2. The Level 2 Writing Exam
There are two writing tasks.
Task 1 is the longer piece of writing you have to do, with a limit of 250-300 words.
Task 2 is the shorter writing task, with a limit of 200-250 words.
The total time for completing the exam is 60 minutes.
3. The Level 2 Writing Exam
Your writing is assessed in two different areas: 1) Composition and 2) Spelling,
Punctuation and Grammar.
Composition is where planning can make all the difference between lower marks and
higher marks.
Composition includes:
how well you communicate information
the level or amount of detail in your writing
how well your writing is organised
4. Why do I need to plan before I begin writing?
Planning helps you to organise your writing into key points.
Planning enables you to create a logical structure for your writing.
Planning helps the reader to follow what you are saying in your writing without
confusion or misunderstanding.
Planning ensures that you don’t forget to include necessary or important details.
5. How long should I spend planning?
Pearson Edexcel advises spending a total of 35 minutes on Task 1 and 25 minutes
on Task 2.
For Task 1 it makes sense to spend no more than 5 minutes on a plan. This will give
you 30 minutes to do the actual writing of the task.
For Task 2 it would again be advisable to spend no more than 5 minutes planning.
You will then still have 20 minutes to write.
It is often tempting to over-plan and thereby lose valuable writing time.
By approaching planning in a clear and logical frame of mind, it will help to guarantee
that your plan is effective and that you can complete the writing task within the
suggested time limit.
6. What is the best method for planning the
writing tasks in the exam?
Because of the time limit for each task, you do not have the luxury of being able to
spend 10 minutes working on a detailed plan.
For that reason, Pearson Edexcel already provide you with a ready made plan for
both of the writing tasks in the exam.
Let’s take a closer look at how to plan the writing for Task 1.
8. Information box
This box provides you with the context information
for the writing task.
This is the reason why you are writing - your
purpose. (In this example it is to apply for a £5,000
grant to help develop your career.
This box will also give you the address of the
recipient if you are writing a letter.
9. Writing Task (Format, Audience,
Purpose)
Under the heading Writing Task you are told what
type of text you have to write (Format), who you
are writing to (Audience) and why you are writing
(Purpose).
10. Bullet points
There are always three bullet points for Task 1.
This tells you that you have to write three main
paragraphs.
Each bullet point gives you the key topic for
each of the three paragraphs.
Each bullet points also tells you what you have to
do in each paragraph (e.g. describe..., explain in
detail..., persuade...).
11. Information box
Writing Task (Format, Audience,
Purpose)
Bullet points
Now you can see that you have a
ready made plan for writing Task 1
12. Information box
Writing Task (Format, Audience,
Purpose)
Bullet points (only two for Task 2
because it is the shorter writing task)
Task 2 has exactly the same elements as Task 1.
13. Using the information to plan your writing
You are applying for a £5,000 grant to help you to develop your career.
You are writing a letter, so you know that you have to include your own
address (make it up), the date, as well as the name and address of the
recipient.
Your letter must have three main paragraphs, along with a short
introductory paragraph and a short concluding paragraph.
In the Pearson Edexcel Level 2 Functional Skills English exam, letters
are always formal texts.
Letters must always include a salutation and a closing sign off. It is
important that both of these match each other.
If you have the name of the person you are writing to, your salutation is
“Dear Mr...” or “Dear Ms...” We use “Ms” when writing to a female recipient
rather than “Miss” which is now considered old-fashioned. Never address
the recipient by their first name! This assumes a familiarity with the person
and creates the wrong impression.
If you do not have the name of the recipient, you would begin “Dear
Sir/Madam...” and end with “Yours faithfully”. “Yours sincerely” is used
when you know the name of the recipient.
14. In the first main paragraph you have to describe what you are doing at the moment and what your future ambitions are for your career.
In your second main paragraph you have to explain in detail how you would use the £5,000 grant to help develop your career.
In your third main paragraph you have to persuade the recipient that you deserve more than anyone else to be awarded the £5,000 grant.
Let’s take a look at the layout for a formal letter and an example of an opening paragraph.
15. 35 Willow Avenue
Newtown
TW2 8DS
21/03/2023
Laura Mensah
Career Grants
1 New Road
Hanton
HN1 7BU
Dear Ms Mensah,
I am writing this letter to apply for the award of £5,000 funding to help me to progress my career to the next level. I
would like to tell you what I am doing at the moment, my career ambitions, how the funding will help me to develop my
career, and why I believe I am deserving of the award you are offering.
Your address and the date
Recipient’s name and address
Appropriate salutation
Appropriate salutation
Introduction (why you are
writing)
16. To recap...
Planning the exam writing tasks will help to prevent you from forgetting to include
important or necessary information.
Planning also helps you to organise and shape your writing, thereby increasing your
chances of achieving higher marks.
Planning gives your writing a logical structure, enabling the reader to more easily
follow your key points, reasons, or arguments.
Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”
18. Information box
Writing Task (Format, Audience,
Purpose)
Bullet points (only two for Task 2
because it is the shorter writing task)
Task 2 has exactly the same elements as Task 1.
