Functional Skills pass rates 2022-23

There are different ways to work out the pass rate, but for this purpose, the overall pass rate is the number of passes as a percentage against the number of assessments taken.

The first-time pass rate is the ratio of the total number of passes on the first attempt and the total number of first attempts expressed as a percentage for the 2022-2023 session.

Overall attempts tend to be lower than first time pass rates – this is because they are calculated using candidate entries that had their first attempt and then any additional attempts in the 2022-2023 session. For example, a single learner may fail the first attempt, and then go on and have another three attempts before passing which would bring the overall total down.

It is the third year that we’ve released this data and we’re pleased to confirm that the pass rates are increasing each year. We’re particularly proud of the rise in maths results, and while it is still lower than its English counterparts, the gap is closing and over half of all learners at both levels pass first time.

Our Assessment team continues to work to improve the assessments based on feedback and ensure that while still a quality, valid and reliable assessment, it’s as accessible as it can be to all learners. Our Provider Development team continues to provide sterling tutor support which has seen centres who engage with the support improve attainment by up to 6%. The team continues to offer CPD sessions, drop-in clinics and has added a learner toolkit to the ever-increasing resources available for providers.

We find that the most common reason for failure among learners is if they feel unprepared for the assessment, resulting in a score of less than 25% of the marks. There could be several factors for this, however, it’s crucial that learners are fully prepared for the assessment, and formative assessment is used to assess their overall knowledge and knowledge retention. Our Skills Builder platform can support with this as the Quality Dashboard reporting tool can track the learner’s progression and identify any issues ahead of any final assessment. Book a demo to see how Skills Builder can support your learners.

The chart above shows the first-time pass rates from the previous three uninterrupted sessions for Functional Skills. For maths you can see a steady improvement each year in the pass rates which is a reflection on the great effort made by all parties in the sector to bring improvement in this area.

Results in English Reading varies, and while we have seen a big improvement in Level 2, which is welcomed, we’ve also seen a drop at Level 1. This is something we’ll monitor and review, and we’re already looking at what the data is telling us and collecting feedback from a number of customers.

Results in English Writing is the most consistent of the three assessment areas.

It’s important to note that each type of assessment places different demands on learners. English Reading and Writing assessments present a lot of the information to learners and they then get assessed on how they utilise that information. However, for maths, there is a lot more knowledge recall needed and across a bigger curriculum area, which brings more challenges.

Across the board, online assessment performs better than its paper-based counterpart. It’s important to note that this is less likely to be down to accessibility of the version of assessment but more down to the type of learner who sits the version of assessment. Online assessment is predominantly used by apprentices and work-based learners where we . Online assessments also allow more flexibility for learners as they’re not rushed to start at a set time or date. They also have the flexibility of using our remote invigilation solution.

As with previous years, results for training providers are higher than other types of centres. There are several reasons for this, particularly as it is a driver for apprentices to complete Gateway.