Life In The UK Test - Free Materials

At 16, young people can leave school or stay on to do A Levels (Higher grades in
Scotland) in preparation for university. Some young people go to their local further
education (FE) college to improve their exam grades or to get new qualifications for a
career. Most courses are free to up to the age of 19. Young people from families on low
incomes can get financial help with their studies when they leave school at 16. This is
called the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Information about this is available
at your local college.

Further education colleges also offer courses to adults over the age of 18. These include
courses for people wishing to improve their skills in English. These courses are called
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). There are also courses for English
speakers who need to improve their literacy and numeracy and for people who need to
learn new skills for employment. ESOL courses are also available in community centres
and training centres. There is sometimes a waiting list for ESOL courses because demand
is high. In England and Wales, ESOL, literacy and numeracy courses are also called
Skills for Life courses. You can get information at your local college or local library or
from learndirect.

Many people join other adult education classes to learn a new skill or hobby and to meet
new people. Classes are very varied and range from sports to learning a musical
instrument or a new language. Details are usually available from your local library,
college or adult education centre.