Information for candidates

The Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) is a practical, hands-on

teaching qualification. It is administered by Cambridge University ESOL and is the minimum
teaching qualification for many language schools worldwide. The CELTA course provides
candidates with a mix of hands-on teaching experience, teaching methodology and practical
classroom techniques. It is an initial teaching qualification, so no previous teaching
experience is required to take the course. CELTA is also popular with teachers who have
some initial experience teaching, but lack a formal teaching qualification.

CELTA is an internationally recognised course with clearly defined assessment standards and
a set syllabus, which you can read here: Cambridge CELTA Syllabus and Assessment
Guidelines

A pass on the CELTA course is highly regarded internationally and represents quality and
innovation in language teaching.

Course Objectives:
● Understand the principles of effective teaching and acquire the practical skills to
allow you to do this.
● Become more aware of language and be able to apply this knowledge when
teaching.
● Start to understand how and why adults learn English and the role of both the
teacher and the learner.
● Learn how to develop professionally in the field.
● Receive a qualification accredited at level 5 on the Qualifications Credit Framework
(QCF).

Selection of candidates
● Candidates must be at least 18 years old. It is generally recommended that
candidates should be aged 20 or over.
● Candidates must demonstrate that they have an appropriate level of education,
experience and abilities that will enable them to take the course and subsequently
take up language teaching employment. They should have, as a minimum entry
requirement, a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into
higher education.
● Candidates for whom English is not their first language must have a level of English
equivalent to The Council of Europe Framework level C1/C2 and may be required to
show documentary proof of their level, such as the University of Cambridge ESOL
Certificate in Proficiency in English.
● Only candidates who have a realistic chance of being successful on the course will be
considered, although candidates must understand that acceptance onto a CELTA
course is no guarantee of successful completion of the course.
Means of candidate selection
The means by which the Main Course Tutor will ensure these selection criteria are fulfilled
will include:
● Application form with language awareness tasks
● Oral interview, during which candidates respond to questions about language and
teaching, complete in-interview language awareness tasks and complete a timed (25
minutes) handwritten task
● References, where appropriate
● Copy of degree (where appropriate)
● Copy of English qualification (where appropriate)

Notification of acceptance/non-acceptance onto a CELTA course

Candidates will be notified in person at the end of their interview, or by email no longer than
2 working days after the interview date.

International House Aberdeen offers two versions of the CELTA course:

Blended Online CELTA course

Course dates: Autumn 2020 – 7th September – 4th December

The blended course is 13 weeks in total, 11 weeks online and 2 weeks Teaching Practice
onsite (or online, depending on social distancing measure in place at the time) at
International House Aberdeen. Working online allows you to study at times which suit you
and you can even work around your job, studies or family commitments. Our highly
experienced tutor is there to support you throughout the course, and you will have the
opportunity to share ideas with the other course participants. During the online component
you will complete your course assignments and prepare for the teaching practice
component.

During your TP block at International House Aberdeen you will undertake the teaching
practice element of the course. It will focus on practical classroom teaching. The level of
planning for the assessed teaching practice is detailed and time-consuming as it gives you
the tools to analyse language and structure different lesson types. It is highly recommended
that no other work or social commitments are scheduled for the duration of the Teaching
Practice as it requires a lot of time and commitment.

The course is challenging, but highly motivating and useful.

4 Week Intensive Course

Course dates: 20th July – 14th August
Course hours: Monday to Friday 9.45am - 6.15pm (subject to change dependent on number of
applicants)

The intensive CELTA is offered as a 4 week course (120 hours contact hours + hours offline).
Given the current circumstances, this course is now offered fully online (input and teaching
practice). It is a highly intensive course and will require working in the evenings and at
weekends. It is also highly recommended that no other work or social commitments are
scheduled for the duration of the course as it requires a lot of time and commitment. As well
as the online hours, you will need to spend every weekday evening and the weekends doing
course-related work such as reading, writing assignments and lesson preparation. The level
of planning for the assessed teaching practice is detailed and time-consuming as it gives you
the tools to analyse language and structure different lesson types. Many previous
candidates have commented that the course takes over their lives for the month. The course
is challenging, but highly motivating and useful.

Course components
The CELTA course (both blended and intensive versions) is assessed in two ways: one is the
classroom-related written assignments and the other is the assessment of Planning and
Teaching Practice. The assessment relates to five syllabus areas:
● Learners and teachers and the teaching and learning context
● Language Analysis and awareness
● Language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking
● Planning and resources for different teaching contexts
● Developing teaching skills and professionalism

Input sessions
These will provide you with many practical ideas for classroom teaching. Sessions include
tutor demonstrations of teaching techniques and procedures to assist candidates in the
planning of their lessons. Input is interactive, and all candidates are expected to actively
participate and learn through experiencing techniques and discussing their ideas.

Teaching Practice
English language learners will come to International House Aberdeen to participate in ‘free’
English lessons, provided by the CELTA candidates. The learners will be interviewed and
tested before the CELTA course begins and will be put in either Elementary/Pre-
Intermediate or Intermediate/Upper Intermediate levels. Other learners will already be
coming to regular classes at the school, and attend the “free” classes in addition to their
regular lessons. Each group will have a maximum of 15 learners. There is a maximum of 12
candidates on the course and this is split into two teaching practice groups with up to 6
candidates in each group.

Each candidate will teach a total of 6 hours of assessed teaching practice: 3 hours of
assessed teaching with one level of learner group and the remaining 3 hours with a different
level. After each assessed teaching slot, candidates will be provided with both oral and
written feedback on their teaching. All candidates are expected to actively participate in
group feedback and be receptive to constructive criticism, also providing constructive
feedback comments on their peers’ lessons.

Lessons are graded Above Standard for this stage of the course, To Standard for this stage of
the course and Not to Standard for this stage of the course. Each lesson is graded according
to a particular set of criteria, which are listed in a document called CELTA 5 which each
candidate receives and keeps in their portfolio. There is a shift in emphasis regarding criteria
as the course progresses and candidates are required to demonstrate a wider range of
planning and teaching skills.

An important part of developing as a teacher is the ability to reflect on your own lessons and
highlight both strengths and areas to develop. Self-evaluation is an important part of the
course assessment.

Observations
During the course, you will have the opportunity to observe experienced teachers. You must
observe 6 hours in total (2 hours of DVD observations and 4 hours of tutor demonstration
lessons). This is a very useful part of the course, as it allows you to observe a variety of
teaching styles, techniques and approaches, as well as a variety of learner levels and
classroom situations.

You will also be observing your peers in the classroom during teaching practice slots. For all
observations (experienced teachers and peers) you will complete detailed observation tasks.

Assignments
During the course, each candidate must submit 4 written assignments of 750-1000 words.
These focus on the following:
● Language Systems
● Adult learners and learning contexts
● Language Skills
● Reflection on classroom teaching

These assignments are practical in nature and help you synthesise principles and practice
from your teaching and learning. Each assignment will be graded as a Pass or a Fail grade. If
an assignment does not meet the rubric requirements, it is marked as a Resubmission. This
means that you can resubmit the assignment again. If you fail one assignment, you must
pass the other three. If you fail two assignments, you have failed the course.

Assessment
All aspects of the course, teaching practice and written assignments, are assessed internally
and continuously. An external assessor approved by Cambridge ESOL will visit every CELTA
course. The role of the assessor is to moderate the course. The final certificate is issued by
Cambridge usually 4 – 6 weeks after the end of the course.

The final grades on a CELTA course are: Pass A, Pass B, Pass and Fail. Candidates receive a
course report with a provisional grade within one week of completing the course.
Candidates can use these course reports when applying for work.

Support
At International House Aberdeen, there will be two CELTA tutors working with the CELTA
group. This provides a good level of support and individual attention during the course.
During the course, you will have a Stage 1 Progress Report completed by your teaching
practice tutor. Usually halfway through the teaching practice, candidates will have a tutorial
(Stage 2) with their teaching practice tutor to discuss their progress on the course so far,
their areas of strength and also areas to focus on in the next stage of the course. Some
candidates may have a Stage 3 Report as well.

Attendance of 100% is expected on the CELTA

As CELTA is a course-based award, absences may hinder a candidate’s chances of successful
fulfilment of the assessment criteria. The Main Course Tutor has discretion to accept serious
reasons for unavoidable absence. Valid reasons for absence would include, for example,
illness, bereavement of a close family member or a job interview. These must be supported
by some documentation, for example, a doctor’s note or a letter from a prospective
employer.

Please see the attached link for more information:

https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/teaching-qualifications/celta/ways-to-
take-celta/