Maths Functional Skills

Having your Functional Skills Maths (or GCSE equivalent) qualification is vital for many careers and could help you to progress into the career you want, as many careers require a basic level of maths and English.

Your Functional Skills qualification will also enable you to continue your education as it is a requirement for many further education courses, especially at degree level.

• Count in steps of various sizes, including negative numbers
• Read, write and understand positive whole numbers to one million
• Order and compare whole numbers of any size, and fractions, ratios and decimals and recognise the effect of multiplying and dividing by powers of 10, 100 and 1000
• Identify, compare and extend a range of numerical and spatial patterns
• Use, understand and calculate with fractions, decimals and percentages
• Calculate simple interest

• Read, write, order and compare large numbers (up to one million)
• Recognise and use positive and negative numbers
• Multiply and divide whole numbers and decimals by 10, 100, 1000
• Use multiplication facts and make connections with division facts
• Use simple formulae expressed in words for one or two-step operations
• Calculate the squares of one-digit and two-digit numbers
• Follow the order of precedence of operators
• Read, write, order and compare common fractions and mixed numbers
• Find fractions of whole number quantities or measurements
• Read, write, order and compare decimals up to three decimal places
• Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals up to two decimal places
• Approximate by rounding to a whole number or to one or two decimal places
• Read, write, order and compare percentages in whole numbers
• Calculate percentages of quantities, including simple percentage increases and decreases by 5% and multiples thereof
• Estimate answers to calculations using fractions and decimals
• Recognise and calculate equivalences between common fractions, percentages and decimals
• Work with simple ratio and direct proportions

• Work out simple relationships between common units of measurement to define quantities, also involving mathematical terms for position and direction
• Apply and use calculations with common measures including money, time, length, weight and capacity
• Visualise, draw and describe 2-D and 3-D shapes and use properties of 2-D shapes in calculations

• Calculate simple interest in multiples of 5% on amounts of money
• Calculate discounts in multiples of 5% on amounts of money
• Convert between units of length, weight, capacity, money and time, in the same system
• Recognise and make use of simple scales on maps and drawings
• Calculate the area and perimeter of simple shapes including those that are made up of a combination of rectangles
• Calculate the volumes of cubes and cuboids
• Draw 2-D shapes and demonstrate an understanding of line symmetry and knowledge of the relative size of angles
• Interpret plans, elevations and nets of simple 3-D shapes
• Use angles when describing position and direction, and measure angles in degrees

• Select, construct and interpret a range of statistical diagrams in various contexts
• Select and use methods and forms to present and describe outcomes
• Extract and interpret information from tables, diagrams, charts and graphs
• Apply simple statistics and recognise features of charts to summarise and compare sets of data
• Recognise and use the probability scale and interpret probabilities

• Represent discrete data in tables, diagrams and charts including pie charts, bar charts and line graphs
• Group discrete data and represent grouped data graphically
• Find the mean and range of a set of quantities
• Understand probability on a scale from 0 (impossible) to 1 (certain) and use probabilities to compare the likelihood of events
• Use equally likely outcomes to find the probabilities of simple events and express them as fractions