Resource Hub for Skills for Work and Life qualifications

New to Functional Skills, new to working with City & Guilds, new to our bite-sized maths and English qualifications, or to our ESOL qualifications?

Each month we run a short introductory webinar where we go through the fundamentals if you're delivering any of our maths, English or ESOL qualifications in England: where to find key documents, how assessments can be accessed/booked, the teaching/learning resources we offer, our practice-sharing networks, details of our regular series of update webinars, etc.

Facilitated by one of our Maths and English Technical Advisors, it's a safe environment where you're free to ask questions and confirm your understanding. It's also a chance to network with others with similar experiences.

Visit our Events and Webinars page to see the date of the next session and book your place.

Functional Skills delivery at a glance

To help you navigate the process of delivering our Functional Skills qualifications in maths and English we have designed a delivery at a glance guide with signposts to our key supporting information, resources and services available at every stage of the journey.

Download the guide > 

Maths and English are vital skills we all need to develop and keep using throughout life. Almost every job requires the ability to communicate and use numbers confidently, along with the capacity to problem solve and use technology effectively.

Download our Total Offer brochure >

We’ve produced a set of funding guides listing every City & Guilds maths, English and ESOL qualification and unit that is eligible for public funding in England. There are two documents: one covering 16+ study programmes, the other covering adult skills.

To make it easier to confirm the status of any qualification or unit you plan to deliver, in each case we’ve included links to the relevant Find a Learning Aim (FaLA) listing.

Access our maths, English and ESOL funding guides

This guide is designed to get you quickly up to speed in delivering City & Guilds Functional Skills (4748) qualifications. It covers:

• how to navigate the website
• access all of the key information
• utilise the guidance we offer

Find out more about Functional Skills

Download the 10 Step Guide

From our e-Functional Skills learning platform to SmartScreen, we have a range of digital resources which will support your blended delivery and help you give your learners an independent learning experience.

This webinar will:

• guide you through how to plan your delivery
• show you how you can devise individual learning plans for either face to face, virtual or blended delivery
• show you how you can prepare learners for testing, including mock tests, and sample papers.

Whatever resources or support you need, we’ll walk you through how to use them.

Watch our webinar to discover how our digital resources can support your blended maths and English delivery.

April 2022

Digital resources to support delivery – watch the recording

Digital resources to support delivery – download the slides (PDF)

January 2022

Digital resources to support delivery – watch the recording

Digital resources to support delivery – download the slides (PDF)

September 2021

Digital resources to support delivery – watch the recording

Digital resources to support delivery – download the slides (PDF)

July 2021

Digital resources to support delivery – watch the recording

Digital resources to support delivery – download the slides (PDF)

A digital solution that fully compliments our new Reformed Functional Skills (4748), all the content is mapped to our qualification offer. Supporting in guiding learners from Initial Assessment and Diagnostic Testing all the way through to being exam ready, covering English, Maths and ICT from Entry 3 to Level 2.

SmartScreen is the City & Guilds tutor and learner support website. It supports learners, tutors and assessors by providing specific support materials for City & Guilds' qualifications.

SmartScreen Maths And English show reel >

SmartScreen Maths and English Walkthrough >

For more information please visit our SmartScreen page.

We have partnered with Klik2Learn to offer Journey 2 English, a digital course for intermediate learners of English. It is aligned to City & Guilds ESOL Skills for Life (4692) qualification and available through our SmartScreen platform at a per-learner licencing model.

Learners can take online sample practice tests on our Open Assess platform - an open version of e-volve. Open Assess replicates a live test environment and enables you to mark and provide feedback, helping to address areas in need of additional teaching support.

Find out more about Open Assess and how to access the platform.

To support you and your learners with getting the best from Open Assess we have a number of bite-sized videos walking you through various aspects of the platform.

Creating users in Open Assess - Navigating the Open Assess platform

Registering candidates - Navigating the Open Assess platform

Scheduling a test - Navigating the Open Assess platform

Delivering a test - Navigating the Open Assess platform

Accessing results - Navigating the Open Assess platform

Candidate Review - Navigating the Open Assess platform

We have made some short videos which show learners how to practice using some of the tools from the maths exams in the Mathematics Familiarisation test, which should be used to prepare learners before they try to take a sample paper or past paper in the platform. These can be used as part of classroom teaching as well as allowing learners to work through them at their own pace.

What is a Mathematics Familiarisation Test?

Creating a Bar Chart

Create a Line Graph

Create a Pie Chart

Create a Scatter Chart

Using the Diagram Creator

May 2025

SfW&L Digital Functional Skills - watch the recording (YouTube)

SfW&L Digital Functional Skills - download the slides (PDF)

February 2025

ESOL Skills for Life Updates - watch the recording (YouTube)

ESOL Skills for Life Updates - download the slides (PDF)

SfWL Webinar Digital Resources - watch the recording (YouTube)

SfWL Webinar Digital Resources - download the slides (PDF)

October 2024

SfWL Webinar Digital Resources - watch the recording (YouTube)

SfWL Webinar Digital Resources - download the slides (PDF)

September 2024

SfWL Webinar Welcome back Wales - watch the recording (YouTube)

SfWL Webinar Welcome back Wales - download the slides (PDF)

SfWL Webinar Welcome back England - watch the recording (YouTube)

SfWL Webinar Welcome back England - download the slides (PDF)

Employability Skills (5546) Updates for 2024-25 - watch the recording (YouTube)

Employability Skills (5546) Updates for 2024-25 - download the slides (PDF)

July 2024

Reflecting Back & Moving Forward - watch the recording (YouTube)

Reflecting Back & Moving Forward - download the slides (PDF)

June 2024

Digital Resources: Interpreting Results – watch the recording (YouTube)

Digital Resources: Interpreting Results – download the slides (PDF)

April 2024

Changes to Employability Skills (5546) – watch the recording (YouTube)

Changes to Employability Skills (5546) – download the slides (PDF)

New Instructions for Conducting FS Exams documents – watch the recording (YouTube)

New Instructions for Conducting FS Exams documents – download the slides (PDF)

March 2024

Digital Resources- Being Exam Ready  – watch the recording (YouTube)

Digital Resources- Being Exam Ready – download the slides (PDF)

January 2024

Support with Curriculum Planning  – watch the recording (YouTube)

Support with Curriculum Planning – download the slides (PDF)

December 2023

Digital Resources: Supporting a blended maths and English delivery  – watch the recording (YouTube)

Digital Resources: Supporting a blended maths and English delivery – download the slides (PDF)

November 2023

ESOL and beyond – watch the recording (YouTube)

ESOL and beyond – download the slides (PDF)

October 2023

Digital Resources: Initial and diagnostic assessments – watch the recording (YouTube)

Digital Resources: Initial and diagnostic assessments – download the slides (PDF)

September 2023

Welcome back to 2023/2024 (England) – watch the recording (YouTube)

Welcome back to 2023/2024 (England) – download the slides (PDF)

Welcome back to 2023/2024 (Wales) – watch the recording (YouTube)

Welcome back to 2023/2024 (Wales) – download the slides (PDF)

Our specialist maths, English, ESOL and employability Technical Advisors provide: 

• Regular update webinars to share all that’s new in Skills for Work and Life
• Webinars to launch new features, products and services
• In-person and online networking events for connecting and sharing of good practice
• Email/online and in-person guidance to individual centres – tailored to their specific needs

Find out more about our Technical Advisors:

Katherine Reid >

Alicja Twarowska >

Visit our qualification pages for additional resources such as qualification handbooks, assessment materials, Chief Examiner reports and Guidance for Delivery documents. 

4748 Functional Skills

4692 ESOL Skills for Life

5546 Employability Skills

3868 Essential Skills Wales

4800 Essential Skills Northern Ireland

Our customer updates page is the home for all the updates and announcements about City & Guilds’ Skills for Work and Life programmes, including Functional Skills, Maths, English, ESOL and employability.

Our 2023 research identified that improving quality, increasing learner engagement and enhancing the life chances of learners are the top priorities for those involved in the delivery of maths and English programmes.

Take a look at our guides for tips and hints on these topics, as well as how City & Guilds can support you and your objectives.

Improving quality in maths and English

Increasing learner engagement in maths and English

Improving the life changes of learners with maths and English