Term dates for the College and University Centre academic year 2024/2025 are now available online.
GCSE and
functional skills
If your qualifications are holding you back or are something you’ve always wanted to improve, our suite of GCSE and Functional Skills courses will allow you to benefit from the College’s first-class training facilities and teaching, with small class sizes and an exceptional level of support to help you flourish.
Here to help
We offer GCSE English, Maths and Biology and Levels 1 and 2 Functional Skills in English and Maths to adult learners. Please contact us for further information or advice about your options.
Phone: 01872 308000
Email: ptinfo@truro-penwith.ac.uk
Please note that these courses are aimed at adult learners. If you are a school leaver and didn't achieve a Grade 4 in your English and/or Maths GCSE you will be placed on an appropriate course when you start your studies. Please also note that all GCSE courses have a September start date.
You can also visit mobilemultiply.co.uk to learn more about the Multiply programme, part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) allocated to local authorities to help people improve their maths skills.
Course Information
These courses are delivered across Truro College, Penwith College and the STEM and Health Skills Centre Bodmin.
GCSE courses start in September and are approximately 30 classes across 30 weeks. Functional Skills have various start dates throughout the academic year and the courses range from 3 days to 6 weeks.Â
Please search for 'GCSE' or 'Functional Skills' on our website and apply online. For further help applying please contact our team on 01872 308000 or ptinfo@truro-penwith.ac.uk
Functional Skills ensure that an individual has the basic applied skills in order to solve problems and become a valuable employee. They build the confidence needed to tackle commonly recurring problems in any job role. Functional Skills English qualifications ensure that learners are able to speak, listen, communicate, read and write with increasing clarity, accuracy and effectiveness so that they can prepare for employment. It is also relevant for people in a current role looking to develop their skills resulting in the achievement of a nationally recognised qualification.
Functional Skills ensure that an individual has the basic applied skills in order to solve problems and become a valuable employee. They build the confidence needed to tackle commonly recurring problems in any job role. Functional Skills in Maths enables learners to gain confidence and fluency in mathematics and support them to develop behaviours such as persistence and logical thinking as they apply mathematical tools and approaches. This qualification will test a learners representing, analysing and interpreting skills using numbers, geometry and statistics in realistic contexts.
This course is Edexcel GCSE Biology in one year. The course aims to give students the opportunity to develop their interest in, and enthusiasm for, Biology. Topics covered include: Cell Biology, Genetics, Ecology, Health and Disease, Human Biology and Plant Biology.
We focus on the Edexcel GCSE English Language course. This provides a strong foundation in literacy skills for further academic/vocational study and for employment. The objectives of the Edexcel GCSE (9-1) in English Language are to enable students to: read a wide range of texts fluently and with good understanding, read critically and use knowledge gained from wide reading to inform and improve their own writing, write effectively and coherently using Standard English appropriately, use grammar correctly, punctuate and spell accurately, acquire and apply a wide vocabulary, listen to, understand and use spoken Standard English effectively. Topics covered include: 19th Century Literature, Imaginative Writing, 20th/21st Century Non-Fiction, Transactional Writing and Delivering a Speech.
This is a one-year intensive course leading to a GCSE Mathematics qualification. The course will include three broad topics: Number and Algebra - working with Numbers and the Number System; Fractions, Decimals and Percentages; Ratio and Proportion; the Language of Algebra; Expressions and Equations; Sequences, Functions and Graphs. Geometry and Measures - Properties of Angles and Shapes; Geometrical Reasoning and Calculation; Measures and Construction; Mensuration; Vectors. Statistics and Probability - the Handling Data Cycle; Data Collection; Data Presentation and Analysis; Data Interpretation; Probability. You will need a notebook, pens, pencils, scientific calculator (your course tutor will advise of the best calculator to purchase) and geometry set comprising a ruler, set square, protractor and pair of compasses. A set of text/work books can also be purchased for £10 from the College.
Students are required to have C/4 Grade from Foundation or Higher tier GCSE already and will be required to undertake an assessment. Students without a C/4 GCSE Grade (e.g. O Levels) should sit the Foundation Tier first to obtain the 4 pass Grade.
Unlock your potential with Multiply. Multiply offers free courses, advice, guidance, and support as you embark your mathematical journey. If you are an adult aged 19+ and do not hold a current Maths GCSE at grade C/4 (or equivalent level 2 maths qualification) find out how Multiply can help you. Learn more about Multiply by visiting the website at mobilemultiply.co.uk
