What will I learn?
You will increase your confidence in English and develop your speaking and listening skills whilst working towards an ESOL Skills for Life qualification at an appropriate level for you. This will help you gain the necessary skills that may be required for employment, further education and day-to-day life in the UK. By the end of this course, you will be able to: - Apply correct language to obtain information in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. - Make relevant contributions to discussions. - Listen and follow the gist of explanations, instructions and narratives.

What will I need to take part?
We recommend that you bring a notepad and pen to the lessons. Resources will be provided in Google Classroom. If this is an online course, a laptop, PC or tablet and a stable internet connection will be needed.

What to expect?
ESOL courses are mixed levels ranging from Entry 1 to Entry 3. You will complete an initial assessment to make sure you work towards a level that is right for you. Each course consists of two 2-hour lessons each week and lasts for approximately 11 weeks. You will progress faster if you complete all your homework and practice as much as you can at home. You will be expected to attend classes regularly and commit to attending and taking an exam at the end of the unit. If you are doing an online course, you will be sent the Google Classroom joining information and the link for the live video lessons by email, prior to the start date of the course.

Where can it lead to?
You could progress to the next ESOL unit, and once you have completed all 3 units: Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing, you could move up a level. Once you have achieved a full Entry 3 qualification, you could progress to an English Functional Skills course at Level 1 and then Level 2. This ESOL course is accredited by City & Guilds for learners starting from September 2026. For returning learners, units will continue to be accredited by Gateway Qualifications. Information, advice and guidance on further learning and progression will be available during the course.

Course eligibility and fees
This adult learning course may be fully funded or co-funded through the Adult Skills Fund. To be considered for funding, you will usually need to be: - aged 19 or over on 31st August in the funding year - resident in England, outside a devolved adult skills funding area. - ordinarily resident in the UK on the first day of learning. - Able to provide evidence of your identity, residency, prior qualifications and where relevant, benefits or income. If you are unemployed, receive benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Universal Credit or other state benefits, or if you are working and earn below £26,800 per year you may qualify for full funding. If you are fully funded, your course will be free. If you are co-funded, you will need to pay a partial 50% course fee. If you are not eligible for public funding, including some international students or people not ordinarily resident in the UK, you will need to pay the full course fee. Asylum seekers may be eligible for funding in some circumstances, including where they have lived in the UK for 6 months or longer while their claim is being considered, or where they receive certain types of local authority support. We will check this with you at enrolment. If you are co-funded or not eligible for public funding, your first exam attempt will be included in the course fee. Any subsequent resits will incur an additional fee, which must be paid before the exam is booked. These requirements are not exhaustive, and other conditions may apply for more information or to see whether you may qualify contact Adult Learning Northants or fill out our Online Eligibility Checker tool to see whether you might qualify - https://forms.office.com/e/Wv2Mb9nSz6 Funding is subject to eligibility checks and course availability.