Functional Skills Qualifications Functional Skills English — Writing Syllabus

What presentational features make a report or article easy to navigate?

Headings and subheadings, paragraphs, bullet or numbered lists, and sometimes a title, captions or text boxes to organise information.

What is the purpose and structure of a magazine/news article?

To inform and engage readers. It typically has a catchy headline, an introduction (the angle/hook), developed paragraphs, and may use subheadings, quotes and a concluding line.

What features should a clear set of instructions have?

A logical step-by-step order (often numbered), imperative (command) verbs, short clear sentences, and any needed list of materials/equipment or safety notes.

What grammatical verb form is used to write instructions and why?

The imperative (command form), e.g. 'Press the button', 'Add the flour'. It gives a direct order so the reader knows exactly what to do.

What is the purpose of a review, and what should it include?

To give an opinion and evaluation (e.g. of a product, film or place) to help readers decide. It should describe the subject, give balanced opinions with reasons, and a recommendation/rating.

Name four persuasive techniques used in persuasive writing.

Rhetorical questions, emotive language, facts and statistics, and the rule of three; also direct address ('you'), repetition and expert opinions.

What does the mnemonic AFOREST stand for in persuasive writing?

Alliteration, Facts, Opinions, Rhetorical questions, Emotive language, Statistics, Triples (rule of three).

What are the four sentence types by structure?

Simple (one main clause), compound (two main clauses joined by a conjunction), complex (a main clause plus a subordinate clause), and compound-complex (combining both).

What is a simple sentence?

A sentence with one independent (main) clause containing a subject and a verb and expressing one complete idea, e.g. 'The dog barked.'

What is a compound sentence and how is it joined?

Two or more independent clauses of equal weight joined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or a semicolon, e.g. 'I was tired, so I slept.'

What is a complex sentence?

A sentence with one main clause and at least one subordinate (dependent) clause, joined by a subordinating conjunction (e.g. because, although, when), e.g. 'Although it rained, we played.'

What are the four sentence types classified by purpose/function?

Declarative (statement), interrogative (question), imperative (command), and exclamative (exclamation).

What is the difference between a main (independent) clause and a subordinate (dependent) clause?

A main clause makes complete sense on its own; a subordinate clause adds extra information but cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Name the main word classes (parts of speech) in English.

Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, determiner/article, and interjection.

What is the function of a noun, and what are its main types?

A noun names a person, place, thing or idea. Types include common, proper, concrete, abstract, and collective nouns.

What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?

An adjective describes a noun (e.g. 'a quick runner'); an adverb modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb, often ending in -ly (e.g. 'runs quickly').

What is a conjunction and name the two main kinds?

A conjunction joins words, phrases or clauses. Coordinating (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) join equal parts; subordinating (e.g. because, although, while) introduce subordinate clauses.

What is a preposition? Give examples.

A word showing the relationship (position, time or direction) of a noun/pronoun to another word, e.g. in, on, under, before, between, to, with.

What is the rule of subject-verb agreement?

The verb must match its subject in number: a singular subject takes a singular verb, a plural subject takes a plural verb, e.g. 'She walks' / 'They walk'.

What verb form do collective nouns and 'each/everyone' usually take?

They are usually treated as singular, taking a singular verb, e.g. 'The team is winning', 'Everyone is here'.

What does 'tense consistency' mean and why does it matter?

Keeping the same verb tense throughout a piece (unless time genuinely changes) so the timeline is clear and the writing does not confuse the reader by jumping between past and present.

What are the three basic tenses, with an example of each?

Past ('I walked'), present ('I walk'), and future ('I will walk') — showing when an action happens.

What is a paragraph and when should you start a new one?

A group of sentences about one main idea, usually opening with a topic sentence. Start a new paragraph for a new idea, time, place, person/speaker, or topic (TipToP).

What is a topic sentence?

The sentence (usually the first) that states the main idea of a paragraph; the other sentences support or develop it.

What is cohesion in writing, and how is it achieved?

How sentences and paragraphs link together smoothly. Achieved using connectives/linking words, pronouns referring back, and repeated key vocabulary to guide the reader.

Give examples of connectives (linking words) for adding, contrasting, and sequencing ideas.

Adding: also, furthermore, in addition. Contrasting: however, although, on the other hand. Sequencing: firstly, next, then, finally.

What is a full stop used for, and what error occurs if it is missing between two sentences?

A full stop ends a declarative sentence. Missing one between two complete sentences causes a run-on sentence; joining them with just a comma causes a comma splice.

What are the main uses of a comma?

To separate items in a list, to separate clauses (after a subordinate clause or with a conjunction), to mark off extra (parenthetical) information, and after some introductory words.

What are the two main uses of an apostrophe?

To show possession ('the dog's bone', 'the dogs' kennels') and to show omission in contractions ('do not' → "don't"). It is not used to make ordinary plurals.

How do you show possession for a singular versus a plural noun ending in -s?

Singular: add apostrophe + s ('the cat's toy'). Plural ending in -s: add an apostrophe after the s ('the cats' toys').

What is the difference between its and it's?

'Its' is the possessive (belonging to it), e.g. 'the dog wagged its tail'. "It's" is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has', e.g. "it's raining".

When are colons and semicolons used?

A colon (:) introduces a list, explanation or example after a complete clause. A semicolon (;) links two closely related complete sentences, or separates complex list items.

Name three main rules for using capital letters.

Capitalise the first letter of a sentence, proper nouns (names of people, places, days, months, brands), and the pronoun 'I'; also titles and the first word of direct speech.

What is the spelling rule 'i before e'?

'i before e except after c' when the sound is /ee/, e.g. 'believe', 'receive'. Note exceptions like 'weird', 'seize', and words where the sound differs ('eight', 'their').

What spelling change happens when adding a suffix to a word ending in a consonant + y?

Change the y to i before the suffix (unless the suffix begins with i), e.g. happy → happiness, carry → carried, but carry → carrying.

What are homophones, and why are they a common spelling problem?

Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings (e.g. there/their/they're, to/too/two). Spellcheckers may miss them, so meaning must be checked carefully.

How should precise and varied vocabulary be chosen for effective writing?

Choose specific, accurate words that fit the purpose and audience, avoid vague words (e.g. 'nice', 'thing'), and use synonyms to avoid repetition while keeping the right register.

What is a synonym, and how does using synonyms improve writing?

A synonym is a word with a similar meaning to another (e.g. happy/cheerful). Using them adds variety, avoids repetition and lets you pick the most precise word for the context.