02 Mar 2021
Key Facts
Qualification purpose
Prepare for further learning or training and/or develop knowledge and/or skills in a subject area
Qualification Grading Type
Pass
Assessment Methods
Why choose this qualification?
The Essential Digital Skills Qualifications have been designed to meet the content, conditions and requirements set out by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation that regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.
The content of the qualifications is based on the National standards for essential digital skills April 2019 (reference: DfE-00082-2019) and covers 5 skills areas:
- Using devices and handling information
- Creating and editing
- Communicating
- Transacting
- Being safe and responsible online.
The qualifications are appropriate for adults (19+) across a wide range of settings.
The qualifications have been developed in collaboration with FE colleges, private skills/training providers, adult community learning providers and digital skills experts.
Resits
Resits are charged at £18 per attempt.
Rules of Combination
In order to achieve this qualification, learners are required to successfully complete the online assessment.
Units
In order to achieve this qualification, learners are required to successfully complete the online assessment.
Gateway Qualifications Level 1 in Essential Digital Skills
What is the purpose of this qualification?
The qualifications have the following purposes:
• to enable learners to develop the digital skills they need for life, work, or further study as set out in the National standards for essential digital skills
• to provide reliable evidence of learners’ attainment in relation to the National standards for essential digital skills.
At entry 3 the focus will be on developing skills for life and introducing learners to skills for work. At level 1 the focus will be more on skills for work with a secondary focus on skills for life.
What skills, knowledge, or understanding does this qualification develop?
The content of the qualifications is based on the National standards for essential digital skills April 2019 (reference: DfE-00082-2019) and covers 5 skills areas :
1. Using devices and handling information
2. Creating and editing
3. Communicating
4. Transacting
5. Being safe and responsible online
The qualifications are appropriate for adults across a wide range of settings.
The qualifications have been developed in collaboration with FE colleges, private skills/training providers, adult community learning providers and subject matter experts.
Progression & entry requirements
No previous formal qualifications are required for entry to these qualifications. Learners should normally have English skills at the level below their chosen qualification. The DfE national standards in essential digital skills acknowledges that some adults may need support to handle and use digital devices for the first time and learn the following foundation skills before enrolling on an entry level course. • Turning on a device (including entering and updating any account information safely, such as a password) • Using the available controls on a device (such as a mouse and keyboard for a computer, or touchscreen on a smartphone or tablet) • use of accessibility tools (including assistive technology) to make devices easier to use (such as changing display settings to make content easier to read) • Interacting with the home screen on a device • Connecting to the internet (including Wi-Fi) safely and securely, and opening a browser • Opening and accessing an application on a device. Centres should carry out a initial assessment of each learner prior to the start of the qualification to identify their current digital skills capabilities and areas for development.Funding information
Learning Aims Search
The Hub provides a Learning Aims Search which you can use to check the funding status of any qualification or unit.
View this qualification on the ESFA’s Hub website
From 1st July 2021, the Hub will be replaced by a new Find a learning aim (FALA) service. This service is currently in BETA so if you experience any issues with finding funding details, please double check on the Hub above, or contact your account manager.
View this qualification on the ESFA’s Find a learning aim website
How to find a learning aim
If you’re not sure how to use the new find a learning aim website, we’ve created a handy walkthrough to help you:
How to Use: Find a learning Aim
We have done our best to collate and summarise the key information, and wherever possible we alert our providers to changes in funding policy.
This funding information is provided in good faith and it is always advisable to check directly with the funding agencies before committing to delivery.
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 New -a quick checklist to help you ensure you have everything in place to begin delivering EDSQ.
EDSQ Surpass Quick Start Guide for Centres New – 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 New
- How to Obtain Key Codes for Candidates and Download Invigilation Packs from Surpass New
- How to Run and Invigilate Assessments using Surpass New
- How to Mark Assessments in Surpass New
- How to Internally Quality Assure in Surpass New
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. Dates for each session are available in our EDSQ Webinar Calendar. Staff at approved centres can book a place by logging in to Prism and following the links on the full version of the EDSQ Webinar Calendar which is available in the Quality and Delivery Guidance pack on the Documents tab of the qualification pages.
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 you up and running with EDSQ.
EDSQ Open Forum – Drop in to an Open Forum webinar for answers to all your marking and moderating queries, plus any other questions you may have.
If you’re not yet an approved Centres for EDSQ, you can find out more by attending one of our 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 New – 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.
- 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 website of free online courses, built by Good Things Foundation, to help people develop their digital skills.
- The Planner Tool – Designed by Good Things Foundation to be used at the start of self-guided learning, the Planner Tool helps a learner identify their own strengths, areas of interest and areas for development of digital skills.
- Make It Click (Level 1) – Make It Click features free courses, tools and templates that you can trust. You can learn new apps, improve the skills you already have and take a positive step forward in your work.
- Remote Support Delivery Support – Resources to help Centres offer, or continue to offer, remote learning.
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.