Revision links: hotspot 1 tables (statement 14), 2 specialist words from context (13, 17), 3 brackets (18), 4 persuasive language (12).
Vocabulary: a bandstand is a covered stage in a park; a Blue Badge is a parking permit for disabled people.
Device-free fallback: learners use a ruler to read across each row of the printed table.
Inbox · Ashworth Arts Festival
SOURCE B · email
From: Kezia Mensah, Volunteer Coordinator · To: Festival volunteers
Subject: Your festival shift – please read
Hi everyone,
Thank you for signing up to help at the festival – we couldn't do it without you!
Please arrive 30 minutes before your shift and sign in at the volunteer tent in Ashworth Park. Remember to bring:
a refillable water bottle
comfortable shoes
your volunteer badge (we've posted it to you)
Some visitors use wheelchairs or walking aids, so keep paths clear at all times. If anyone asks for the quiet space, walk them to the library.
Can't make your shift? Text me on 07700 900482 as soon as you can.
See you there, Kezia
**Subject line.** Tells you the purpose before you even open the email.
**Bullet points.** The things to bring, quick to find and easy to check.
**Read between the lines.** Why keep paths clear? What does Kezia expect volunteers to do?
**Tone.** "Hi everyone" and "See you there" sound friendly and informal. Kezia knows her readers.
Phase 4 · Source B (24–27 mins)
Read it together. Ask: "Who is it for, and how do you know?" (Volunteers: the To line, "your shift".) "How is it different from Source A?" (Instructions for helpers, not an advert for visitors.)
Revision links: hotspot 1 purpose (statement 12), 2 layout (14), 3 inference (11), 4 tone and audience (12).
Vocabulary: a shift is a set time you work; a coordinator organises people.
Device-free fallback: printed Source B; learners underline what volunteers must do.
What is the main purpose of Source B?
To persuade people to buy festival tickets
To give volunteers key information for their shift
To thank volunteers for signing up
To complain about last year's festival
Phase 5 · Check: elimination in action (27–29 mins)
Before voting, model step 2 aloud: "D: not in the text. A: that's Source A's job, not B's. So it's B or C."
Answer: B. Most of the email gives instructions: when to arrive, what to bring, what to do.
Why C is the trap: the thank-you is true but only one line. It's a detail, not the main purpose.
Device-free fallback: learners hold up A–D cards or fingers.
Answer, using the marks as a guide
Check your answers in the last 5 minutes
Skim the sources for the gist
Read the questions first
Find the right section for each question
Put the exam steps in the best order.
Phase 5 · Check: exam routine (29–31 mins)
Correct order: read the questions → skim the sources → find the section → answer using the marks → check.
Discuss: some prefer to skim first. Fine, as long as nobody answers before reading the questions.
Device-free fallback: write the five steps on strips of paper; pairs put them in order.
Drag each card: is it in Source A, Source B, or both?
Source A only
Source B only
Both sources
Volunteers should bring comfortable shoes
The lantern workshop costs £3
There is a quiet space in the library
Under-16s get into the choir concert free
Volunteers sign in at a tent in the park
The festival uses Ashworth Park
Phase 5 · Practice: comparing texts (31–35 mins)
Learners check each card against both sources before they drag it. This is statement 10, and it is question 6 in the mini-paper.
Answers: Source A only: lantern workshop £3; under-16s free at the choir. Source B only: comfortable shoes; sign in at the tent. Both: the quiet space in the library; Ashworth Park.
Device-free fallback: read each card aloud; learners show A, B or AB on a mini whiteboard.
Mini-paper: 10 marks
minute
second
Use Sources A and B. Read all the questions first. About a minute a mark.
1. What is the main purpose of Source A? (1 mark)
2. Name two events that are free. (2 marks)
3. What does step-free mean? (1 mark)
4. Give one fact and one opinion from Source A. (2 marks)
5. Give two things volunteers must bring. (2 marks)
6. Give two things that are in both sources. (2 marks)
Starters
The purpose is to…
Step-free means…
One fact is…
One opinion is…
Both sources say…
Phase 6 · Mini-paper, exam conditions (35–47 mins)
Learners work alone and in silence, on paper, with Sources A and B. Start the 10-minute timer: 10 marks, about a minute a mark. Remind them: questions first, use the marks, check at the end.
Statements: Q1 purpose (12), Q2 table (14), Q3 specialist word (13, 17), Q4 fact and opinion (11), Q5 details (9), Q6 comparing (10).
Support: allow the starters; point to the right source for each question.
Stretch: finish early, then write a 2-mark question of your own.
Device-free fallback: the full mini-paper is on the handout.
Check your answers
R E A D I N G
1. Purpose of Source A
2. Two free events
3. Step-free
4. Fact and opinion
5. Two things to bring
6. In both sources
Accept inform or persuade.
One mark each.
Any wording with no steps or stairs.
One mark for each, labelled correctly.
Any two of the three.
Must be in both texts.
To tell people about the festival and get them to come.
The drumming circle and the open-air film night.
No steps or stairs, so wheelchair users can get in.
Fact: 4,000 people came. Opinion: "the best weekend of the year".
Any two: a water bottle, comfortable shoes, their badge.
Any two: Ashworth Park, the library quiet space, wheelchair access.
Phase 6 · Mark it (47–53 mins)
Click each yellow marker to reveal the answer. Learners mark in a different colour and add up out of 10.
Common errors: Q2 "choir concert" (only free for under-16s, so no mark unless they say so). Q3 copying "wheelchair users can get in" without saying what it means: accept "no steps or stairs", "flat or ramp access". Q4 giving two facts. Q6 giving something only one source says.
Next: ask "Which question cost you marks, and which skill would fix it?"
Device-free fallback: read the answers aloud.
You can now…
R E A D I N G
find main points, facts, opinions and hidden meanings
use layout, images, punctuation and word clues to understand a text
plan your time, use the marks and check your answers in the exam
Phase 7 · Celebrate the module (53–56 mins)
Click to bring in each tick. These three cover all ten lessons. Ask: "Which feels solid now? Which needs one more practice before the assessment?" Name it as real progress.
Device-free fallback: learners tick the module checklist on the handout, adding a question mark next to anything they want to practise. Image credit: LessonUp Studio (made for this series)
Reading the questions first
Using the marks to plan my answers
Telling fact from opinion
Working out new words
Managing my time
Before the real assessment, what will you practise most?
Phase 7 · Reflect (56–58 mins)
No right answer. Ask one or two learners how they will practise it (e.g. a timed past paper, reading a leaflet each day). Use the results to plan revision sessions.
Device-free fallback: learners write their choice and one action on an exit slip.
Take it further
R E A D I N G
Stretch: in class
Before next lesson
Write two exam questions about Source B, with the marks.
Swap with a partner. Answer and mark each other's.
Find a leaflet, letter or web page. Set a 10-minute timer and write:
its main purpose
two facts and one opinion
one feature that helped you
Take it further
Stretch is for early finishers: writing questions shows real understanding of how marks work. Check that the marks match the number of points.
Before next session needs no device. Learners bring their timed answers to the next session for a quick peer check.
Device-free fallback: this slide is already paper-based.