AQA 5994 5995 5996 w SP

1 Introduction 1 Introduction The Entry Level Certificate in Adult Literacy is aimed at establishing and consolidating the underpinning technical skills required to enable adults to com

Entry Level Certificate

Specification

Adult Literacy

5994, 5995, 5996

Our specification is published every year on our website (http://www.aqa.org.uk) We will let centres know in writing about any changes to the specification We will also publish changes on our website The definitive version

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Contents

4d Prior Level of Attainment and Recommended Prior Learning 14

D Miscellaneous words from social sight vocabulary 19

E Important words in learning to read (from the Dolch list) 19

1 Introduction

1 Introduction

The Entry Level Certificate in Adult Literacy is aimed at establishing and consolidating the underpinning

technical skills required to enable adults to communicate effectively and with confidence

The Entry Level Certificate provides a grounding in the essential skills of grammar, punctuation and spelling within the practical application of contextualised, adult-friendly themed tasks The Certificate is particularly useful to learners with literacy difficulties, particularly dyslexia The qualification offers skills on a word level basis and provides learners with the skills to decode words and to develop good spelling strategies using phonic and graphic knowledge

The Certificate offers coherent and consistent development across Entry Level Speaking and Listening,

Reading and Writing and progresses on to Level 1 and Level 2 Functional Skills in English Summative

assessment in this award covers the range of skills required by adults to participate in community life and to gain transferable skills to use in all facets of work, leisure and family life

A main strength of this specification is the flexibility of assessment Test papers and certification are available throughout the year and are available when learners are ready to be tested

We are proud to be one of the United Kingdom’s largest awarding bodies with 3.5 million learners sitting their examinations with us in any given year

As an independent registered educational charity, we invest all our income in the running of our examinations and in research and development to improve our qualifications and services We focus on promoting education for the benefit of the public, drawing on years of experience of setting and marking public exams We don’t aim

to profit from education, we want you to

We are committed to delivering a straightforward and simple teaching experience, in a manageable timescale

Why choose AQA’s Entry Level Qualifications?

We work closely with teachers to make sure the introduction of a new qualification is straightforward, providing free resources to help them get ready to teach, and ongoing support throughout the life of the qualifications We refine and develop qualifications which

• can help learners to achieve their full potential

• are relevant to today’s challenges

• are manageable for schools and colleges

• facilitate progression

• are affordable and value for money

Other benefits of choosing our qualifications include

• access to subject departments

• training for teachers, including practical teaching strategies and methods, presented by senior examiners

• 24 hour support through our website and Ask AQA – an on-line searchable bank of frequently asked questions

• a wide range of printed and electronic resources

We are an educational charity focused on the needs of the learner All our income is spent on improving the quality of our specifications, examinations and support services

If you are already a customer we thank you for your support If you are thinking of joining us we look forward

to welcoming you

1b Why choose Entry Level Adult Literacy?

The Entry Level Certificate in Adult Literacy is tailor-made to meet the specific learning requirements of adult learners As the award has emphasis on establishing literacy skills from a word and sentence focus approach, skills gaps identified within individual learners can be targeted and addressed for a more effective learning outcome The award is aimed specifically at adults and has been written to reflect when, where and how learning takes place by creating familiar scenarios in order to build confidence in the learner and to enable the transfer of acquired skills in real-life situations

The Entry Level Certificate provides a comprehensive and thorough grounding in literacy skills to enable learners to feel confident in their understanding and practical application of basic grammar, punctuation and spelling The acquisition of these basic skills is an essential stepping stone towards achieving the more complex demands of functional skills courses

One of the main strengths of this specification is the flexibility of assessment Test papers and certification are available throughout the year, on-demand, and are available when learners are ready to be tested The current Entry Level Certificate in Adult Literacy has been a popular award with teachers and learners as

it provides comprehensive cover of the skills needed by adults in an easily accessed format The Entry Level Certificate provides a flexible approach to assessment and this means that it can be taken when teacher and learner agree that it is the appropriate time The new specification provides continuity with the current specification and maintains the skills focus whilst incorporating real-life situations representative of the variety of environments in which adults learn

Although any AQA registered centre can offer this popular qualification, its use has been very effective in assessing learners’ progress on literacy courses currently available in

• Adult Education Colleges

• Special schools and Pupil Referral Units

• Young Offenders’ Institutions

• Further Education Colleges and

• Mainstream schools

1c How do I start using this specification?

• You must register as a centre with AQA before entering learners for these on-demand tests

• You can hold tests on a date convenient to you, provided that test papers are ordered at least four weeks

1d How can I find out more?

You can choose to find out more about this specification or the services that AQA offer in a

number of ways

Ask AQA

You have 24-hour access to useful information and answers to the most commonly asked questions at

www.aqa.org.uk/askaqa.php

If the answer to your question is not available, you can submit a query through Ask AQA for our team

We will respond within 2 working days

Speak to your subject team

You can talk directly to the ELC Adult Literacy subject team about this specification either by emailing

ondemand2@aqa.org.uk or by calling 01483 477837, 01483 477843, 01483 556100 or 01483 556101

Latest information online

You can find out more including the latest news, how to register for support and downloadable resources on our website at www.aqa.org.uk

2 Specification at a Glance

2 Specification at a Glance

Entry 1 : Adult Literacy (Code 5994)

Scheme of Assessment

The Scheme of Assessment for

Entry 1 comprises two papers

They assess the National

standards for adult literacy

Assessment will comprise written

papers and speaking exercises

based on the subject content

for Entry 1

Assessment Structure Paper 1 - Speaking and Listening 40% of total marks

Part B - Listening (externally-assessed written paper) 20 minutes

Paper 2 - Reading and Writing 60% of total marks

(externally-assessed written paper) 1 hour

Entry 2 : Adult Literacy (Code 5995)

Scheme of Assessment

The Scheme of Assessment for

Entry 2 comprises two papers

They assess the National

standards for adult literacy

Assessment will comprise written

papers and speaking exercises

based on the subject content

for Entry 2

Assessment Structure Paper 1 - Speaking and Listening 40% of total marks

Part B - Listening (externally-assessed written paper) 25 minutes

Paper 2 - Reading and Writing 60% of total marks

(externally-assessed written paper) 1 hour

Entry 3 : Adult Literacy (Code 5996)

Scheme of Assessment

The Scheme of Assessment for

Entry 3 comprises two papers

They assess the National

standards for adult literacy

Assessment will comprise written

papers and speaking exercises

based on the subject content

for Entry 3

Assessment Structure Paper 1 - Speaking and Listening 40% of total marks

Part B - Listening (externally-assessed written paper) 30 minutes

Paper 2 - Reading and Writing 60% of total marks

(externally-assessed written paper) 1 hour

3 Subject Content

The delivery of subject content can be facilitated using a variety of methods and contexts Learning in

practical situations should be encouraged; in particular opportunities for group work (eg role-play) and

individual work outside the classroom can be explored

However, each adult is different and in real life contexts and situations the range of skills required may vary

It is recognised that not all of these examples will be relevant to each individual’s experience, interests and aspirations For this important reason, the guidance and examples given should not be seen as definitive or prescriptive of how, when or where skills should be developed, practised or applied

It is suggested that 40-50 guided learning hours should be provided for Entry 1 and 50-60 guided learning hours for Entry 2 and Entry 3

More detailed information on the coverage and range of the Adult Literacy Core Curriculum can be found on the Excellence Gateway website

3a Rationale

This specification has been designed to build on work undertaken at school, college or work-based training, for use by adult learners The specification has been developed with reference to the National standards for adult literacy It is designed to record learners’ achievement at each of the three levels The on-demand nature of the tests allows recognition of achievement at a time that is appropriate to learners

The skills of spoken communication, reading and writing play a fundamental part in adult life Effective

communication skills support independent living and broaden the choices and opportunities available to

3b Skills Standards and Coverage

Entry 1

Skills

standards Coverage and Range

Assessment weighting

Listen and

respond

• listen for the gist of short explanations

• listen for detail using key words to extract some specific information

• follow single-step instructions in a familiar context, asking for instructions to be repeated if necessary – practise listening to single-step instructions – how to: turn on a PC, photocopy a paper, call the lift, etc Learners demonstrate their understanding by carrying out the task

• listen and respond to requests for personal information

10%

Speak to

communicate

• speak clearly to be heard and understood in simple exchanges

• make requests using appropriate terms

• ask questions to obtain specific information

• make statements of fact clearly

10%

Engage in

discussion

• speak and listen in simple exchanges and everyday contexts

• understand that non-verbal signals as well as spoken language contribute to communication between people - observe non-verbal communication, eg body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact Discuss what they convey, eg lack of interest, attentiveness, amusement

10%

Read and

understand

• follow a short narrative on a familiar topic or experience

• recognise the different purposes of texts at this level 20%

• decode simple, regular words - recognise phoneme-grapheme correspondence in: initial, consonant letter sounds; short vowel sounds; initial consonant clusters, final consonant clusters

• recognise the letters of the alphabet in both upper and lower case

20%

Write to

communicate

• use written words and phrases to record or present information

• construct a simple sentence

• punctuate a simple sentence with a capital letter and full stop

• use a capital letter for personal pronoun ‘I’

• spell correctly some personal key words and familiar words

• write the letters of the alphabet using upper and lower case

• use basic sound-symbol association to help spelling, as appropriate

to the needs of the learner

• recognise all initial consonant and short vowel sounds in speech and writing

• recognise consonant digraphs – sh, ch, th

• identify and write correct initial letters in response to the letter sound, word, object or picture

• recognise and name each letter of the alphabet and be aware of alphabetical order

• discriminate, write and read middle (short vowel) sounds in simple words: - a(hat), e(bet), i(lit), o (not), u(mug)

• read and spell words ending in ck, ff, ll, ss, ng

• discriminate, blend and spell initial consonant clusters taken as needed from the following list: bl, br, cl, cr, dr, dw, fl, fr, gl, gr, pl, pr, sc, scr, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, spl, spr, squ, st, str, sw, tw, tr, thr, shr

• discriminate, blend and spell common end clusters, taken as needed from the following list: ld, nd, lk, nk, sk, lp, mp,sp, ct, ft, lt, nt, pt, st, xt,

lf, nch, lth

30%

Entry 2

Skills

standards Coverage and Range

Assessment weighting

Listen and

respond

• listen for and follow the gist of short explanations, instructions and narratives

• listen for detailed short explanations, instructions and narratives

• listen for and identify the main points of short explanations or presentations

• listen to and follow short, straightforward explanations and instructions

• listen to and identify simply expressed feelings and opinions,

ie recognise familiar language used to express positive and negative feelings and opinions, eg I feel…, I like/don’t like…, I think that…,

I believe that…, understand that non-verbal communication can help, to indicate a speaker’s feelings and opinions (eg gesture, facial expression, sigh)

10%

Speak to

communicate

• speak clearly to be heard and understood in straightforward exchanges

• make requests and ask questions to obtain information in everyday contexts, ie understand that questions need to be framed so as to suit the context and the nature of the information sought, know and use various politeness forms appropriate to the context to obtain information from others, obtain some straightforward information, eg from their line manager on how to book holiday dates, from a travel adviser about a particular holiday

• respond to straightforward questions

• express clearly statements of fact and short accounts and descriptions

• ask questions to clarify understanding

10%

Engage in

discussion

• follow the gist of discussions

• follow the main points and make appropriate contributions to the discussion, ie follow the main points in a class discussion and make a relevant contribution, follow a discussion in class between the teacher and the group, understand the conclusions reached and act on them if

• sequence a set of instructions in picture form

• recognise the different purposes of texts at this level

• identify common sources of information

• use illustrations and captions to locate information

• read and understand linking words and adverbials in instructions and directions, eg next, then, right, straight on, ie use the information in adverbials and linking words to help follow a sequence of written instructions or directions

• read and understand words on forms related to personal information,

eg first name, surname, postcode, date of birth

• use knowledge of simple sentence structure and word order to help decipher unfamiliar words and predict meaning, ie make

general sense of a simple continuous text written in sentences, encountered in daily life, even if they are not able to read every word

20%