Certificate in teaching English to

speakers of other languages

CELTA Trainee
Guide
(Information for course participants)

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Welcome
Welcome to the Cambridge CELTA course at the British Council.
Please read this guide carefully in order to give you an overview of the course organisation and
essential information for your reference.

Dates and times

The timetable has been carefully planned to ensure that the full requirement of 120 contact
training hours on-site is delivered. The tutors will also build in study time and flexibility at certain
points during the course to ensure the best study experience for all trainees.

Sessions will start and finish according to the timetable which is shared with this trainee guide

Please also note that a core component of the course is observation of experienced CELTA and
DELTA qualified teachers. These observation sessions may fall outside of the regular course
timetable, resulting in occasional early morning, evening or weekend online observations.

Course Content

1. Course Requirements and Objectives

The Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Speakers of Other Languages)
is an initial training course for candidates who have little or no teaching experience of teaching
languages. To meet the course requirements, candidates are required to attendthe whole
course and to:
 practise teaching in a class at two different levels for a total of six hours (8 individual lessons)
 observe experienced teachers teaching adult classes of learners for a total of six hours;
 maintain and keep a record of a portfolio of all course work including all written assignments
and materials relating to teaching practice and tutorials.

The CELTA course programme is designed to enable successful candidates to:

1. develop an awareness of language and a knowledge of the description of English and
apply these in their professional practice;
2. develop an initial understanding of the contexts within which adults learn English, their
motivation and the roles of the teacher and the learner;
3. develop familiarity with the principles and practice of effective teaching to adult learners
of English;
4. develop basic skills for teaching adults in the language classroom;
5. develop familiarity with appropriate resources and materials for use with adult learners
of English for teaching, testing and for reference;

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2. Course Programme
Course programmes are designed by individual centres using the Cambridge syllabus and
course objectives as guidelines.
This is an overview of what will be covered in the course:

1. Language Awareness.
 Basic concepts and terminology used in ELT for describing form and meaning in language
and language use.
 Basic concepts and terminology used for describing language skills and sub-skills.
 Language description and syllabus design for the teaching of general English to adults.
 The practical significance of similarities and differences between languages.

2. The learner, the teacher and the teaching / learning context.

 The adult learner’s educational background and traditions.
 The context for learning and teaching English at adult level.
 Different motivations for learning English as an adult.
 Different learning and teaching styles at adult level.

3. Planning for effective teaching of adult learners of English.

 The principles of planning for effective teaching of adult learners of English.
 The practical realities of planning for effective teaching of adult learners of English.
 The selection and evaluation of appropriate materials and resources for specific lessons.
 The selection and evaluation of appropriate exercise types, activity types, and tasks, for
specific lessons.
 The evaluation of lesson preparation.

4. Classroom management and teaching skills for teaching English to adults.

 The effective organisation of the classroom.
 Classroom presence and control.
 Teacher and learner language.
 The use of teaching materials and resources.
 Practical skills for teaching at a range of levels.
 The monitoring and evaluation of adult learners.
 The evaluation of classroom management and teaching skills.

5. Resources and materials for teaching English to adults.

 Commercially produced resources and materials for teaching English to adults.
 Non-published resources and materials for teaching English to adults.
 The selection and evaluation of resources and materials for use in teaching, and testing
adult learners of English, and for reference.
 The adaptation of resources and materials for specific groups of adult learners of English.

6. Professional development for teachers of English to adults.

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 Self-assessment: understanding weaknesses and developing strengths.
 Working in context: preparing to become a teacher, colleague and employee.
 Professional development: support systems, publications and courses for teaching English
to adults.

Evaluation and Grading

Assessment will be continuous and integrated, i.e. it takes place throughout the course, and each assessed
component contributes to the overall grade.

Evaluation and grading is defined by Cambridge in the following way:

The 3 components of assessment:

1. Assessment of Teaching Practice (TP)

 A total of six hours assessed teaching with adult learners in a class of the required size. (50%
maximum of five students, 50% minimum of ten students).
 A minimum of two levels, one of which must be pre-intermediate or lower.
 Candidates should demonstrate successful achievement of all teaching practice criteria by
the end of six hours TP.

2. Written assignments
Four written assignments of three different kinds:
1. language systems of English
2. reflection on classroom teaching and identification of action points
3. exploring aspects of teaching and learning through a focus on
a) adults and learning contexts
b) an analysis of teaching / learning materials

 Written assignments should not be less than a total of 3000 words. These are internally
assessed and externally moderated.
 Any written assignment which fails to meet the specified assessment criteria may be
resubmitted on one occasion only.
 The work of candidates whose standard of written English has required resubmission on
more than one occasion will be sent to Cambridge before a Pass grade is recommended.

3. Candidates’ professional development

No specific tasks or assignments are set to focus on this area, but in designing and assessing
each of the written assignments and the supervised teaching practice, the related syllabus
focus and assessment criteria are included as appropriate.

Grades of Award - CELTA Performance Descriptors.

Pass A
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Candidates’ planning and teaching show excellent understanding of English language
learning and teaching processes.
Candidates can plan effectively with minimal guidance. They can analyse target language
thoroughly and select highly appropriate resources and tasks for successful language and
language skills development.
Candidates can deliver effective language and skills lessons, using a variety of classroom
teaching techniques successfully.
Candidates show very good awareness of learners and can respond so that learners benefit
from the lessons.
Candidates can reflect on key strengths and weaknesses and can consistently use these
reflections to develop their teaching skills.

All CELTA assessment criteria are achieved and most are well achieved.
CELTA requirements for written work are met.

Pass B
Candidates’ planning and teaching show good understanding of English language
learning and teaching processes.
Candidates can plan effectively with some guidance. They can analyse target language well
and select appropriate resources and tasks for successful language and language skills
development.
Candidates can deliver effective language and skills lessons, using a variety of classroom
teaching techniques successfully.
Candidates show good awareness of learners and can respond so that learners benefit from
the lessons.
Candidates can reflect on key strengths and weaknesses and can generally use these
reflections to develop their teaching skills.

All CELTA assessment criteria are achieved and some are well achieved.
CELTA requirements for written work are met.

Pass
Candidates’ planning and teaching show satisfactory understanding of English language
learning and teaching processes.
Candidates can plan effectively with guidance. They can analyse target language adequately
and generally select appropriate resources and tasks for successful language and language
skills development

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 Candidates can deliver satisfactory language and skills lessons, using a variety of classroom
teaching techniques with a degree of success.
Candidates show some awareness of learners and some ability to respond so that learners
benefit from the lessons.
Candidates can reflect on some key strengths and weaknesses and generally use these
reflections to develop their teaching skills.
All CELTA assessment criteria are achieved. Some may be less well achieved.
CELTA requirements for written work are met.

Fail
Candidates’ planning and teaching show minimal understanding of English language
learning and teaching processes.
Candidates’ performance does not match all of the Pass descriptors.

Some CELTA assessment criteria are not achieved and/or CELTA requirements for written work are not met.

External assessment of the course

It is a Cambridge requirement that each CELTA course is moderated by an external assessor. The assessor will
visit the centre near the end of the course to moderate evaluations made by the tutors about candidates’
performance on all aspects of the course and to discuss recommended final grades. During the visit, the assessor
will sample candidates’ assessment portfolios and written assignments, will observe teaching practice and TP
feedback, may observe an input session, and will be available for candidates to give feedback or hear views on
any aspect of the course.

You will receive more detailed information about the assessor’s schedule nearer the time of the
visit.

General Information about the British Council

Dress Code
Trainees are expected to dress appropriately for the teaching role in the online classroom. The
dress code is ‘smart casual’ for the context and does not include blue jeans, sportswear or any
very informal dress style.

Illness or Absence
Please contact your tutors or the centre administration if you are ill or know that you are going
to be late for any reason. Cambridge requires full attendance for the whole course and all
absences must be explained and recorded.

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Library & Computer Facilities

CELTA Library
The core CELTA library will be available online for you online.

Computer Access
You will need your own laptop, mobile phones won’t be allowed. A an all in one printer would
be useful, although not vital to be able to scan documents. You will also need to have a strong
internet connection and be familiar with basic IT. The use of cloud drives, and platforms such
as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Resources

Stationery
Each candidate will be expected to have their own stationery supplies. Notebooks, pens etc.

Assignments and Workload

The course is very intensive and demanding and requires full commitment on your part. Firstly,
there is a great deal of material to be covered on the course and participants usuallyfeel the
pressure of assimilating this and putting it into practice. Secondly, course participants may find
it stressful to be observed regularly by tutors and peers. However, most participants find the
course challenging and stimulating. So, be prepared to work very hard but rememberto pace
yourself.

Assignments
You will be asked to complete four written assignments on the following topics:

 Adult learners and learning contexts

 The language system of English
 Language skills
 Reflection on classroom teaching and the identification of action points

Each assignment is between 750 and 1000 words and the total amount of assessed written
work (i.e. all four assignments) is not fewer than 3000 words. Marking criteria are included with
each assignment. All assignments are internally assessed by tutors and externally moderated
by the course assessor. Assignments will be given a pass or fail or you may be asked to resubmit
either the complete assignment or part of the assignment. You can only resubmit each
assignment once.

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Outside course hours
You will be required to work on-
 pre-session reading tasks
 post-session consolidation assignments
 observation of "live" lessons
 research and preparation of four written assignments

Teaching Practice
You will have to:
 spend a considerable amount of time liaising with colleagues to produce cohesive and
varied lessons
 plan and prepare your teaching sessions according to the teaching practice rota.

Organisation of Notes

You will receive many handouts and it is easy to become disorganised, so try to spend 10
minutes each day putting them in order. Suggested headings to organise your notes:

Administration Learning and the learner

Language analysis Phonology
Presentation Teaching Practice (TP)
Practice Observation
Receptive Skills Vocabulary
Classroom methodology Productive skills

Candidate Portfolios

It is your responsibility to keep a folder of all assessed work on the course. When the assessor
assesses the course, he or she will need to see these folders in order to check your progress
during the course and the standard of your written work. You should ensure that your portfolio
is organised and up to date at all times.

 CELTA 5 record of progress (to be kept up to date)

 Marked written assignments
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For each TP folder you will need to include four documents relating to your teaching on that TP
slot:
 Lesson plans
 Self-evaluation sheets for each lesson taught
 Copies of lesson handouts, worksheets given to learners
 Teaching practice written feedback sheets from tutors

The folders must be kept up to date at all times. An incomplete folder may affect your grade.

Teaching Practice (TP)

There will be groups of students from the British Council who have been specifically recruited for
this course at two different levels. The exact numbers of students will be confirmed on the first
day of the course, but there will be at least 12 in most lessons that you teach.

Trainees will be divided into groups with each group teaching one level for half of the course
and then change levels for the second half. Trainees will teach eight lessons of 45 minutes
each. The minimum amount of assessed teaching required by Cambridge English is 6 hours per
candidate.
The tutors will observe all candidates teaching at both levels.
As teaching practice (TP) progresses, different aspects of teaching will be explored. At first, for
example, general rapport and classroom management is the focus. This is followed by the
achievement of aims and provision of practice, balance and variety of activities, etc.

After each TP, there will be an oral feedback session in which teachers, peer observers and tutors
contribute their views on the lesson. Active participation in these sessions is essential, as self-
reflection and awareness are key elements of the course. There will also be written feedback by
the tutor. An hour is allowed for feedback. It is important that all candidates attendthese sessions.

TP notes will be given ahead of time to facilitate planning and to give you time to look at books.
In the early stages of the course, TP notes are very detailed and you just need to carry them
out. As TP progresses, you will notice a weaning process which requires more input and
planning from you and looser guidelines from us.

Please consult the TP Rota for more information about when you are teaching.

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Teaching Observations

All trainees are required to observe 6 hours of "live" teaching or video recorded lessons. These
observations will take place online. This will be organised for you by your main course tutor but
it is your responsibility to ensure that you observe the required number of hours. There are
tasks for each observation and one part of the final assignment is based on completion of these
tasks.

What are the Tutors' Aims?

The tutors have two main aims:

1. To give whatever input, feedback and advice that you need to pass the course.
2. To facilitate your development as a teacher so that you may become the best teacher you
can be.
In order to do this they will:

 Evaluate fairly: giving clear and honest feedback about how we perceive you are standing in
relation to the CELTA criteria
 Structure and inform: recognising your needs as exam candidates, teachers and people;
interpreting the syllabus and translating it into a course; planning appropriate tasks,
activities and assignments; selecting relevant information and presenting it clearly; giving
you relevant materials
 Facilitate: encouraging you to raise your awareness about the topics and to reflect on your
own work, and take the risk of changing and moving on.
 endeavour to do all this in a way that allows you to enjoy the whole process. There will be
challenges, but also, we hope, a pleasurable growth of confidence, understanding and skills.

Appointments with Tutors

There will be two sets of tutorials with the tutors during the course in which you will be able to
discuss your progress with one of the tutors. In addition, there will be supervised lesson
planning sessions daily. Other appointments can be organised informally during the course by
booking an appointment time.
If you have any concerns at any time, please feel free to talk to one of the tutors.

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Report and Certificates

You will receive your course grade and course report within a week of finishing the course.
Cambridge English will send the CELTA Certificates to the British Council approximately six to
eight weeks after the end of the course. Make sure that the British Council has your permanent
address as we will forward this to you.

Complaints Procedure

There is a procedure for complaints by candidates if they are dissatisfied with their results at the
end of the course. Please see your CELTA 5 (blue booklet) for the procedure.

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