Achieve the numeracy benchmark that opens the door to university, apprenticeships, and professional careers. Functional Skills Maths Level 2 is the GCSE grade C/4 equivalent, accepted for nursing degrees, engineering apprenticeships, and most regulated professions. Studied 100% online; exam sat online from home with remote invigilation.
✓Need to evidence GCSE-equivalent literacy or numeracy for an apprenticeship, university, or job application
✓Are aged 16 or over (most learners are 19+)
✓Need flexible, online, self-paced study around work or family
✓Want a regulated, externally-examined qualification recognised UK-wide
✓Are confident sitting an exam at an approved exam centre
✓Need a faster, more applied alternative to GCSE
Your career after this course
✓You need a face-to-face classroom environment to learn
✓You need an alternative to written exams (consider vocational diplomas instead)
✓You cannot commit 6 to 12 hours of study per week
✓You need to qualify in less than the typical course duration
✓You require traditional weekly classroom teaching
About this qualification
What you'll learn
For a great many adults in the UK, the absence of a maths GCSE at grade 4 is a quiet, persistent obstacle, one that appears on every nursing application form, every apprenticeship gateway, every career-change plan. Functional Skills Maths Level 2 removes that obstacle. It is the formally recognised GCSE equivalent, accepted across universities, the NHS, professional apprenticeships, and the Civil Service, and it is for adults who are ready to demonstrate what they can actually do with numbers.
This is an Ofqual-regulated Level 2 qualification awarded by TQUK (Training Qualifications UK), recognised by the Department for Education and IfATE as equivalent to GCSE Mathematics at grade 4 (C). The qualification covers number and calculation, fractions, decimals, and percentages, ratio and proportion, algebra, statistics and probability, geometry and measures, and problem-solving in real-world contexts. The emphasis is on applying mathematical thinking to practical situations, budgets, data analysis, measurements, and calculations that appear in real working environments.
The course is delivered 100% online at your own pace, with full tutor support throughout. Your tutor provides feedback on practice submissions within 2 working days. Assessment is by external examination, a calculator paper and a non-calculator paper, sat online from home with TQUK remote invigilation. We support you through booking and the technical set-up, no travel to a physical test centre is required. You sit when you are ready.
Functional Skills Maths Level 2 satisfies the numeracy entry requirement for pre-registration nursing degrees (GCSE Maths grade 4 or equivalent required by most universities), engineering and construction apprenticeships at Level 3, accountancy and finance apprenticeships, initial teacher training programmes, and Civil Service entry at executive officer level and above. It is the credential that converts years of practical numeracy into a formal qualification employers can verify.
Many adults who sit Functional Skills Maths Level 2 are discovering that they have been doing GCSE-level maths all their professional lives, calculating margins, reading data, working with spreadsheets, without ever having the qualification to show for it. The online course builds systematically toward the exam standard, with plenty of practice papers and tutor guidance. TQUK on-demand exams are booked and sat online from home, no test centre travel required.
Included in your Lift College subscription, no contract, pause anytime, awarding-body registration and certification fees bundled. Start any day of the year. This qualification suits adults who left school without GCSE maths, career changers who need the numeracy credential to meet a professional entry requirement, and anyone who is one qualification away from the nursing, teaching, or engineering role they are aiming for. Once you have it, no application form can hold you back on numeracy again.
Training Qualifications UKRQF Level 2100% Online8 to 16 weeks4 unitsSelf-paced
Curriculum
What you'll study
4 units across 1 level of study. Portfolio-assessed — no exams.
What you'll need
Entry requirements
You need to be aged 18 or over to enrol.
Confidence working with everyday English (Level 1 standard) before progressing to the Level 2 qualification.
A reliable internet connection, computer or tablet, and basic word-processing skills.
There is no minimum study commitment. As a guide, most learners spend around 6 to 12 hours a week, but you can study more or less based on your own pace and how you feel at the time. The course flexes around your life.
Willingness to attend an approved test centre for the final exam.
Not sure if you qualify?
Our admissions team can talk you through your options.
Functional Skills are externally examined by TQUK. You complete an on-screen calculator test and a non-calculator test, both sat online from home with remote invigilation.
Throughout the course, your tutor reviews practice work and gives feedback within 2 working days. You also have access to mock exam papers, walkthroughs, and a final readiness check before booking your real exam.
Pass / Fail at Level 1 or Level 2. Once passed, your certificate is issued by TQUK and is recognised UK-wide.
01
Portfolio-based
Coursework and a written portfolio. No traditional written exams.
02
Submit online
All assignments submitted through your learner dashboard.
03
Tutor feedback
Detailed feedback in 3 to 5 working days. Refine and resubmit until you reach the grade you want.
04
Graded across units
Pass, Merit or Distinction on each unit. Top grades stack to the highest UCAS point total.
Careers
Where this can take you
Typical roles and salary ranges this qualification opens up.
Apprenticeship Entry
Typical salary range
£12,000 to £20,000 (apprentice)
Most UK apprenticeships require Functional Skills Level 2 in maths (or GCSE grade 4) for entry.
University Entry
Typical salary range
N/A
Most UK degrees require GCSE Maths at grade 4 or equivalent, Functional Skills Level 2 satisfies this requirement.
NHS Healthcare Assistant
Typical salary range
£22,816 to £24,336
NHS Band 2 and 3 roles typically require GCSE maths or Functional Skills Level 2.
Trade Apprentice (Construction, Engineering)
Typical salary range
£12,000 to £25,000 (apprentice)
Construction and engineering apprenticeships require Level 2 maths to evidence the calculation skills used in trade.
Bookkeeper / Trainee Accountant
Typical salary range
£20,000 to £30,000
AAT and apprenticeship routes into accountancy require Level 2 in maths.
Teacher Training Entry
Typical salary range
£31,650+ (post-QTS)
PGCE and BA Education programmes require GCSE maths grade 4, many providers also accept Functional Skills Level 2.
✓Talk to our support team by phone, email or live chat
✓See your progress and next steps on your dashboard
✓Join the learner community forum when you want to chat to others
Funding and finance
✓Pay monthly to spread the cost with no interest
✓Pay in full and save versus monthly
✓No credit checks and no contract. Pause or cancel anytime
✓We can send funding paperwork to your employer if they sponsor you
✓Our enrolment team will talk you through every option
✓14 day money back guarantee on every enrolment
Accreditation and recognition
✓Awarded by a recognised UK awarding body
✓Regulated by Ofqual, the same standard as college courses
✓Accepted by UK universities, employers and professional bodies
✓You get a certificate when you finish
✓Listed on the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications
✓Independently quality checked through IQA and EQA
How it works
✓Start any time. There are no set term dates or cohorts
✓Study at your own pace around work and family
✓No exams. You complete coursework, a portfolio and assignments
✓Resubmit your work at no extra cost to reach the grade you want
✓Use the optional study planner if you like a bit of structure
✓How long you study is entirely up to you. Most learners spend a few hours each week, but you can do more or less based on your own pace
What learners say
Trusted by thousands of learners
Real feedback from learners studying with Lift College.
The flexibility was a game changer for me. I studied around my shifts and my tutor was incredibly supportive throughout.
I was nervous about going back to study after 15 years, but the platform is so easy to use and the feedback I got on assignments was genuinely useful.
Got into my first-choice university with a place on a Nursing BSc. The Access to HE Diploma gave me exactly what I needed.
Good value and well structured. I appreciated that I could resubmit work without extra cost — really helped me improve.
Customer service was excellent. Any time I had a question it was answered within hours. Highly recommend.
I needed a qualification that actually meant something to employers. Ofqual regulation was the deciding factor, and it delivered.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Functional Skills Level 2 in English and maths is recognised by all UK universities, employers, the NHS, the Civil Service, and apprenticeship providers as equivalent to GCSE grade 4 (C). They satisfy the literacy and numeracy entry requirement on most degrees and apprenticeships.
