Paper-based Functional Skills Exam Delivery Calendar

Our Functional Skills Exam Delivery calendar provides the set dates on which paper-based exams can be taken, along with guidance on how centres can schedule paper-based exams. Exams must not be sat on any other date than those specified in the calendar. Maths or English can be sat on either of the dates provided; however, centres MUST do the same subject on the same day.

View the 2023 calendar (PDF).

View the 2024 calendar (PDF).

Important information

A fee of £8 per learner, per exam paper for all Functional Skills paper-based exams is chargeable to all centres, this is in addition to the registration fee. The fee will be applied upon the scheduling of the paper-based exam in XAMS and is non-refundable. Guidance on scheduling paper-based exams is included in the delivery calendar. 

When you have completed all of your exam schedules for a particular exam window, please email [email protected] with the address for these to be dispatched to. VTCT (Skillsfirst) will dispatch paper-based exams to one central address on the Wednesday before the exams are due to take place, via Royal Mail signed for 1pm delivery. This provides time for centres to receive the exam papers and dispatch them to the exam venue if necessary.

In order to maintain the security of the examination papers, ALL papers must be returned to VTCT (Skillsfirst) on the day that the exam takes place, or at the very latest, the next working day – failure to do so will result in a potential delay to the release of the result and could result in a sanction. This includes ALL unused papers

When returning paper-based exams to VTCT (Skillsfirst), we strongly recommend using Royal Mail Special Delivery, signed for by 1pm. This service allows the item to be tracked from the point the item is entrusted to Royal Mail to the point it is received and signed for by VTCT (Skillsfirst). Centres MUST use a form of trackable delivery when returning VTCT (Skillsfirst) exam papers.

For more information, contact our Functional Skills team on 0121 270 5100 (option 1) or email us.