BDA Blogs - Functional Skills Qualifications: the route too many parents only hear about after GCSE failure

I am writing this guest post as a parent with children who have dyslexia, and also as the founder of Fairer Exams, because I know how confusing the system can feel when your child is struggling with GCSE English or maths.

Many parents of dyslexic children are told the same thing again and again: they just need to keep resitting. Try again. Work harder. Do another year. Do another paper.

But there is already another qualification that tests English and maths in a different way. It is called Functional Skills, and it is a GCSE equivalent when taken at level 2. Too many families only find out about it after years of stress, failure and damage to confidence. Some never find out at all.

What are Functional Skills?

Functional Skills are English and maths qualifications that assess practical, real-life skills.
Instead of asking whether a young person can cope with a traditional GCSE paper, Functional Skills ask whether they can use English and maths in everyday situations. That might include understanding information, writing clearly, solving practical problems, working with numbers, reading instructions or communicating ideas.

Functional Skills exist at different levels. Level 2 Functional Skills in English and maths is widely treated as equivalent to a GCSE grade 4 or C for many college courses, apprenticeships, jobs and training routes.

That does not mean every course or employer accepts it automatically, so parents should always check the exact entry requirements. But for many young people, Functional Skills can be the qualification that finally opens the door.

Why might Functional Skills suit a dyslexic learner?

Dyslexic children are not less capable. But many are disadvantaged by the way traditional exams are designed.
A child may understand the skill being tested but struggle with dense wording, memory load, speed, processing, handwriting, spelling, or the way a question is presented. For some young people, GCSE English and maths become less about what they know and more about whether they can survive the format.

Functional Skills can be a better fit because the assessment is more applied and purposeful. It is still a proper qualification. It is still regulated. It still requires preparation. But it can feel more relevant, more practical and more accessible for some learners.
At Fairer Exams, we often say: same child, different format, different outcome.

Why does this matter?

Because the current system is leaving too many young people feeling like failures.
Each year, large numbers of young people leave school without a grade 4 in GCSE English or maths. For dyslexic learners and many young people with SEND, the odds are even worse.

Once they move into college or post-16 education, many are required to keep resitting GCSE English or maths. But the pass rates for GCSE resits remain very low. In 2025, only 19.7% of 17 to 19-year-olds resitting GCSE English achieved a grade 4 or above, and only 15.3% passed GCSE maths. By contrast, Functional Skills Level 2 pass rates are much higher. 

Fairer Exams uses the national picture of around 6 in 10 learners passing Functional Skills maths and around 8 in 10 passing Functional Skills English. This is not about lowering standards. It is about recognising that one exam format does not work for every learner.

How can parents access Functional Skills?

There are several possible routes.

Some schools and colleges offer Functional Skills, but not all do. Parents can ask the school, college or sixth form directly whether Functional Skills English and maths are available, at what level, and whether their child can be entered.

Some further education colleges, adult education providers and independent training providers also offer Functional Skills.

There are also online providers that offer Functional Skills courses and exams. If you use an online provider, make sure the qualification is Ofqual-regulated and check that the exam will be accepted by the college, apprenticeship, employer or course your child wants to move on to.

It is also worth asking:
Can my child take Level 1 first if Level 2 feels too big a jump?
Is the exam online or paper-based?
How quickly can they sit the exam?
Will this qualification be accepted for the course or apprenticeship they want?

The most important thing is to check before paying for anything. Ask the destination provider, not just the exam provider.

What are the current rules?

At the moment, young people who do not achieve GCSE grade 4 in English or maths usually have to continue studying English and maths post-16. Students with a grade 3 are generally expected to resit GCSE. Students with a grade 2 or below may be able to study Functional Skills Level 2 instead.

This is one of the biggest problems. A young person with a grade 3 may be close to a GCSE pass, but that does not mean another GCSE resit is the right route for them. For some dyslexic learners, the issue is not effort or ability. It is the format.

Functional Skills should not be treated as the hidden option after repeated failure. It should be offered earlier, clearly and without stigma.

What is Fairer Exams asking for?

Fairer Exams is not asking to scrap GCSEs. We are asking for a fairer system inside English and maths, so more young people can show what they can do.

Our campaign is asking the government to:

• Make Functional Skills available earlier, including from Year 10 where appropriate.
• Give Functional Skills equal weight in league tables, so schools are not discouraged from offering it.
• Allow young people, especially those with SEND or repeated exam failure, to access an applied route instead of being forced through the same GCSE resit cycle.
• Build the strengths of Functional Skills into GCSE Foundation English and maths, so students can still work towards a GCSE but through a more practical, accessible assessment pathway.
• Involve SEND specialists and neurodivergent learners in exam design, so accessibility is considered from the start.

This is about fairness. It is about standards that measure the skill, not the struggle with the format.

A message to parents

If your dyslexic child has failed GCSE English or maths, it does not mean they are not bright. It does not mean they have not worked hard. It does not mean they are out of options.

Ask about Functional Skills.

• Ask whether Level 2 would be accepted for their next step.
• Ask whether there is a route that protects their confidence while still helping them gain the qualification they need.

Many parents only discover Functional Skills after their child has already been through years of unnecessary shame. We want that to change.  At Fairer Exams, we believe young people are more than a grade. We believe the system should give them more than one narrow way to prove they have the English and maths skills they need for life, work and further study.
For more information about the campaign, visit www.fairerexams.co.uk or follow us on Instagram at @FairerExams.

Sources for the key stats: FE Week reported 2025 GCSE resit pass rates of 19.7% for English and 15.3% for maths among 17 to 19-year-olds. The government’s 16 to 19 funding guidance says students with grade 2 or below can study towards Functional Skills Level 2, while grade 3 students are generally expected to continue GCSE. Ofqual’s Functional Skills Qualifications outcomes data shows that, across assessments taken between 2021 Q4 and 2024 Q4, Level 2 Functional Skills maths had a pass rate of 61.3%, while Level 2 Functional Skills English reading and writing combined had a pass rate of 80.0%.