FS English Level 2 - July 1, 2023 (Reading: Organisational features).

1. Pearson Edexcel Functional Skills English Level 2
Reading Exam
 Identifying organisational features - Question 7(b)

2. Identifying organisational features
Question 7 in the reading exam is in two parts:
7(a) asks you to find a piece of specific information from Text B
7(b) asks you which organisational feature is used to present the information you were
asked for in 7(a).
The Principal Examiner for Pearson Edexcel reports that while most Level 2 exam candidates
were able to correctly identify the information needed in 7(a), their performance on 7(b) was
“substantially weaker”. The reason given is that some candidates ‘did not realise they were being
asked to identify an organisational feature’ or were unsure about what an organisational feature is.

3. What are organisational features?
bullet points
numbered lists/numbering
captions to photographs/illustrations
speech bubbles
boxes/text boxes
webpage menus/links to websites or social media platforms
tables
footnotes
headlines/titles
headings/subheadings
Although paragraphs count as an organisational feature, they are common to all texts,
unlike any of the above examples, so they are not awarded a mark in the reading exam.

4. What do organisational features do?
They make texts easier to understand.
One way to think of them is as signposts, directing the reader to important parts of a
text or making information clearer or easier to find.

5. Let’s take a look at an example of Question 7...

6. The first part of Question 7 asks you to find
specific information in Text B.
The second part of Question 7 asks you to
identify the organisational feature that is used
to present the information.

7. Now, let’s take a look at the first part of Question 7...

8. Question 7(a) will always contain clues to help you
locate the information you need.
Sometimes the clues will be keywords; sometimes
they will be numbers or figures.
Let’s look at the clues in Question 7(a) above.

9. The information you need to find is expressed as a
percentage.
It includes the phrase “17-20 year olds”.
It also includes the year “2014”.

10. The information you need to find is expressed as a
percentage.
It includes the phrase “17-20 year olds”.
It also includes the year “2014”.
These clues help you to find the relevant
information almost immediately.

11. Now, let’s take a look at the second part of Question 7...

12. We can see that the answer to Question 7(a) is
highlighted by the use of a bullet point.
Bullet points have been used in this text to make
important information stand out from the rest of the
text.
This helps the reader to locate key statistical
evidence quickly and easily.

13. Here’s an example from another reading exam...

14. Scanning both columns of text, we can see that
neither gives the name of the report asked for in 7(a).

15. Scanning both columns of text, we can see that
neither gives the name of the report asked for in 7(a).
In fact, the name of the report appears at the foot of
the page.

16. Scanning both columns of text, we can see that
neither gives the name of the report asked for in 7(a).
In fact, the name of the report appears at the foot of
the page.
‘A Decade of Digital Dependency’

17. If you look at the first sentence in the second column
of text, you will notice a superscript ¹ after the word
‘phones’. This reference directs you to the footnote at
the bottom of the page, which is also preceded by a
superscript ¹.
¹ ‘A Decade of Digital Dependency’

18. Find the keywords/key numbers in 7(a).
You are looking for a percentage, along with the keywords “fraud
cases” and “authorised push payment”, and the year “2018”.

19. As in the previous example, find the keywords/key numbers in
7(a).
You are looking for a percentage, along with the keywords “fraud
cases” and “authorised push payment”, and the year “2018”.

20. The organisational feature that has been used to present the
statistical evidence is a table.
It sets out this key information in a clear way which makes it easy
to find and easy to understand.

21. 7 (a) According to Text B, how many options do you have to contribute to
South Logging?
...............................................................................................................................(1)
(b) Which organisational feature is used to present this information?
...............................................................................................................................(1)
As before, look for keywords/key numbers in
7(a).

22. 7 (a) According to Text B, how many options do you have to contribute to
South Logging?
...............................................................................................................................(1)
(b) Which organisational feature is used to present this information?
...............................................................................................................................(1)
As before, look for keywords/key numbers in
7(a).
You are looking for a specific number of options
and the keyword “contribute”.

23. 7 (a) According to Text B, how many options do you have to contribute to
South Logging?
...............................................................................................................................(1)
(b) Which organisational feature is used to present this information?
...............................................................................................................................(1)
As before, look for keywords/key numbers in
7(a).
You are looking for a specific number of options
and the keyword “contribute”.
The answer to 7(a) is four. (There are four
different options.)
The answer to 7(b) is numbering.

24. Besides numbering, this text also contains
other organisational features.

25. Headings
Bullet points
Links to social media platforms
and company website/proposal
link

26. Identify the keywords in 7(a).

27. Identify the keywords in 7(a).
You are looking for a part of the text that gives
advice to parents. So you are looking to find ideas
or suggestions.
You can see by scanning the paragraphs that the
article in Text B contains straightforward
information, with some statistics. This is not the
same as advice, however.

28. This part of Text B suggests ways in which
parents can support their children’s use of the
internet while also making sure that they stay
safe when online.

29. This part of Text B suggests ways in which
parents can support their children’s use of the
internet while also making sure that they stay
safe when online.
The advice is provided by NSPCC/Head of
Child Safety Online/Tony Stower (any of these
answers to 7(a) are acceptable).

30. The organisational feature that presents the
advice is a box/text box. This is your answer to
7(b).

31. Examples of some other organisational
features
It’s always a
good idea to
check your
bank account
regularly.
Speech bubble
Caption
Numbered list
Subheadings

32. To recap...
Question 7(b) tests your ability to identify organisational features.
Don’t confuse organisational features with language features.
Remember to use keywords in Question 7(a) to locate the specific information you need
for your answer.
Make sure you know the names of the different organisational features and what they look
like.
You will never be asked to explain the effect of an organisational feature in the reading exam.

33. Homework