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Literacy

Answer

The 2011 Skills for Life survey provides an estimate of adult literacy levels for people aged between 16 and 65 years old in England, based on fieldwork conducted between May 2010 and February 2011. The headline findings of the survey were published in December 2011.¹ The survey results show that 14.9% (5.1 million) of people had a literacy level below level 1. Level 1 is viewed as the level required to be ‘functionally literate’, the level needed to get by in life and at work², and so people below this level could be defined as having a low level of literacy. Level 1 is equivalent to GCSE grades D-G. Adults with skills below level 1 can read or write, but their skills may be limited, for example, they may not be able to read bus or train timetables.

The 2011 Skills for Life survey also provided Small Area modelled estimates³ for sub-regional geographies. This analysis provides estimates of the proportion and number of people above and below the ‘functional literacy’ threshold (i.e. National Qualification Framework Level 1) for sub-regional geographies in England. The smallest geographical area reported in this analysis are middle-layer super output areas—these are small areas of consistent size (of about 7,200 people) used for the collection and reporting of small area statistics by the Office for National Statistics.

The recent OECD Survey of Adult Skills, published in 2013, based on fieldwork August 2011 and March 2012, included estimates of UK literacy levels, based on England and Northern Ireland (Scotland and Wales did not participate in the survey). National reports for England and Northern Ireland⁴ based on the OECD survey note that 17% of adults in England had low proficiency in literacy (i.e. at or below the OECD level 1 in literacy, roughly equivalent to below NQF level 1 literacy), compared to 18% in Northern Ireland.¹ TNS-BMRB and AlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd. (2011) “2011 Skills for Life survey: headline findings”, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, BIS research paper 57. Available online at:

http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/0-9/11-1367-2011-skills-for-life-survey-findings.pdf

accessed on 7 May 2014.² As defined in the Leitch review of skills. See Leitch, S. (2006) “Prosperity for All in the Global Economy—world class skills”, available online at:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/6/4/leitch_finalreport051206.pdf

accessed on 7 May 2014: page 61-62.³ Available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/2011-skills-for-life-survey-small-area-estimation-data

accessed on 6 February 2014.⁴ NFER (2013) The International Survey of Adult Skills: adult literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills in England, BIS research report 139. Available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246534/bis-13-1221-international-survey-of-adult-skills-2012.pdf

accessed on 7 May 2014; NFER (2013) The International Survey of Adult Skills: adult literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills in Northern Ireland, Department for Employment and Learning. Available online at:

http://www.delni.gov.uk/international-survey-adult-skills-2012.pdf

accessed on 7 May 2014.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

197792; 580 cc312-3W

Session

2013-14

Transferred

Yes

Subjects

Literacy

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk