Reading: Types of Sources and Navigating Sources
Reading: Types of Sources and Navigating Sources Revision
Types of Sources and Navigating Sources
You will need to know the difference between complex and straightforward sources.
It will also be important to know how to scan texts for detail, and to use a dictionary.
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Straightforward Sources
Straightforward sources are found most commonly in everyday activities.
They will be written in a clear, concise manner, so that the main points are easily identifiable.
You may also be able to spot them, as they will use mostly familiar, and unspecialised, words.
On the right is an example of a straightforward source:
Sources, such as shopping lists or text messages, are straightforward – these sources are found in normal day-to-day life!
Complex Sources
Complex sources are mostly found in professional settings and are written in a more indirect way, meaning the main points will be harder to identify.
On the right is an example of a complex source:
Sources that contain statistical features, like graphs and charts, are likely to be complex sources. They use lots of specialist words relevant to a particular industry or field, and are composed of many clauses with lots of subjects.
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How to Navigate
Dictionaries can be used to find out what a word means or the spelling of a word.
They also contain more information about a word (word type, pronunciation, origin).
Dictionaries are written in alphabetical order so it is easier to find which word you are wanting to find (A-Z).
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Scanning for Detail
Sometimes it is not necessary to read the whole text to extract the key points.
It is more useful to look for key words which will tell you the most important information.
Reading the question properly will help you to choose the information that is needed.
If in doubt, double check!
For example:
Question:
”What is the capital city of England?”
Answer:
 ‘England has many big cities but the capital is London. I really like London because there are lots of things to do.’
In the above sentence, the answer is highlighted in red.
See how much easier that was to find the right information?
The other information, which is not in red, is not relevant to answering the question.
If there are multiple paragraphs, it is likely that the first paragraph will contain the necessary information.
Other features could guide you to the right information as well:
- Titles
- Captions
- Subheadings
- Charts
- Graphs
- Tables
Additional Resources
Exam Tips Cheat Sheet
FS Level 2Reading: Types of Sources and Navigating Sources Worksheet and Example Questions
Reading: Types of and Navigating Sources L2
FS Level 2NewOfficial PFSRevision Products
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This comprehensive set of 10 Functional Skills English Level 2 Practice Papers (5 reading papers + 5 writing) is a great way to revise for your upcoming reading and writing exams. These papers have been specifically tailored to match the structure, format and question types used by each of the main exam boards for functional skills English.
Functional Skills English Level 2 Pocket Revision Guide
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