Essential Digital Skills Level 1: What You Need to Know

Digital skills are no longer optional. Whether you are applying for jobs, managing your finances online, or communicating with colleagues, a baseline level of digital competency is expected in almost every aspect of modern life. Essential Digital Skills Level 1 is the qualification that formally recognises this competency, and understanding what it involves is important for both learners and the providers who support them.

What is the Essential Digital Skills framework?

The Essential Digital Skills Framework, published by the Department for Education, defines the digital capabilities that adults need to participate fully in society and the workplace. It underpins a suite of qualifications regulated by Ofqual and delivered by awarding bodies including City & Guilds, NCFE, and others.

The framework is structured around two levels:

• Entry Level (the Essential Digital Skills Qualification, or EDSQ, at Entry Level) for adults who are just beginning their digital journey
• Level 1 (the Essential Digital Skills Qualification at Level 1) for adults who use technology but need to develop confidence, consistency, and critical awareness

The five domains of Essential Digital Skills Level 1

Level 1 is organised around five domains. Each one covers a distinct area of digital competency, and learners must demonstrate capability across all five to achieve the qualification.

1. Using devices and handling information

This domain covers the practical skills of operating devices and managing digital content. At Level 1, learners are expected to navigate devices independently, manage files and folders, update software, adjust settings, and troubleshoot common problems without requiring step-by-step guidance.

2. Creating and editing digital content

Learners need to create, edit, and format digital content using appropriate applications. This includes producing documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, as well as editing images and using templates. The emphasis is on choosing the right tool for the task and producing content that is clear and fit for purpose.

3. Communicating

Digital communication goes beyond sending an email. Level 1 covers using a range of communication tools, including email, messaging platforms, video conferencing, and collaborative workspaces. Learners should be able to choose the appropriate channel for different situations and manage their digital communications effectively.

4. Transacting

This domain focuses on completing transactions online safely and efficiently. It includes online shopping, banking, filling in forms, booking appointments, and using government services. Learners need to understand how to verify that a website is legitimate and how to protect their personal and financial information during transactions.

5. Being safe and responsible online

Online safety is woven throughout the qualification, but this domain addresses it directly. Learners must understand how to protect their privacy, recognise phishing and scam attempts, manage passwords securely, and behave responsibly in online spaces. At Level 1, the expectation is that learners can assess risks independently and take appropriate action.

How Level 1 differs from Entry Level

The distinction between Entry Level and Level 1 is not simply about knowing more. It is about the degree of independence and critical thinking a learner can apply.

At Entry Level, learners work with structured support. They can follow instructions to complete digital tasks, use a limited range of applications, and recognise basic online safety rules when prompted.

At Level 1, learners are expected to:

• Work independently across multiple devices and applications
• Make decisions about which tools and approaches to use for a given task
• Evaluate information found online, rather than simply locating it
• Solve problems when things go wrong, such as troubleshooting connectivity issues or recovering lost files
• Manage their own online safety proactively, without needing reminders or checklists

This shift from guided participation to independent application is what makes Level 1 a meaningful benchmark for employers and further education providers.

Who needs Essential Digital Skills Level 1?

The qualification is designed for adults who already use digital technology in some capacity but lack the breadth, confidence, or consistency to do so effectively across all five domains. Common groups include:

• Career changers who are moving into roles with higher digital expectations
• Returners to the workforce who may have been away from digital environments for several years
• Apprentices who need to demonstrate digital competency as part of their programme
• Employees in sectors undergoing digital transformation, such as health and social care, retail, or logistics
• Adult learners enrolled in further education programmes that include digital skills as a component

For providers, understanding which learners are ready for Level 1 and which would benefit from Entry Level study first is a critical part of effective programme design. This is where robust initial assessment becomes essential.

How providers can assess readiness

Before enrolling a learner on an Essential Digital Skills Level 1 programme, providers need a clear picture of their current capability across all five domains. A learner who is highly confident with communication tools but struggles with online transactions, for example, has a very different development need from someone who is broadly competent but lacks awareness of online safety practices.

An effective digital skills assessment should:

• Cover all five EDS domains with enough depth to produce reliable domain-level scores
• Identify whether the learner is working at Entry Level or Level 1 in each domain
• Highlight specific areas of strength and areas for development
• Produce clear, exportable results that inform individual learning plans

Adaptive assessment tools are particularly valuable here because they adjust the difficulty of questions based on the learner's responses, producing a more accurate picture in less time. For a deeper look at the EDS framework and how it fits into provider delivery, see our complete guide to Essential Digital Skills.

Why this qualification matters now

The UK government has made digital inclusion a priority. Funding through the Adult Skills Fund supports free digital skills provision for eligible adults, and Ofsted increasingly expects providers to demonstrate how they are identifying and addressing digital skills gaps in their learner populations.

For employers, Essential Digital Skills Level 1 provides a recognised benchmark that confirms an employee or candidate can operate effectively in a digitally enabled workplace. For learners, it opens doors to further qualifications, better employment prospects, and greater confidence in everyday digital interactions.

If you are a provider looking to strengthen your digital skills assessment approach, explore how adaptive initial assessment can help you place learners accurately and evidence progress from day one. Getting the starting point right is the foundation of a successful learner journey.