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Functional Skills Level 2
One learner passed Level 2 Maths within two months of starting private lessons. If you need Level 2 for a job, an apprenticeship or a college place, that is the kind of timescale worth planning around.
One to one online lessons for adults, apprentices and students, at £30 each. The first 30 minutes are free and take no card details.
Assessments are often available on demand, so you can sit them when you are ready.
Most Functional Skills learners need a short run of lessons rather than a year of them. Pay as you go usually suits this better than a plan.
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Teaching UK students since 2020.
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A free 30-minute session to work out your current level in Maths or English and what you actually need to pass. No card details, no obligation, and an honest view of how many lessons it is likely to take.
Subject, your deadline if you have one, and your awarding body if you know it. We reply seven days a week, usually within minutes.
No card details are taken and there is no obligation to book lessons afterwards. See our privacy policy. Prefer to message? WhatsApp us.
If you are closer than you think and need three lessons rather than twenty, we will say so. That happens fairly often with adults who have been out of education for years and assume the worst.
Two subjects
They are separate qualifications with separate assessments, and most learners need one more urgently than the other. Each has its own page with the topics, the exam format and what lessons cover.
Assessed across a non-calculator and a calculator section under timed conditions, and built around using maths in real and workplace situations rather than abstract theory.
Three separate components: Reading and Writing are externally assessed exams, and Speaking, Listening and Communicating is assessed by your centre through a discussion and a presentation.
Plenty of people need both, usually for an apprenticeship. Tell us when you enquire and we will work out which to tackle first rather than running the two in parallel and halving your progress in each.
Who teaches it
Functional Skills Maths is taught by Raja, who holds a BSc and an MSc in Electrical Engineering and has more than five years of tutoring behind him. He is the tutor most often matched with adults returning to maths after a long gap.
Functional Skills Level 2 Maths
Two engineering degrees from UK universities, and a reputation among learners for patience that borders on the supernatural. Teaching an adult who has not done maths in fifteen years is a genuinely different job from teaching a Year 11, and it is the one he is best at.
Best for adults returning to maths, and learners with maths anxiety
"Raja was my tutor for level 2 maths and I passed within 2 months of private lessons. I couldn't have done it without you Raja! Thank for being so patient with me! I would recommend this company and Raja to anyone who needs someone with the patience of a saint! Thanks again."
One learner's result rather than a typical one. How long it takes depends on where you are starting and how often you can have lessons. The skills check gives you an honest estimate before you commit to anything.
The qualification
Not the same, but generally accepted as equivalent to a GCSE grade 4 or C in the same subject. Acceptance varies by employer and course provider, so confirm it is accepted for your specific job, apprenticeship or course before you start.
The content is built around using maths and English in real and workplace situations rather than abstract theory. Many adults find that more accessible than GCSE, though it still needs proper preparation to pass.
Assessments are often available on demand through approved centres, rather than on fixed national exam dates. If you have a deadline for a job or an apprenticeship, that flexibility is usually the deciding factor.
Functional Skills runs from Entry Level through Level 1 to Level 2. Level 2 is the one employers, colleges and apprenticeship providers ask for as a GCSE alternative.
RS Remote Tutoring provides tutoring and preparation only. We are not an awarding body and we do not book or run assessments, so you will need to book yours through an approved centre. If you already know your awarding body, tell us and we will tailor your practice to its format.
Who takes it
Most people arrive here because something has made it necessary rather than because they chose to study. That is normal and it changes how lessons are taught.
Most apprenticeships require Level 2 Maths and English before completion, and Functional Skills is the usual route. Often on a deadline set by the provider.
For anyone who did not get GCSE Maths or English, or who sat them long enough ago that the certificate cannot be found. Being out of education for years is not a disadvantage here.
Many roles and promotions require Level 2 in one or both subjects, or an accepted GCSE equivalent. Teaching, nursing, social care and childcare routes commonly ask for it.
Course providers frequently ask for Level 2 Maths and English. Always check whether your specific course accepts Functional Skills before enrolling.
Confident speakers often still lose marks on exam-style reading and formal written English. Those are different skills from conversation and both are teachable.
If you are weighing Functional Skills against a GCSE resit, say so at the skills check and we will tell you honestly which suits your situation.
Free guides
We publish detailed free guides on the exam structure, the topics and how to pass. Read them first if you want to understand what you are facing before spending anything.
These are free and there is nothing to sign up for. If reading them is enough to get you through, that is a perfectly good outcome.
The assessment
It depends on the subject and the awarding body. Maths is assessed across a non-calculator and a calculator section under timed conditions. English has three components, two examined externally and one assessed by your centre.
| Subject | Components | How it is assessed | To pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 Maths | Non-calculator and calculator sections | Externally assessed, timed, at an approved centre | Reach the pass mark across the paper as a whole |
| Level 2 English | Reading, Writing, and Speaking, Listening and Communicating | Reading and Writing externally, Speaking assessed by your centre | Pass all three components |
Functional Skills is offered by several awarding bodies including Pearson Edexcel, City & Guilds, NCFE, AQA and Open Awards. Timings and question styles vary between them, so tell us yours and practice is matched to that format.
If you have not booked yet and do not know which body you will sit, that is fine. We teach the content the same way and adjust the exam practice once you know.
The part learners most often dread, and the one self-study courses cover worst. It involves a discussion and a presentation, assessed by your centre rather than by an exam paper.
It can be rehearsed properly in lessons, which is most of what makes it manageable.
Cost
£30 for a 60-minute one to one lesson, with no minimum and no sign-up fee. Term and annual plans exist and bring the rate down, but most Functional Skills learners are working to a deadline rather than a school year, so pay as you go usually fits better.
£30
per 60-minute lesson£27.50
per 60-minute lesson£25
per 60-minute lessonWe will not push you onto a plan you do not need. If the skills check suggests six lessons will get you there, pay as you go is the sensible answer and we will say so. The exam fee is separate and paid to your exam centre, not to us.
The process
Most learners are booked in within a day or two. Nothing is paid before the skills check.
Apprenticeship providers often set a fixed date and learners come to us with weeks rather than months. Say so at the enquiry stage. We can usually run two lessons a week, and we will tell you honestly if the timescale is unrealistic rather than taking the money.
Common questions
Anything not answered here, message us and we will tell you straight. We usually reply within minutes.
It depends entirely on where you are starting. One learner passed Level 2 Maths within two months of weekly lessons, but that is his result rather than a typical one. The free skills check exists to give you an honest estimate before you spend anything.
Usually, and Functional Skills learners often get better availability than GCSE students because adults are more flexible on daytime slots. Tell us your subject and the times you can do, and we will confirm before anything is booked.
No. We provide tutoring and preparation only. We are not an exam centre or an awarding body, so you book your assessment through an approved centre and pay the exam fee to them, not to us.
Pearson Edexcel, City and Guilds, NCFE, AQA and Open Awards among others. Tell us yours when you enquire and exam practice is matched to that format. If you have not booked yet, we teach the content the same way and adjust later.
Not the same, but generally accepted as equivalent to a GCSE grade 4 or C in the same subject. Acceptance varies, so check with your specific employer, apprenticeship provider or course before you start.
It depends on your deadline and what has been asked for. Functional Skills can usually be sat on demand rather than on fixed exam dates, which suits people working to an apprenticeship deadline. Raise it at the skills check and we will give you a straight answer, including if a GCSE resit is the better route.
£30 for a 60-minute one to one lesson, with no minimum and no sign-up fee. Term and annual plans bring the rate down to £27.50 and £25, but most Functional Skills learners are better off paying as they go and stopping once they pass.
Yes. Thirty minutes with a tutor, live on Zoom, with no card details taken and no obligation. If it turns out you need three lessons rather than twenty, we will tell you.
Yes, and it is the part self-study covers worst. It involves a discussion and a presentation assessed by your centre. Both can be rehearsed properly in lessons, which is most of what makes them manageable.
No, and it is the most common situation among our Functional Skills learners. Being out of education for a long time changes the pace and the starting point, not whether you can pass.
Yes, and many apprentices need both. We would usually suggest tackling one first rather than running them in parallel, because splitting your attention halves the progress in each. It is £30 a lesson either way.
No. Lessons run evenings and weekends as well as daytime, so they fit around work, shifts and childcare. Tell us your availability when you enquire and we will match a tutor to it.
Free 30-minute skills check
Tell us the subject, your deadline and your awarding body if you know it. We will put forward a tutor and set up a free skills check. No card details, no obligation.
Enquiries answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We usually reply within minutes, and WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach us.
