Functional Skills English - Reading Sample

Functional SkillsEnglish - ReadingLevel 2 - SampleFill in your name, date of birth and registration number in the boxes below.Other Names:Gateway Qualifications registration number:DOB:eSurname:Centre Name:Signature:Time: 1 hourTotal Marks:30Marks Awarded:/30mPaper Ref:FSRL2SA/PplMy signature confirms that I will not discuss the content of this assessment with anyone.You must have:A pen with black or blue ink.Instruction Marks Read the texts and answer each question carefully.Answer all questions.InformationThe total mark for this paper is 30.The marks for each question are shown in brackets – use this as a guide tohow much time to spend on each question.You may use a dictionary or bilingual dictionary.You do not need to write in full sentences. You will not be assessed on spelling,punctuation and grammar.Sa Functional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 1 of 14

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Functional Skills Level 2 ReadingContextYou hear on the news about the shortage of people with foreign language skills in the UKand decide to find out more about learning languages.Read Text A, Text B and Text C and answer the questions.SampleYou do not need to write any of your answers in complete sentences, but you mustcommunicate the required information in a way that can be clearly understood.Functional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 3 of 14

Text A - BlogLearning AnotherLanguageI am Malaysian Chinese. Although my parents can speak Mandarin and Cantonese,English is primarily spoken at home. I can understand some Cantonese but can'texactly speak it. I attended Chinese school every Saturday for a few years, but I tookit for granted and didn’t try very hard.pleHowever, when I visited Beijing at the age of 14, I saw the importance of Chinese. Istayed with my Singaporean relatives, who lived there. I discovered that there aremany foreigners in Beijing who hold high positions in companies, and my relativesreally showed me the importance of knowing the language. Last year, I visitedSwitzerland and I was astonished to observe that there were both Chinese assistantsand Swiss workers who could speak Mandarin in high-end luxury shops due to thehigh demands of Chinese customers. Languages can ultimately open upopportunities, especially for careers.mIn my opinion, today, learning a language isn't stressed enough, and isn't enforced ata young age, which is arguably the best time to start learning a language. When Iwas a kid, I wasn't inspired to learn another language because I simply thought itwasn’t important. I thought, "Well, if I live in England, all I need to know is English,right?"But when you travel to a foreign country, how can you get around? If you put a littlebit of effort into learning phrases, locals will appreciate it. You can interact withpeople more freely, make new friends, and have more fun!SaCurrently, I'm learning French in school. I love learning it -- some aspects of it aresimilar to English, and not to mention it sounds lovely. I'm lucky to have a brilliantFrench tutor; we talk as much as possible in French. I hope that in the future when Itravel to France, I can put my French to use.Fundamentally, if we study a language, it gives us the ability to have a differentperspective and context so we can understand different beliefs and see beyondstereotypes. This way we can break the barriers of cultural insensitivity and buildstronger relationships internationally.All those years of Chinese school wasted, my Mandarin is very primitive. By the timeI discovered the importance of the language, it was a little too late to master it atschool. However, I plan to study the language sometime in the future and hopefullybecome more fluent. Anyone can learn a language, no matter how young or old youare.Adapted from ng-another-language b 5464392.htmlFunctional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 4 of 14

Text B – ArticleIn-house language skills win clientseThree-quarters of British adults can’t speak a foreign languagecompetently. But the benefits of being able to communicate with overseasclients, suppliers and buyers are huge and the costs of not havinglanguage skills are enormous. It appears that the UK economy is alreadylosing around 50bn a year in lost contracts because of lack of languageskills in the workforce.mplBy offering language skills, small and medium sized businesses could findtheir business growing. One solicitor’s firm has always welcomedbilingual employees – its staff includes French, German, Mandarin,Russian and Japanese speakers. So it was well-placed to respond when itwas approached by Polish charities seeking help for clients who hadsuffered personal injuries.SaNot only do employees with language skills have better communicationskills: knowing a language also means understanding a culture. The factthat employees are multilingual can have a direct impact on a company’ssuccess with winning international work. An account manager at a largebank and a native Turkish speaker works very closely with one of thefirm’s Turkish clients. “I visit Turkey a lot,” she says. “So I’m able tounderstand their challenges, and their way of working, and how thesemight translate into English.”Help employees to learnSo how do you get employees up to speed? There’s a multitude of waysthat they can access training. This includes online providers which offer avariety of e-learning methods, including live online tutoring as well ascollege and evening courses.Functional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 5 of 14

However, fluency doesn’t just come from courses. Learning a language ishard work, so the motivation and desire to undertake a language coursereally needs to come from the individual. “eA translation services company encourages staff to practice with oneanother. “We do offer language courses but nothing beats actually usingthe language in your day job.”mplAs for which languages you should invest in, it depends on where youwant to go. For the translation company, the languages most in demandare German, French, Arabic, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, with Arabicand Mandarin being the big growers. All feature in the BritishCouncil Languages for the Future report’s list of ten languages that will beof “crucial importance” for UK future prosperity – the others beingJapanese, Turkish, Portuguese, Russian and Italian.SaBut it’s important to remember that even if you’re not fluent, a few wordscan go a long way. It seems that people appreciate the effort more thanthe accuracy. If your language skills aren’t great, there’s no point in tryingto fake it. But it’s always good to try.Adapted from l Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 6 of 14

Text CInternational Language CollegeStart learning a language today - Forbusiness for travel, for pleasure!Evening language classes atInternational House London aredynamic and interactive. Your teacherspeaks in the language being taughtand uses teaching aids to help youunderstand.Sa mpleOnly International Language Collegeoffers language courses at all levels, in Which Language?a range of languages for individuals andbusinessesThe next important decision is tochoose which language is the one for Evening, weekend and privateyou. We offer a wide range includinglanguage courses in central London.many valued by employers. Whether Business language training courses can you learn a language for a specificbe delivered in your company or at ourreason or out of interest, learning anyschool. We can create businessforeign language will lead to long-termlanguage training to improvesuccess and open up new avenuesemployees’ skills and increase revenue. before you.We help businesses develop amulticultural approach to workWe offer the following languages ateffectively with clients, colleagues andall levels:partners from different culturalbackgrounds. ArabicFunctional Skills Reading Level 2 - Sample anSpanishPage 7 of 14

J.D. Managing Director Our evening and day timelanguage courses are split intoability levels from completebeginner through to advanced.Each language level is dividedinto four six-weekmodules designed to followsmoothly on from each other.Our language modules allowyou to take language learningas far as you want to - from asingle 6 week course to asmany modules in a level as youneed. pl“We needed language training for oursenior staff so they could take advantageof international business opportunities.International Language College providedthe best flexible training solution for staff tofit with their busy work schedule. What wasreally good was the way the coursescombined cultural aspects with workrelated language. International LanguageCollege provided exactly what we needed.”Which course?Flexible language courseseRead what our clients say about us:m“I work in banking and thought a languagewould really help me find a moreinteresting job. Everybody told me thatInternational Language College was thebest so I signed up for evening classes inSpanish. I can now put Spanish on my CVand maybe even work abroad!”SaS.P. banking administratorAll our courses offer a great chance tolearn quickly, at unbeatable prices andwith the best teachers. They areperfect preparation for a holidayabroad or for long-term learning.Join us at one of our FREE taster classes to see if a language course is for you!Find out more from our website www.ILC.co.uk or call one of our language adviserson 0123 887788Functional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 8 of 14

QuestionsMarkerUse Only1.Tick the correct box. According to the writer in Text A, she believes that:it is best to learn a language in high schoola)it helps to learn a language at weekendsb)you can easily learn a language at homec)it is best to start learning a language when you are youngWhat did the writer of Text A learn about languages only when she wentabroad?pl2.e(1 mark)What does the writer of Text A regret and how does she plan to changethis?Sa3.m(1 mark)4.(2 marks)According to Text B, why should businesses be worried about employees’poor language skills in this country?(1 mark)Functional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 9 of 14

MarkerUse Only5.Explain why the writer of Text B thinks just going on a course is not enoughto learn a language. Give two details.6.e(2 marks)Tick two correct boxes. The main purposes of Text C is ormc)pla)7.m(2 marks)Text C uses different features of language and layout to convey informationclearly and effectively. Identify two of these features and for each, statehow the feature helps the reader make sense of the text.Feature:SaHow it helps the reader:Feature:How it helps the reader:(4 marks)Functional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 10 of 14

Your friend thinks knowing English is enough. Use the views and evidencefrom Text A and Text B to convince your friend of the benefits to him oflearning another language.MarkerUse Onlyple8.(6 marks)Your friend wants to know about the importance of language skills forbusiness. Use information from Text B and Text C to explain to your friendwhy languages are important for business.Sam9.(4 marks)10. Explain how Text C tries to persuade the reader that International LanguageCollege is a great place to learn languages. Give examples from the text tosupport your answer(4 marks)Functional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 11 of 14

11. You are preparing a presentation about the importance of language skills forthe economy. Which Text (A, B or C) is most useful for yourpresentation? Give a reason for your choice and one example of theinformation you will use that supports your choice.MarkerUse OnlyText:eReason for choice:plExample:Sam(3 marks)Functional Skills Reading Level 2 - SamplePage 12 of 14