Language features you should know for Functional Skills (Level 1 & 2)

Functional Skills English at Level 1 introduces students to ways in which writers use language and layout to achieve a specific purpose in their writing, and Level 2 builds upon them.

These techniques are called features of a text and fall into two categories: language features or techniques and organisational features or presentational features.

A text is presented through the language used and the way it is structured (organised). 

Language features and organisational features are used by writers to convey their message to readers; you will need to be able to identify these in your Functional Skills English exam. Learning how to use these features will help you to improve your writing, too.  

Below is a list of language and organisational features. You should make a note of these or create your own glossary so you can refer to.

Language

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of words close together in a sentence that start with the same letter sound, which creates a rhythmic effect and is easy to remember. 

Tech Titans

Analogy 

A comparison to show how one thing is like another to illustrate a point and to explain in more detail. 

Your body is like a car; it needs maintenance and fuel. 

Anecdote 

An anecdote is when a writer uses a short story about a real-life incident to illustrate a point of to make the piece of writing more interesting.

As a teacher, I drill the message to my students that learning is a process and that making mistakes is a natural part of the process. However, there is has been a steady decline in GCSE passes due to students’ fear of failure. 

Command / imperative

Commands are also known as imperative sentences. These types of sentences tell us to do something, so the verb giving the command is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Commands can end with a full stop or exclamation mark depending on the tone of the instruction. 

Shut the door. Get out!

Direct address

Direct address when the writer uses the pronoun ‘you’ or ‘your’ to talk directly to the reader. This is designed to engage the reader in the text.

You know sugar is bad for you, but you can’t help it; you’re addicted. 

Direct speech

The actual words spoken by someone in a sentence, marked by speech marks, inverted commas or quotation marks. 

He said: “It’s too late to file a complaint.”

Emotive language 

Emotive language has a strong emotional effect on the reader. Emotive words such as horrific, brutal etc. are used to dramatize events and create an emotional response.

8-year-old boy was mauled by an evil dog in a horrific attack on his birthday.

Exclamation / exclamatory sentence

Exclamations are words, phrases or sentences which express a strong emotion e.g., shock, surprise, irritation and it can also indicate that the words are expressed in a loud voice. Exclamatory sentences end with an exclamation mark (!)

Get out! 

Hyperbole / exaggeration

Hyperbole is exaggerated language is used to emphasise a point or to create a particular effect such as humour. 

I waited forever to be served. 

No one waits ‘forever’ to be served because it means without end or eternity. So here, it is used to express how long the person waited, which seemed like it would never end. 

Idiom 

Idioms are phrases or figures of speech with a set meaning that is different from the literal meaning of the words. 

My exam was a piece of cake. 

A piece of cake is an idiom that means easy. The writer thinks the exam was easy, not that it was literally a piece of cake.

Informal / colloquial language 

Words, phrases and expressions that are commonly used casually or in conversation and sound like ordinary speech. 

The cost of eggs is an absolute joke. 

Irony

When someone says something that appears to be deliberately opposite of what is meant, which is often used for a humorous effect. 

A person who says their diet is going well while they eat a cheeseburger. 

Metaphor 

A way of describing something by saying that it is something else, to create a vivid image or to convey an idea in a more power

‘All the world’s a stage.’ William Shakespeare

Simile

A simile is a way of describing something by saying it is like something else. Similes use the words ‘as’ or ‘like’ to make the comparison. 

Terror struck them like a storm.

Slang

Words and phrases that are informal, often specific to a particular age group or social group. 

Peng, sick, cool, cheers.

Rule of three / triplet 

The use of a list of three words (verbs, nouns or adjectives), or phrases for emphasis. 

The film was entertaining, funny and ground-breaking. 

It took my blood, sweat and tears to get him to go to school this morning.

Tone / positive or negative language

The mood or feeling of a piece of writing that conveys that also conveys the writer’s viewpoint in non-fiction texts through the choice of words the writer uses. For example, a text can be serious, humorous, light-hearted, conversational and so on. 

Pun / play on words

A play on words or phrases that have several meanings or that sound like another word and are often humorous.

“The Tories do as They Sleaze” (The Private Eye Magazine)

In this example, there is a play on the word ‘please’ which rhymes with ‘sleaze’.

Facts and statistics (numbers, figures and percentages)

Facts and statistics are used as evidence to strengthen an argument or point of view. In addition, they are used to make the writing sound more reliable and authoritative.

Quotes 

Quotes are used to support points and arguments in a text.

According to the Good Childhood Report 48% of teenagers report to be unhappy in the UK. 

Rhetorical question 

A question that does not require an answer and is often used as a persuasive way to make the reader think about an issue or consider a different viewpoint.

Is it right that teachers and nurses are paid so poorly?

Slogan 

A short and memorable phrase used in advertising,

Just Do It

Every Penny Counts

Repetition

The repetition of words or phrases to emphasise an idea or point.

‘…a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from the Earth.’ Barak Obama 2008 Victory Speech

First person

A text written from the point of view (POV) of the writer, using the pronoun ‘I’. It is designed to create a relationship between the reader and the writer. 

Third person

When a text is written using the pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘they,’ to give the writer’s opinion authority and to make it seem trustworthy and objective. 

Organisational features

Texts have different organisational features. They are laid out using different features like headings and subheadings. Organisational features help the reader identify what type of text they are reading. Below is a list of organisational features. 

Headings 

Subheadings

Paragraphs

Bullet points 

Numbered list

Image / picture

Tables

Graphs

Footnote 

Text box

Speech bubble