To support the delivery of Essential Digital Skills Qualifications, we have developed a wide range of resources. These include teaching and learning resources, support and guidance with administrating, assessing and marking EDSQ, detailed guides and instructions for meeting assessment and quality assurance requirements, access to diagnostic tools and mock assessments, links to other useful websites and more…
Key links
Teaching Resources – sample document (Full versions available in Prism for approved centres)
Frequently Asked Questions about EDSQ
Teaching resources
We have developed free teaching resources to support the delivery of Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQ) at Entry 3 and Level 1 and develop digital skills for learners working below Entry 3.
They provide a structured, blended approach to the delivery of EDSQ for face-to-face, remote delivery, or a mixture of both. The teaching and learning activities can be adapted to meet the diverse needs and profile of learners. Where applicable we have suggested, alternative approaches to the delivery of knowledge and skills.
The teaching resources are divided into five units that reflect the five digital skill strands of the national standards for essential digital skills.
There are two guides for each unit: one that covers Entry 3 and the other Level 1. Each guide identifies the relevant EDSQ standards and skills statements, and the content reflects the amplification in the standards. The guides include tutor-led and independent learning activities along with checklists to assess skill development and progress, exemplar answers and marking guidance.
The variety of teaching and learning activities and signposting to online content covers the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills required for learners to meet the standards and to help prepare them for the mock and live assessments on Surpass.
These resources are available free of charge to Centres approved for Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQ) with Gateway Qualifications. They can be downloaded from Prism and can be found on the “Documents” tab of the relevant qualification.
Download a free sample document for a taster of the resources
Getting Started with EDSQ
Guides and support to help Centres get up and running with Essential Digital Skills.
Written guidance
EDSQ Centre Checklist – a quick checklist to help you ensure you have everything in place to begin delivering EDSQ.
EDSQ Surpass Quick Start Guide for Centres – a handy guide providing an overview of the key steps you need to take to assess, mark and quality assure Essential Digital Skills on our external assessment platform, Surpass.
External assessment guidance – Step-by-step instructions on how to use Surpass.
How-To Videos
Step-by-step videos demonstrating how to perform the most common tasks in Surpass:
- How to Schedule an Assessment in Surpass
- How to Obtain Key Codes for Candidates and Download Invigilation Packs from Surpass
- How to Run and Invigilate Assessments using Surpass
- How to Mark Assessments in Surpass
- How to Internally Quality Assure in Surpass
How to Obtain EDSQ Results Through The Results Report:
Live Webinar Support
Additional live webinars are available exclusively to approved Centres. These run regularly throughout the year, and each one is hosted by a senior member of our Quality team. Approved EDSQ Centres can book a place on a webinar here.
Delivering and Assessing EDSQ – This webinar is for assessors and IQAs and we introduce resources and standardise marking at both levels.
Quick Start to EDSQ – This half-hour onboarding webinar will help you get up and running with EDSQ.
If you’re not yet an approved Centre for EDSQ, you can find out more by catching up on our latest Essential Guide to Essential Digital Skills webinars, or by contacting us.
Exclusive guidance for Centres approved to deliver our EDSQs
The following resources are available for approved Centres through Prism:
- EDSQ Teaching Resources – Full versions of teaching resources to support the delivery at Entry 3 and Level 1 and develop digital skills for learners working below Entry 3. A sample resource document can be found here.
- Centre Guide – This guide is for all involved in the delivery and assessment of Entry Level 3 and Level 1 Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQ). It provides information and guidance on meeting the assessment and quality assurance requirements for this suite of qualifications.
- Instructions for the Conduct of EDSQ Assessments – This outlines the requirements for running EDSQ assessments in one document.
- Glossary of Terms – This glossary has been developed to give the learner the key vocabulary that they need when developing their digital skills.
- Surpass Candidate Guide – This guide gives learners an overview of how to access and navigate the assessment.
- Surpass Guide for Centres – This guide gives you the centre an overview of how to book assessments, mark and carry out internal quality assurance.
- Standardisation Materials – This zip file contains everything you need to be able to carry out standardisation activities within your centre; including sample answers, sample marking, and mark schemes.
- Mock Assessments (paper versions) – These are paper versions of the mock assessments which will allow you to use the various tasks or knowledge questions as teaching materials, either remotely or face to face.
- Mock Assessment Mark Schemes – These accompany the mock assessments and will allow you to mark work.
The following resources are available for registered EDSQ learners approved Centres through Surpass:
- Mock Assessments (online versions) – These mock assessments allow the learners to familiarise themselves with the assessment platform, they also allow centres to familiarise themselves with the marking procedures.
- Mock Assessment Mark Schemes – These accompany the mock assessments and will allow you to mark work.
External Resources
The following websites provide some useful activities, resources and support for EDSQ.
Please note Gateway Qualifications is not responsible for the content of third-party websites, some sites may require registration or make a charge for access to some content.
bksb – one of the UK’s most popular online learning platforms. Last year, over 1.5 million learners used their online assessments and learning resources to improve their skills in English, maths and digital skills. Having been mapped to the Essential Digital Skills Framework, their latest course introduces students to the digital world, from using everyday devices to solving technical issues. Covering five topic areas at both Entry Level and Level One, bksb’s diagnostic assessment and comprehensive learning resources contain everything your learners will need, including videos, interactive activities and jargon-busting glossaries. The bksb eLearning platform identifies a current working level and skill gaps specific to each learner, then offers engaging learning content that can be accessed anywhere, at any time. It supports colleges, training and apprenticeship providers with powerful reporting data for Ofsted and funding requirements.
Education & Training Foundation – In 2019, DfE commissioned the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) to deliver the start of a blended CPD programme to prepare teachers, trainers and leaders to deliver the new qualifications based on the national standards for Essential Digital Skills.
Good Things Foundation – The following resources have been developed by Good Things Foundation, a social change charity aiming to help people improve their lives through digital.
- Learn My Way (Entry Level) – Learn My Way is a free online learning platform that helps people gain basic digital skills and improve their confidence to make the most of our online world. Learn My Way is packed with over 100 bite-sized topics that are suitable for beginners who have no or low digital skills. Topics cover subjects from the basics of starting to use a device through to using technology for social and financial inclusion. The platform is flexible and allows people to learn their own way; whether it’s on a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile. Learners can pick and choose which topics they’d like based on their digital needs and learning goals.
Online Shopping Activity – This instructional YouTube video walks you through how to set up a shopping activity for your learners using Google Forms.
Webinars
We regularly host webinars exploring a range of topics of interest to those running Essential Digital Skills.
Topics have included an introduction to Essential Digital Skills, in-depth looks at using the teaching resources, tips on how to build a fundable offer for digital skills and progression options from EDSQ, and first-hand accounts from Centres on how they have integrated the qualifications into their curriculum.