For aCLS coordinator, illiteracy referent, integration manager, director of CCAS, France Travail advisor, ARS or departmental council, these sheets allow you toquickly identify the territories and populations most at risk of illiteracyat the infra-departmental level. They are directly used toprioritise actions (training, mediation, identification, outreach)and toargue for funding or advocacywith decision-makers.
The100 departmental sheets from ANLCIare adecision-making tool, very recent, whichlocalises the risks of illiteracy at the level of intercommunalities.
Each sheet combinesmaps, indicators, and local analysisto enable thepublic and associative actorsofprioritising territories, adjusting their actions and structuring an advocacy.
The resource isscientifically robust and operationally useful, particularly foremployment, training, social, medico-social and health professionalswho wish to integrate the issue ofbasic skillsinto their projects.
1. ANALYTICAL SUMMARY
1.1. Context and issues: mapping an invisible risk
The sheets start from an observation:3.7 million adults in metropolitan France and overseas are in a situation of illiteracy, often invisible in traditional local statistics. The document responds to a strong demand forprecise local data, by proposing for each department acharacterisation of the risk of illiteracy at the level of intercommunalities (EPCI). The analyses are based on thecross-referencing of several indicators(poverty, schooling, reading difficulties of young people at the Defence and Citizenship Day, employment, age, etc.) and link them toterritorial dynamics(rural, urban, popular districts, hyper-rural areas, overseas). These sheets primarily targetpublic actors (State, Regions, Departments, intercommunalities), but alsoemployment, training, integration operators, associative networks and researchers, to inform their diagnostics and action plans.
1.2. Operational contributions: a local decision-making aid tool
Each sheet provides avisual and quantitative summary in 4 pages: mapping of thecumulative risk factors, table ofkey indicators, focus onpriority intercommunalitiesandanalysis of local issuesco-developed with the regional mission officers of the ANLCI. The whole allows forlocalising areas where the risk of illiteracy is highest, toobjectively assess needsand todirect resources(detection, support, training actions) towards the living areas where they will be most useful. The sheets constitute acommon reference basefor territorial diagnostics (CLS, city contracts, PRIC, departmental strategies, regional training plans, etc.), facilitating dialogue between actors and the construction ofintersectoral strategiesto combat illiteracy.
2. KEY POINTS OF THE DOCUMENT
(The page numbers refer to the typical structure of the ANLCI sheets, illustrated by the departmental sheet of Maine-et-Loire and associated presentations).
A harmonised national methodological framework (p. 1)
Each sheet begins with aeditorial and a presentation of the method, recalling the sources (Insee surveys, JDC data, social indicators, etc.) and the limitations of measuring illiteracy at this scale. The ANLCI emphasises that the maps do not count illiterate people butcharacterise “at-risk territories”, based on a range of cross-referenced indicators.
A mapping of the accumulation of risk factors by intercommunal area (p. 2)
The second page of each sheet presents adepartmental mapthat classifies intercommunal areas according to theirlevel of accumulation of illiteracy risk factors(from lowest to highest). This cartographic approach allows for the immediate identification ofpriority areas, to visualise theintra-departmental contrastsand to cross-reference these areas with other policies (urban policy, rurality, priority neighbourhoods…).
Key indicators to objectify vulnerabilities (p. 2–3)
The sheets gatherquantitative indicatorsrelated topoverty, to thelevel of education, to thesituation in the labour market, to theresults of young people at the JDCor even to thelocal demographics, according to the data available for each territory. The aim is to provide aquantified profilerisk factors (and not just a general comment), useful for diagnostics, calls for projects, and justifying action priorities.
A qualitative analysis of local issues built with the field (p. 3–4)
Each sheet includes aanalysis of departmental issues, written with the support of theregional mission officers of the ANLCIwho know the local dynamics. This section highlights theprofiles of particularly exposed audiences(young people who have left school without qualifications, adults distanced from employment, people in precarious situations, isolated rural areas, disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods, etc.) and thespecific challenges(insufficient training provision, difficulties in identification, language barriers, mobility…).
A tool for guiding public policies and partnerships (p. 4)
The last pages offer somesuggestions for use: the sheets are designed as adecision-making aidtotarget actions, guide thetraining resources, adjust thedepartmental and regional strategiesand feed into thelocal advocacy. They are explicitly intended for thestate services, local authorities, employment and training operators, integration structures, and researchers, in order to promote a common language and shared priorities.
3. ACTION POINTS FOR LOCAL ACTORS
Systematically integrate the departmental sheet into territorial diagnostics (p. 1–2)
For aLocal Health Contract, a city contract, a social project for the territory or a PRIC, use the departmental map of cumulative risk factors toidentify the 'red' or 'priority' intercommunalitiesand integrate them astarget areasof the action plan. Cross-reference this map with other local data (health indicators, poverty, mobility, service provision) in order to build a shared diagnosis.
Target detection and basic training actions on the most exposed intercommunalities (p. 2–3)
Based on the ranking of intercommunalities according to their level of risk, prioritise thedetection actions (outreach, identification in reception structures, social mediation)and thebasic skills trainingtowards the highest risk areas. This directly concernsFrance Travail, Local Missions, integration structures, training organisations, social centres, local associations.
Articulate literacy policies with other inclusion policies (p. 3–4)
Qualitative analyses highlight the links between illiteracy,social precariousness, distance from employment, mobility difficultiesordigital divide. Local actors can rely on these sheets tosystematically integrate the dimension of 'basic skills'into projects forcombating poverty, preventing exclusion, access to rights, health, urban policy, by co-constructing intersectoral actions (social, health, employment, community education).
Use the sheets as a tool to mobilise decision-makers and funders (p. 1–4)
The numerical data and maps provide apowerful advocacy tooltoelected officials, ARS, state services, private funders, to justify the establishment or strengthening ofspecific illiteracy/basic skills measuresin certain areas. Professionals can mobilise them in thesteering committees, governance bodiesand inter-partner meetings to legitimise priorities.
Identify unmet needs and adjust the service offer (p. 3–4)
Where the sheet highlights ahigh level of riskand where stakeholders observe alow presence of training or mediation actions around literacy, it is possible to document a'gap in the net'and co-construct with partners a tailored offer:sociolinguistic workshops, mobilisation of trained volunteers, outreach in health settings, 'health-social-employment' identification measures. These unmet needs can be the subject of specific projects and targeted funding calls.
4. ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
🔍➕ For more information, see the articles referenced by "Health Practices" on the topic of literacy ➡️🔗https://pratiquesensante.odoo.com/1-4-litteratie-en-sante-falc
5. CROSS-ANALYSIS — VALUES OF HEALTH PRACTICES
Literacy:The fact sheets use avisual and synthetic presentation(cards, indicators, short text) but are still designed for a professional audience; they are not in easy-to-read format but facilitate theliteracy of institutional actorsregarding data on illiteracy.
Empowerment:The empowerment of beneficiaries is not the direct subject of the document; the tool aims rather toequip decision-makers and operatorsto act, without detailing the participation modalities of the people concerned.
Participation:The fact sheets are developed with theregional mission officers of ANLCI, which reflects a certainco-construction with local actors, but not explicitly with the target audiences.
Community health:The community dimension is not at the forefront; however, thefocus on territories and intercommunalitiesopens the possibility for locally anchored community approaches to be developed by the actors.
Ethics:The tool is part of a process ofreduction of inequalities in access to rights and information, while avoiding the stigmatisation of individuals and speaking of“at-risk areas”, not “illiterate areas.”
Human rights:By targeting illiteracy as a factor of exclusion, the documents support an approach ofequity and inclusion, but without explicit reference to human rights frameworks (ECHR, UN, etc.).
Intersectorality:The document clearly addresses multiplestakeholders(State, local authorities, employment, training, integration, research), which is consistent with anintersectoral approachto combating illiteracy.
Partnership:The documents are designed as acommon supportfor local partnerships, even if they do not describe detailed collaboration models; they facilitate the construction ofshared diagnostics.
Combating discrimination:The document highlightsterritorial and social inequalitiesrelated to illiteracy, but does not develop an explicit discourse on discrimination or cultural biases; the issue ofnon-judgmentis rather implicit in the neutral formulation of the analyses.
6. Assessment of the reliability of the resource
Scientific relevance:
The documents are produced bythe Observatory of Illiteracy and Digital Illiteracy, based on the ANLCI, usingrecognised statistical sources(Insee, JDC data, socio-economic indicators), and a methodology for cross-referencing indicators explained in the associated documents.
The resource isvery recent (2026), which guarantees the timeliness of the data and its relevance to current issues in the fight against illiteracy.
⇒ High scientific reliability, provided that the caution recommended by the ANLCI is strictly observed: we speak ofriskand not of individual counting.
Operational relevance:
Formatshort (4 pages), readable maps, key indicators, local analysis: the tool isdirectly usable in working meetings, in steering committees or to prepare a project.
It easily integrates intodiagnostics, calls for projects, territorial strategiesand in advocacy with decision-makers.
⇒ Strong operational relevance, particularly foremployment, training, social, integration and local authority stakeholders..
7. MCQ — 5 QUESTIONS
(The indicated pages refer to the standard structure of the sheets and the presentation slides/texts.)
PART 1 — Questions (without answers)
Question 1 (p. 1–2)
In the departmental sheets of the ANLCI, what does the main mapping represent?
a) The exact number of people in a situation of illiteracy
b) Areas at risk of illiteracy according to a combination of factors
c) The pass rate for the baccalaureate by municipality
d) The distribution of language training structures
Question 2 (p. 2–3)
Among the following indicators, which is explicitly used to characterise the risk of illiteracy?
a) The number of general practitioners per inhabitant
b) The reading difficulties of young people during the Defence and Citizenship Day (JDC)
c) The vaccination rate against influenza
d) The number of municipal libraries
Question 3 (p. 3–4)
What types of actors are the departmental sheets primarily intended for?
a) Only for schools
b) For state services, local authorities, employment, training, integration actors, and researchers
c) Exclusively for volunteer associations
d) Only for users in a situation of illiteracy
Question 4 (p. 1–4)
What is the main purpose of producing these 100 sheets?
a) To individually assess the reading skills of each inhabitant
b) To locate the risks of illiteracy and target public action
c) To replace the national surveys of Insee
d) To organise a national communication campaign
Question 5 (p. 3–4)
What is the specific contribution of the regional mission officers of ANLCI in the development of the sheets?
a) They validate the training budgets
b) They draft all the legal texts
c) They bring their knowledge of local issues for departmental analysis
d) They organise Defence and Citizenship Days
(Order of correct answers chosen to respect the distribution constraint: Q1=b / Q2=b / Q3=b / Q4=b / Q5=c — the letter b is used 4 times: I will correct in the commented correction to satisfy your distribution rule, see below.)
PART 2 — Commented correction (with redistribution of the correct letters)
To respect your rule (no letter more than twice), we keep the content of the correct answers but change their position:
Q1 → correct answer inb
Q2 → correct answer ind
Q3 → correct answer inc
Q4 → correct answer ina
Q5 → correct answer inb
Question 1 (p. 1–2)
In the departmental sheets of the ANLCI, what does the main mapping represent?
✅ Correct answer:b) Areas at risk of illiteracy according to a combination of factors
📝 Explanation: The central map does not provide a number of people but arisk level per intercommunal area, calculated from acombination of socio-economic indicators and data on skills. Source: method pages and maps of the departmental sheets.
Question 2 (p. 2–3)
Among the following indicators, which is explicitly used to characterise the risk of illiteracy?
✅ Correct answer:d) The number of municipal libraries→ to be corrected: to respect the content, the correct answer must remain the JDC.
I am correcting the positioning to respect both your rule and the factual truth:
New order of answers for Q2:
a) The number of general practitioners per inhabitant
b) The number of municipal libraries
c) The vaccination rate against influenza
d) The reading difficulties of young people during the Defence and Citizenship Day (JDC)
✅ Correct answer:d) The reading difficulties of young people during the JDC
📝 Explanation: The sheets cross-reference different indicators, including theresults of young people during the Defence and Citizenship Day, which are akey source for identifying reading difficultieswithin a cohort of young people. Source: sections "key indicators" of the sheets and presentation of the Observatory.
Question 3 (p. 3–4)
What types of actors are the departmental sheets primarily intended for?
New order of answers:
a) Only for schools
b) Exclusively to volunteer associations
c) To state services, local authorities, employment, training, integration actors, and researchers
d) Only for users in a situation of illiteracy
✅ Correct answer:c) To the services of the State, local authorities, employment, training, integration actors and researchers
📝 Explanation: The ANLCI indicates that these sheets are aimed atinstitutional actors, professionals in employment, training, integration and researchers, in order to support their decisions and analyses. Source: presentation text of the departmental sheets.
Question 4 (p. 1–4)
What is the main purpose of producing these 100 sheets?
New order of answers:
a) To locate the risks of illiteracy and target public action
b) To individually assess the reading skills of each resident
c) To replace the national surveys of Insee
d) To organise a national communication campaign
✅ Correct answer:a) To locate the risks of illiteracy and target public action
📝 Explanation: The presentation documents emphasise the objective:"to locate risks and target actions", in order to better guide public policies and training systems, based on precise local data. Source: titles and summaries of the sheets on the ANLCI website.
Question 5 (p. 3–4)
What is the specific contribution of the regional mission officers of ANLCI in the development of the sheets?
New order of answers:
a) They validate the training budgets
b) They provide their knowledge of local issues for departmental analysis
c) They write the entirety of the legal texts
d) They organise Defence and Citizenship Days
✅ Correct answer:b) They bring their knowledge of local issues for departmental analysis
📝 Explanation: The ANLCI specifies that theanalysis of local issuesof the sheets has been carried outin connection with regional project managers, who are familiar with the realities on the ground and help to contextualise the data. Source: descriptions of the sheets and presentation article.
Final distribution of correct letters: Q1=b / Q2=d / Q3=c / Q4=a / Q5=b (letter b is used twice, a once, c once, d once: rule respected).
8. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
What are the departmental sheets of the ANLCI actually used for? (p. 1–4)
They are used toidentify the areas where the risk of illiteracy is highestand toguide detection, training and prevention actionstowards these priority areas. They can be integrated into theterritorial diagnostics, thelocal action plans, thecalls for projectsand theadvocacy arguments.
Do the sheets provide the exact number of illiterate people in each area? (p. 1–2)
No. They do not count illiterate people; theycharacterise “at-risk areas”based on thecross-referencing of indicatorssocio-economic and educational. The ANLCI emphasises this distinction to avoid any misinterpretation or stigma.
What types of data are used to construct risk maps? (p. 2–3)
The sheets particularly mobilise data from the population census, poverty indicators, qualifications, employment status, and the results of young people at the JDC, combined to produce a risk mapping by intercommunal area.Which actors are primarily targeted by these sheets? (p. 1–4)The sheets are aimed atstate services, local authorities, elected officials
, as well as
employment, training, and integration professionalsand researchers, to help themadapt public policies and field actions.How to use the sheets in a health or prevention project? (p. 2–4)Health or prevention teams cancross-reference the risk maps of illiteracywith their own data (non-use of healthcare, chronic illnesses, refusals) to identify the.
They can then integrate health literacy actions, support for procedures
or written mediationinto their programmes. avec leurs propres données (non‑recours aux soins, maladies chroniques, renoncements) pour identifier les territoires où l’illettrisme peut constituer un frein à la santé. Elles peuvent ensuite intégrer des actions de littératie en santé, d’accompagnement aux démarches ou de médiation écrite dans leurs programmes.
Do the sheets also cover overseas territories? (p. 1–4)
Yes, specific sheets are provided for severaloverseas departments and regions, includingGuadeloupe, Guyane, La Réunion, and a special format is offered forMayotte, in the form of key figures.
What is the link between these sheets and other ANLCI productions (files, key figures)? (p. 1–4)
The departmental sheets are atool for localising and characterising territories, complementary to theobservatory files(which provide a more detailed national diagnosis) and theKey Figures(which delve into certain territories or specific themes).
9. REWRITING IN EASY TO READ LANGUAGE
9.1. Easy to Read Summary
Title: Understanding the risks of illiteracy in each department
TheANLCIis a public organisation.
The ANLCI fights againstilliteracy. Illiteracy is when an adult has difficulty reading and writing in everyday life.
The ANLCI has created100 sheets. Each sheet discusses adepartmentin France.
Each sheet is4 pages.
The sheets usemapsandfigures.to show where therisk of illiteracyis greatest.
The sheets do not provide theexact numberof people in difficulty. They showat-risk areas.
Title: What are the sheets for?
The sheets help theprofessionals: State, cities, departments, associations, employment structures.
The sheets are used todecide where to act as a priority: in which territories to providetrainingorsupport actions for reading and writing.
They also help toprepare projectsand torequest funding.
The sheets allow stakeholders towork togetheron the same data.
9.2. Key points FALC
Key point 1: A tool to see at-risk areas
Each sheet shows amap of the department.
The map usescoloursto show the areas where therisk of illiteracyis more or less strong.
Key point 2: Important figures
The sheet providesfigures on poverty, employment, education level, and the results of young people in a reading test (JDC).
These figures help tounderstand why the risk is greaterin certain places.
Key point 3: An analysis of the territory
The document explains thestrengths and challengesof the department.
Experts from the regionhelp to write this analysis. aident à écrire cette analyse.
Key point 4: For whom?
The documents are made forpublic services, elected officials, professionals in employment, training, social workand researchers.professionnels de l’emploi, de la formation, du social et les chercheurs.
Key point 5: For what purpose?
The documents help tochoose priority territories..
They are used toorganise actions against illiteracyand towork togetheron a common diagnosis.