Written question asked by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Wednesday, 11 January 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 16 January 2012. It was answered by Nick Gibb (Conservative) on Monday, 6 February 2012 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Literacy: Children

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of 15-year-olds who are functionally illiterate.

Answer: ““Functional illiteracy”” is usually defined as an inability to read or write well enough to deal with the everyday requirements of life. We do not collect information specifically on functional illiteracy.In 2011, 28.6% of 15-year-olds (240,598 pupils) did not achieve English skills at Level 2—that is, GCSE English grades A*-C or the equivalent levels in functional skills, key skills or basic skills.Within that total, 4.8% of 15-year-olds (30,407 pupils) did not achieve English skills at Level 1—that is, GCSE English grades D-G or equivalent.

Secondary information