Basic Skills Online - Level 1 - Requirements

Speaking and listening - At this level, adults are expected to:

• Speak clearly and appropriately to the situation.
• Express clearly statements of fact, explanations, instructions, account and descriptions.
• Present information and ideas in a logical sequence and in sufficient detail.
• Respond to questions.
• Listen for and identify relevant information from explanations or presentations.
• Listen for and respond appropriately to explanations, instructions and narratives.
• Use strategies to clarify and confirm understanding.
• Make requests and ask questions to obtain information.
• Follow discussions.
• Provide feedback and confirmation when listening to others.
• Make contributions relevant to the situation and subject.
• Respect the turn-taking rights of others.
• Use appropriate phrases for interruption.

Reading - At this level, adults are expected to:

• Use reference materials to find straightforward information.
• Use organisational and structural features to locate information.
• Use different reading strategies to find and obtain information.
• Select the main points and specific detail from a text.
• Report on the main events of descriptive, explanatory and persuasive texts.
• Recognise and identify how language and other textual features are used to achieve different purposes.
• Distinguish fact from opinion and begin to form conclusions.
• Read and follow written instructions to complete an activity.
• Use punctuation and grammar to help understanding.
• Infer meaning from images which is not directly stated in text.
• Respond to or explain an increasing range of vocabulary.
• Respond to or explain vocabulary associated with different types of text.
• Use a range of strategies to decode unfamiliar words.
• Use reference material to find the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Writing - Structure and Content - At this level, adults are expected to:

• Outline a plan for writing, indicating key points.
• Use layout and structure suitable for purpose.
• Make a rough draft from a plan.
• Judge how much to write and level of detail to include.
• Present information in a logical sequence using paragraphs where appropriate.
• Proof-read and revise writing for accuracy and meaning.
• Use style and vocabulary suitable for purpose and audience.
• Record information appropriately on forms.
• Proof-read and revise writing for accuracy and meaning.
• Produce legible final text with reasonable accuracy appropriate to purpose.

Writing - Grammar and Punctuation - At this level, adults are expected to:

• Write in complete sentences.
• Use correct subject-verb agreement.
• Use correct tense for purpose.
• Punctuate sentences correctly.
• Use punctuation so that meaning is clear.
• Proof-read and revise own writing for accuracy and meaning.

Practical Spelling - At this level, adults are expected to:

• Proof-read own writing for errors in spelling.
• Use a range of sources to check or find correct spellings.
• Ask for help to work out unknown spellings.
• Spell correctly words used most often.
• Identify own most common spelling errors.
• With support, find patterns of errors in own writing.
• Take an active part in selecting words to learn.
• With support, try different strategies to aid spelling.
• Know when to ask for help.
• Negotiate a realistic time-span for a spelling programme.
• Practise spellings in private study time.
• Review and plan learning regularily.
• Demonstrate progress in spelling in own writing.

Spelling Rules and Strategies - At this level, adults are expected to:

• Distinguish roots, prefixes and suffixes.
• Spell regular verb endings.
• Distinguish between nouns and verbs in the context of spelling.
• Match consonant diagraphs.
• Distinguish between the spelling and meaning of common homophones.
• Learn words in families following spelling patterns.
• Read and spell words with common letter strings but different pronounciations.
• Spell common suffixes.
• Use reference materials to check unknown spelling.
• Pronounce words as they are spelt to aid spelling.
• Know and apply some spelling rules.
• Split words into bits for memory.
• Use mnemonics to aid memory.

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