# CELTA and Initial TESOL Courses: Preparation Guide

Check details with the centre and the current Cambridge (CELTA) or Trinity (CertTESOL) syllabus; formats change.

## CELTA at a glance

| Item | Detail |
|------|--------|
| Awarding body | Cambridge English (Cambridge University Press & Assessment) |
| Length | At least 120 contact hours: 4-5 weeks full time or part time over months; face to face, online or blended |
| Teaching practice (TP) | 6 assessed hours with real adult learners at two levels, plus observation of experienced teachers |
| Written assignments | Four, commonly: focus on the learner, language-related task, language skills task, lessons from the classroom |
| Grades | Pass A, Pass B, Pass, Fail; based on continuous assessment of teaching and assignments |
| Syllabus topics | (1) Learners, teachers and the teaching context; (2) Language analysis and awareness; (3) Language skills; (4) Planning and resources; (5) Developing teaching skills and professionalism |
| Entry | Usually 18+, language level about C1-C2, an interview and a pre-interview task |

## Trinity CertTESOL (comparison)

Similar level and recognition. Typical components: assessed teaching practice, a learner profile, a materials
assignment, an unknown-language journal (learning a new language as a beginner), phonology assessment, and
written/language awareness work.

## What trainers assess in TP

| Area | They look for |
|------|---------------|
| Planning | Clear learner-centred aims, logical staging, appropriate timing, anticipated problems with solutions, language analysis |
| Language analysis | Accurate meaning, form and pronunciation; good CCQs; correct terminology |
| Classroom management | Clear instructions with ICQs, grouping, materials handed out after instructions, monitoring |
| Learner focus | Learners talk more than the teacher; eliciting; pair checks; responding to learners |
| Error correction | Appropriate on-the-spot and delayed correction |
| Skills lessons | Lead-in, purpose for reading/listening, task before text, gist before detail |
| Reflection | Honest self-evaluation and acting on feedback in the next TP |

## Before the course

1. Grammar: tenses and aspect, modals, conditionals, passive, reported speech, articles, countable/uncountable,
   phrasal verbs, gerunds/infinitives. Use a teacher's grammar (for example, Parrott's *Grammar for English
   Language Teachers*, Swan's *Practical English Usage*).
2. Phonology: the phonemic chart, word stress, sentence stress, weak forms, connected speech.
3. Terminology: see [terminology.md](terminology.md).
4. Methodology: PPP, TTT, TBL, guided discovery, receptive and productive skills lessons (e.g. Scrivener's
   *Learning Teaching*, Harmer's *The Practice of English Language Teaching*).
5. Complete the pre-course task carefully: trainers use it.
6. Plan practical life: the full-time course leaves little time for anything else.

## During the course

- Plan early; ask your tutor for help with language analysis before TP.
- Script your instructions and ICQs; demonstrate tasks.
- Time each stage and keep a flexi stage.
- Watch peers teach and take notes; you will learn as much from observation as from input.
- Reflect specifically: "my instructions for the matching task were long, so pairs started late".
- Assignments: answer every part of the brief, word count respected, references where required; resubmissions
  are normal and allowed once per assignment.

## Practice plan (four weeks before)

| Week | Focus | Practice |
|------|-------|----------|
| 1 | Grammar terminology, tenses | `quiz.py --domain Language`; analyse 5 sentences a day for meaning, form, pronunciation |
| 2 | Phonology | `quiz.py --domain Phonology`; transcribe 10 words a day phonemically |
| 3 | Methodology and planning | Write one PPP and one reading lesson plan; check with the plan checklist |
| 4 | Classroom management and skills | Script instructions and ICQs for five activities; full mixed quizzes |