This case study describes England‟s adult basic skills education system, which grew out of reforms that began in 1999 and continue today. This system links nationally recognised qualifications, awarded through assessment tests, to a curriculum that prepares adults to pass those tests. Formative assessment is embedded in a process that helps teachers combine the demands of the national curriculum with the individual needs and aspirations of each learner. This case study describes the system in England; there are differences between the English system and basic skills provision in other parts of the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland).