Functional Skills service messages

April 2026 

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Digital Functional Skills assessments and pre-release materials 

As you’ll be aware, we release two new sets of Digital Functional Skills papers a year. The next new paper release is on Tuesday 5 May. 

Receiving your results within 6 working days for Functional Skills external assessments is subject to an awarding process to ensure pass mark boundaries are accurate and set to the correct level. As a result of this, any learner who sits a new Digital Functional Skills assessment from Tuesday 5 May will receive their result on Wednesday 24 June 

Our Digital Functional Skills assessments at Entry Level 3 and Level 1 may include pre-release materials. If so, you will need to make these materials available to learners in advance of assessment to support with assessment tasks. 

Check here  for the up-to-date pre-release materials. 

If you have any queries, please contact us on [email protected].  

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Past papers: Essential Digital Skills and Digital Functional Skills 

 We have past on-screen papers available for your learners to use as practice assessments. You can find them on the Digital Skills online past assessments page. 

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Sign up to our delivery support events 

CPD maths: optimising teacher contact time in blended delivery models, Wednesday 29 April, 3:30-5pm 

This free interactive virtual Functional Skills maths training session is designed to help teachers make the most of their direct teaching time. We’ll explore practical strategies for balancing online and classroom learning, using digital tools effectively, and structuring sessions to maximise learner engagement and progress.  

Sign up now 

Effective questioning techniques in English Functional Skills, Thursday 30 April, 3:30-5pm 

This free CPD session supports Functional Skills English teachers to design and use effective questions that build comprehension, critical thinking and confident responses. The session explores key question types – Multiple Choice Questions, short answer questions and extended response tasks. We’ll also look at essential question characteristics such as clarity, cognitive demand and accessibility, and learn practical ways to help learners understand and write stronger responses. Participants will leave with simple, adaptable techniques they can apply immediately in Functional Skills lessons.  

Sign up now 

Teach, Share, Transform: focus on EAL, Wednesday 6 May, 3:30-5pm 

This Teach, Share, Transform best practice network session facilitated by NCFE is for delivery staff of Essential and Functional maths, English and Digital Skills qualifications. Please come prepared to take part in workshop activities and share your own ideas for supporting learners who speak English as an additional language.  

Sign up now. 

Discover all our events and training 

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Useful links  

English and maths Functional Skills delivery support page 

Digital Functional Skills delivery support 

Essential Digital Skills delivery support  

To request support in addition to our training and events, please email [email protected]   

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March 2026 

Functional Skills new paper introductions for 2026 

To support you in the planning of your assessments, we wanted to remind you of the dates we will introduce new assessment papers for the full academic session. 

This means you can identify when a new assessment paper will be introduced for each delivery mode and when learners’ results will be released if they sit an assessment during this period. 

All results of a newly awarded paper sat within this initial period will be given a specific release date so you know when your learner will be due to get their result before we then revert back to our standard 6 day results turnaround.  

The below dates show the different dates where we will be introducing new assessment papers, please note other delivery modes will be available as normal outside of the specific assessment type. 

These dates and further information around why we introduce new papers into the live assessment bank is also published on our website here. 

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Reminder to centres delivering Essential Digital Skills and Digital Functional Skills 

 We have past on-screen papers available for you to practice with. You can find them on the Digital Skills online past assessments page, which is a quick link on the right-hand side of the Essential Digital Skills delivery support page. 

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Sign up to our delivery support events 

Our teams are running lots of events this term to support you and your colleagues. Click the links below to discover more and register your place: 

Teach, Share, Transform (TST): Focus on EAL, Wednesday 6 May, 3:30-5:00pm 

Facilitated by NCFE, this TST best practice network session is for delivery staff of Essential and Functional Maths, English and Digital Skills qualifications. Please come prepared to take part in workshop activities and share your own ideas for supporting learners who speak English as an additional language.  

Sign up now. 

 CPD Digital: Standardising marking mocks, Thursday 19 March, 3:30-5:00pm 

Join our free CPD session for NCFE providers delivering Essential Digital Skills or Digital Functional Skills qualifications. This interactive session will guide you through our mark schemes and provide practice in marking learner responses to assessment questions. We’ll share best practice for consistency, and ensure you feel confident applying the standards to support accurate and fair assessment. 

Sign up now. 

Discover all our events and training 

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Useful links 

English and maths Functional Skills delivery support page 

Digital Functional Skills delivery support 

Essential Digital Skills delivery support  

To request support in addition to our training and events, please email [email protected]   

February 2026 

New assessment papers: updated dates 

Our previously published new paper release points for 2026 have now been updated to allow a longer six-working-day turnaround of results, to allow your learners to receive results quickly. The updated dates can be found here.  

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Sign up to our delivery support events 

Our teams are running lots of events this term to support you and your colleagues. Click the links below to discover more and register your place: 

Cracking the code: problem-solving strategies for Functional Skills Maths 

This free CPD session focuses on empowering learners to tackle complex maths problems with confidence. We’ll explore strategies to help learners decode multi-step problems and select the most effective methods to solve them. Through interactive activities using new style examples, attendees will gain tools to support learners in developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for Functional Skills success.  

Date: Tuesday 24 February  

Time: 3-5pm    

Sign up now 

AI in Functional Skills English 

This free CPD session explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to support the teaching and learning of Functional Skills English. Aimed at teachers looking to enhance their practice with emerging technology, the session will introduce a range of AI tools and applications that can aid in developing learners’ reading, writing, and communication skills. Attendees will examine practical examples of how AI can support personalised learning, feedback, resource creation, and learner engagement, while also considering ethical use, accessibility, and digital literacy. 

Date: Wednesday 25 February 

Time: 3-5pm    

Sign up now 

Useful links  

English and maths Functional Skills delivery support page 

Digital Functional Skills delivery support 

Essential Digital Skills delivery support  

To request support in addition to our training and events, please email [email protected]   

January 2026 

Updates on assessments and results 

All external assessments are continuing, including on-demand Functional Skills assessments. From Monday 12 January, Functional Skills assessment results have returned to their usual 6-day turnaround for online and paper-based assessments.  

While the Portal is unavailable, we’ve made alternative arrangements for upcoming CACHE assessments to allow your learners to complete them as scheduled.  

Read more on our service continuity webpage. 

Sign up to our delivery support events 

Our teams are running lots of events this term to support you and your colleagues. Click the links below to discover more and register your place: 

• Exploring the Level 2 Functional Skills English assessment  

• CPD maths: unlocking underpinning skills 

• Teach, Share, Transform: focus on SEND 

Useful links  

• English and maths Functional Skills delivery support page 

• Digital Functional Skills delivery support 

• Essential Digital Skills delivery support  

To request support in addition to our training and events, please email [email protected]   

No Functional Skills service messages for December 2025.

Functional Skills paper-based bookings over the festive period  

Ahead of the festive period, we wanted to let you know that Friday 12 December 2025 is the last date your learners can sit paper-based bookings before the break. Monday 12 January 2026 will be the first date your learners can sit paper-based bookings in the new year.  

Remember that you have the flexibility to deliver paper-based assessments anytime from when you receive the papers up until three working days after the scheduled assessment date.  

Returning papers: 

• Papers must be returned no later than 48 hours after the assessment has been completed.    

• Please don’t return assessment papers to us between Friday 19 December 2025 and Friday 2 January 2026.    

• If completed assessments or unused papers can’t be returned within the above timelines, please ensure they are securely stored in line with the Instructions for conducting Functional Skills assessments (English and Mathematics) until the new year.    

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Upcoming CPD events 

Sign up to our upcoming events to support your delivery of our Functional Skills qualifications. 

• Functional Foundations: empowering teachers new to Functional Skills maths, Wednesday 19 November, 10am-12pm 

• Functional Foundations: empowering teachers new to Functional Skills English, Wednesday 19 November, 1pm-3pm  

• Teach, Share, Transform: Focus on SEND, Wednesday 3 December, 3:30-5.00pm: this best practice network session is for delivery staff of Essential and Functional Skills Maths, English and Digital Skills qualifications. 

• CPD maths: standardisation of Entry Level maths, Wednesday 17 December, 3:30-5.00pm: this free CPD session is designed to support consistency and confidence in the assessment of Entry Level Functional Skills maths. Aimed at teachers, assessors, and quality assurance staff, the session will provide the opportunity to use the mark scheme to mark example learner work across all Entry Levels. 

• CPD English: Exploring the Level 1 English Assessment, Thursday 18 December, 3:30-5.00pm: this free CPD session is designed to support practitioners in understanding the structure and demands of Level 1 Functional Skills English assessments. You’ll explore the key external components of reading and writing, with a close look at typical question formats, assessment criteria, and common learner challenges. The session will offer practical strategies for building learners’ skills and confidence, as well as tips for effective preparation and formative assessment. Ideal for tutors and support staff, this session will enhance delivery and help improve learner outcomes in Functional Skills English. 

Useful links  

• English and maths Functional Skills delivery support page 

• Digital Functional Skills delivery support 

• Essential Digital Skills delivery support  

To request support in addition to our training and events, please email [email protected]   

Important changes to our Digital Functional Skills regulations 

We’ve aligned with the Joint Council of Qualifications’ (JCQ) instructions for conducting exams for our Functional Skills English and maths assessments. Access JCQ’s instructions. 

Digital Functional Skills qualifications are not covered by JCQ’s instructions document, so we’ve developed a separate set of regulations specifically for Digital Functional Skills, which you can access here: Regulations for the Conduct of Digital Functional Skills.  

We’ve aligned these regulations as closely as possible with JCQ’s instructions to maintain a consistent approach across all Functional Skills qualifications.  

If you have any questions or need further guidance, please contact our team via email at [email protected]   

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Upcoming CPD events 

Sign up to our upcoming events to support your delivery of our Functional Skills qualifications: 

• CPD maths: exploring the maths assessments for Level 1 and Level 2, Tuesday 21 October, 3:30pm-5pm 

• CPD English: Entry Level English standardisation, Wednesday 22 October, 3:30pm-5pm 

• Functional Foundations: empowering teachers new to Functional Skills maths, Wednesday 19 November, 10am-12pm 

• Functional Foundations: empowering teachers new to Functional Skills English, Wednesday 19 November, 1pm-3pm  

Useful links  

• English and maths Functional Skills delivery support page 

• Digital Functional Skills delivery support 

• Essential Digital Skills delivery support  

To request support in addition to our training and events, please email [email protected]   

Updated Functional Skills Assessment Tracking Document (ATD) – Version 1.4   

We’ve made updates to the Functional Skills Assessment Tracking Document (ATD). 

What’s new?   

• SLC tab: added columns for topic name and reasonable adjustments    

• Entry FSQ tab: added a column for reasonable adjustments. 

What you need to do: 

• use Version 1.4 for all future entries 

• download the updated ATD from the relevant qualification page under the Assessment Materials tab 

• if your centre uses a customised ATD, ensure both tabs are updated with the new columns.   

Reminder: The fully completed ATD must be sent to the EQA at least two weeks before any Functional Skills EQA review for English and maths.  

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Upcoming events 

Sign up for our Functional Skills assessor training  

This training is a great opportunity to virtually meet with assessment professionals and like-minded practitioners and learn about and/or expand your knowledge and understanding of assessment and our qualifications.  

Thursday 7 October, 9:30am-12:30pm, sign up now  

CPD maths: preparing for maths Functional Skills delivery  

Aimed at maths Functional Skills teachers, this free session will explore key curriculum requirements, effective teaching strategies, and practical resources to engage learners and promote achievement.  

Wednesday 24 September, 3:30-5.00pm, sign up now 

CPD English: preparing for English Functional Skills delivery  

This free CPD session is designed to support educators in confidently planning and delivering Functional Skills qualifications in English. Aimed at both new and experienced practitioners, the session will explore key curriculum requirements, effective teaching strategies, and practical resources to engage learners and promote achievement.  

Thursday 25 September, 3:30-5.00pm, sign up now 

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Useful links  

• English and maths Functional Skills delivery support page 

• Digital Functional Skills delivery support 

• Essential Digital Skills delivery support  

To request support in addition to our training and events, please email [email protected]   

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