Functional Skills Qualifications (FSQ) outcomes




This interactive visualisation shows data on reformed Functional Skills Qualifications (FSQs) in English and maths at Level 1 and Level 2 taken by students in England.

Use the tabs to show FSQ English or FSQ maths. Use the selections to show data for each qualification level and different student age groups.











FSQ English includes a third assessment not displayed here: Speaking, Listening and Communicating. No accurate data on this assessment is currently available. Please see the Questions & Answers tab for more information.












Download all data

For any feedback on these graphs, please contact [email protected].

Return to the Ofqual Analytics home page.

If you need an accessible version of this information to meet specific accessibility requirements, please email [email protected] with details of your request.

This interactive visualisation shows data on the number of reformed Functional Skills Qualifications (FSQs) awarded and student outcomes from October 2021 (Quarter 4, 2021) onwards. The data is for FSQ English and FSQ maths at level 1 and level 2. It only covers students in England.

  • The graph on the left shows the number of FSQ qualifications awarded in each individual quarter, and in each 12 months to quarter end period.
  • The graph on the right shows the number of students who have taken an FSQ assessment between October 2021 (Q4 2021) and the latest available quarter. Student outcomes are shown as the percentage of students who have achieved a pass result in any of their attempts at the assessment during that period.

You can use the drop-down selections to change the data in both graphs. You can choose to show data for each qualification level (level 1 or level 2) and for different student age groups (all students, students aged up to 18 years, students aged 19 years or older). Using the tabs you can switch between data for FSQ English and FSQ maths.

A quarter is a 3 month period. A year is split into four quarters:

  • Q1: 1 January to 31 March
  • Q2: 1 April to 30 June
  • Q3: 1 July to 30 September
  • Q4: 1 October to 31 December

A 12 months to quarter end period includes the current quarter, and the three previous quarters.

Most awarding organisations offer FSQ assessments on-demand and award qualifications all year round.

Regulated qualifications are assigned a level from entry level through to level 8 broadly indicating the relative level of demand of the qualification. Levels are assigned by the qualification’s awarding organisation with reference to Ofqual’s published level descriptors .

This interactive visualisation includes data on reformed Functional Skills Qualifications in English and maths at level 1 and level 2.

Reformed FSQs were first made available from September 2019. During the COVID 19 pandemic FSQ assessments did not take place and some students were instead awarded  Centre Assessed Grades .

This interactive visualisation presents data from October 2021 onwards.  This data includes a small number of qualifications that were awarded based on Centre Assessed Grades. FSQs in English and maths are predominantly taken on demand and qualifications are awarded all year round.

More details on reformed Functional Skills Qualifications can be found in the requirements and guidance for Functional Skills qualifications and in the review of the assessment of reformed Functional Skills Qualifications in English and maths .

This interactive visualisation only includes students in England. The data shown in the left graph includes only students who have passed FSQ English or FSQ maths at qualification level between October 2021 (Q4 2021) and the latest available quarter. The data shown in the right graphs only includes students who have taken at least one FSQ English or FSQ maths assessment at level 1 or level 2 between October 2021 (Q4 2021) and the latest available quarter.

This interactive visualisation allows you to view data for all students or for two student age groups:

  • students who are up to 18 years old
  • students who are 19 years or older

Data for the two age groups does not add up exactly to the data for “all students” because there are a small number of students who could not be assigned to an age group.

Within these age groups, there is significant diversity. FSQs in English and maths are currently taken by apprentices (both 16- to 18-year-olds and adults), students who have not obtained a grade 3 or above in English and/or maths at GCSE, and adults seeking to improve their skills for the workplace, amongst others. FSQs are taken by a diverse cohort of students for a wide range of purposes. For example, these qualifications can play an important role for students in prison, as well as those with special educational needs and disabilities.

The graphs on the right show the percentage of students who have achieved a pass result between October 2021 (Quarter 4, 2021) and the latest available quarter.

The data is presented at the individual student level. You can see, of those students attempting FSQs assessments since October 2021, the percentage of students that have passed the assessment or qualification. This means that a student’s best result is used if they have sat any of the assessments multiple times. The percentage of students passing the assessment or qualification at the individual student level, as shown here, will be higher than if outcomes were presented for every assessment attempt.

For FSQ maths, student outcomes are shown at qualification level. FSQ maths comprises a single component. Passing this component is equivalent to passing the qualification. For some awarding organisations, this component includes multiple assessments.

FSQ English comprises 3 components: reading, writing, and speaking, listening and communicating. Student outcomes are shown at component level for reading and writing (see Q8 regarding the speaking, listening and communicating component). Assessments for the different components can be taken at different times and can individually be re-taken. To pass the qualification, all components must be passed.

For FSQ English, outcomes are shown for the reading and writing components and for students who have taken both of these components. No data is shown for the speaking, listening and communicating component. This is because the speaking, listening and communicating component is internally assessed and centres may not submit fail attempts. Centres also only tend to submit pass attempts for the speaking, listening and communicating component once a student has also passed the reading and writing components and can be awarded the qualification. As a result, no accurate data on the number of students attempting assessments in the speaking, listening and communicating component is currently available.  

To be awarded FSQ English, students need to pass assessments for all 3 components: reading, writing, and speaking, listening and communicating. In the time period covered in the data, students may have taken assessments in any or all components and achieved a pass result in any, all or none of the components.  

Data on FSQ outcomes is sent to Ofqual twice a year by awarding organisations. Note that the figures here may differ slightly to those published in our vocational and other qualifications quarterly report due to different reporting requirements.

In the data used in this visualisation, numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 in line with the Ofqual statistics: rounding policy.

We are publishing this data so that students, schools, policy makers and other stakeholders can easily access and explore information on qualifications and outcomes.


For any feedback on these graphs, please contact [email protected].

Return to the Ofqual Analytics home page.

If you need an accessible version of this information to meet specific accessibility requirements, please email [email protected] with details of your request.