Having good maths skills is important for everyday life. In fact, you may have never noticed how often you use maths on a day-to-day basis. This free course is an introduction to Level 2 Essential Skills in maths that’s designed to inspire you to improve your current maths skills and help you to remember any areas that you may have forgotten.
Working through the examples and interactive activities in this course will help you to, among other things, calculate how much paint you'll need for decorating, convert currencies or make progress in your career or further education. To complete this
course you will need access to a calculator, a notepad and pen, and a protractor.
Enrolling on this course will give you the opportunity to earn an Open University digital badge. The badge is a great way to demonstrate your interest in the subject. What you learn by completing the course will really help if you wish to enrol on a formal qualification.
Once you are signed in, you can manage your digital badges online from your OpenLearn Profile. In addition, you can download and print your OpenLearn Statement of participation – which also displays your badge.
This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK, investing in communities and place, supporting local business and people and skills. For more information visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The content in the Everyday maths Northern Ireland courses maps the Essential Skills Numeracy curriculum in Northern Ireland and can be used as a helpful resource to prepare you for studying an Essential Skills Numeracy qualification. For information on Essential Skills courses at your local college please visit:
Earn this free Open University digital badge if you complete this course! The badge can be displayed, shared and downloaded as a marker of your achievement. The badge is awarded for completing the course and passing the quizzes.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- understand practical problems, some of which are non-routine
- identify the maths skills you need to tackle a problem
- use maths in an organised way to find the solution you're looking for
- use appropriate checking procedures at each stage
- explain the process you used to get an answer and draw simple conclusions from it.
First Published: 10/01/2025