Certificate in Teaching

English to Speakers of
Other Languages
(CertTESOL)
Validation requirements for validated and
prospective course providers

from April 2004

This qualification is accredited by
the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority at
Level 4 of the UK National Qualifications Framework

Trinity College London

89 Albert Embankment
London SE1 7TP
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7820 6100
Fax: +44 (0)20 7820 6161
e-mail: tesol@trinitycollege.co.uk
website: www.trinitycollege.co.uk

Patron HRH The Duke of Kent, KG

Copyright © Trinity College London 2004

Revised version, April 2004
 Trinity Level 4 Certificate in
Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages
(CertTESOL)
Prospective and existing course providers must ensure that they are
consulting the latest edition of the validation requirements

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Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Part 1: The Validation Process for CertTESOL Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
A. Submitting a proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
B. The scrutiny. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
C. The validation visit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
D. Running the first course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
E. Moderation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
F. Changes to the original submission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
G. Summary of procedures for initial validation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
H. Continuing validation and withdrawal of validation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Part 2: Validation Requirements for New and Continuing Courses . . . . . . . . . . 13
A. Sample aims of a Trinity CertTESOL course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
B. Sample objectives of a Trinity CertTESOL course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
C. Environment and target group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
D. Entry requirements and selection procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
E. Proposed course dates, frequency, class size and course length. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
F. Course structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
G. Course Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Unit 1: Teaching skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Unit 2: Language awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Unit 3: Learner profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Unit 4: Materials assignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Unit 5: Unknown language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Supplementary Notes on professional awareness and development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
H. Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
I. Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
J. Weighting, assessment and grading of course units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
K. Course management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
L. Management and tutoring staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
M. Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
N. Premises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
O. Taking other inspection and accreditation into account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Appendix 1—Organisation fact file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Appendix 2—Provision for applicants with special needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Appendix 3—Mid-course visit for first or subsequent courses & mid-course report form . . . . . . 46
Appendix 4—Appeals and complaints procedure for trainees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Appendix 5—Conditions for export of a CertTESOL course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Appendix 6—Application by course providers for moderation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Appendix 7—The moderation visit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Appendix 8—Moderation report form parts 1 and 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Appendix 9—Feedback on the moderation visit report form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Appendix 10—Unit 4: Materials Assignment: pro forma for trainees’ use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Materials Assignment: assessment criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Materials Assignment: assessment pro forma for moderators’ use . . . 71

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Introduction
About this booklet
The notes that follow explain Trinity’s procedures and regulations for the validation of new courses and
continued validation of currently validated courses which lead to the CertTESOL awarded by Trinity
College London.
PART A describes the validation process which is necessary for any organisation proposing to offer a
CertTESOL course. It sets out a number of changes from previous procedures and must be read carefully
by existing as well as prospective course providers.
PART B provides detailed guidance notes for those responsible for the design and conduct of courses.
The Appendices offer additional information and consist of pro formas for all documentation for those
seeking approval for a course or undertaking the moderation process.
Prospective Trinity course providers should follow the guidelines in Parts A and B carefully in preparing a
written proposal for consideration by Trinity. This booklet should be read in conjunction with the
CertTESOL Moderation Handbook which will be provided on request. If course providers need further advice
on any aspect of running a Trinity CertTESOL course, they should contact the Head of TESOL at Trinity:
By post Trinity College London, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP, UK
By telephone +44 (0)20 7820 6100
By fax +44 (0)20 7820 6161
By e-mail tesol@trinitycollege.co.uk

Some background
Trinity College London’s training qualifications in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages
(TESOL) have been established for three decades. They are recognised as professionally sound and well
regulated qualifications by major employers worldwide. Trinity pioneered the concept of grade
examinations in music in 1877 and set its first speech examinations in 1918. Trinity is the only board in the
UK to provide learner assessments and higher vocational qualifications across the full range of the
communicative and performing arts including TESOL, English language (ESOL), speech, acting, drama,
dance and music.

The status of Trinity validation

Trinity College London is an independent awarding body and examinations board. Trinity does not run
TESOL training courses itself but validates certificate courses in TESOL which are offered by organisations
in the state and independent sectors in the UK and worldwide.
Trinity’s procedures and qualifications are scrutinised and approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum
Authority (QCA) which is the accrediting body for all educational and vocational awards in England that
are not full university degrees. Trinity is also accredited by ACCA and CEA in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Trinity’s Certificate in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL) is
accredited by the QCA, ACCA and CEA at level 4 of the (UK) National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
Trinity’s TESOL qualifications are accepted by the British Council as appropriate to teaching staff in their
accredited language teaching organisations in the UK and in their own international teaching operations.
The CertTESOL is very widely recognised by employers as an initial qualification in TESOL, and thousands
of successful trainees have used their CertTESOL to gain employment in schools and colleges all over the
world.

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What validation guarantees
Trinity CertTESOL courses are validated only after a rigorous process during which written course
proposals are scrutinised by Trinity’s validation review panel, and negotiated with the course provider and
discussed constructively and in detail during a validation visit by Trinity.
Every CertTESOL course is moderated by an independent moderator appointed and trained by Trinity, and
every candidate is personally interviewed about their course work and experience before they are granted
a Certificate. Teachers holding a Trinity CertTESOL can assure prospective employers of their sound
preparation for classroom teaching, wherever they have received their training.

Initial training for ESOL teachers

Trainee teachers of ESOL benefit in many ways from a sound initial course of training. They will also require
strong professional commitment, demonstrated through the desire and ability to learn new skills and
acquire appropriate subject specific knowledge. After initial training they will embark on a continuing
programme of personal and professional development. Trinity’s Certificate course can be taken by those
for whom English is a first, second or foreign language. Trinity does not require trainees to conform
linguistically to all features of British Standard English or Received Pronunciation. However, their language
skills in all areas must be of a standard appropriate to a qualified teacher of English, given the special
status that this confers on an individual and the particular demands that it makes.
Trinity seeks to provide every opportunity for applicants with special needs to gain a CertTESOL, while
acknowledging the reasonable expectations of their future students and employers.

Trinity’s course providers

The current list of CertTESOL course providers, with ‘hot links’ to contact them direct, is available on the
Trinity website at www.trinitycollege.co.uk

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Part 1: The Validation
Process for CertTESOL
Courses
A. Submitting a proposal
A1 Before submitting a full proposal
In order to run a course leading to the Trinity CertTESOL, prospective course providers (referred to from
here on simply as course providers) must submit to Trinity:
• an organisation fact file.
On receipt of the organisation fact file, Trinity will confirm whether it is appropriate for the course provider
to submit a full proposal for scrutiny. If Trinity considers a proposal likely to be ineligible for consideration
in view of the limited resources or experience of the organisation, or for any other reason, Trinity will
inform the course provider as soon as possible.
The pro forma for the organisation fact file is at Appendix 1. No fee is payable at this stage.

A2 Submitting a full proposal

If Trinity agrees that the course provider may proceed to a full proposal, but without a guarantee of
validation, course providers should then submit:
• either two hard copies of a written proposal
• or one hard copy and an electronic copy using Microsoft Word.
The structure and content of the proposal is described in full below.
All pages must be numbered and the proposal must include:
• an index at the beginning of the proposal
• details of individual course units either in the body of the proposal or as page numbered and
indexed appendices
• copies of all pro formas to be given to trainees and tutors relating to the completion of
assignments, tests or examinations, and teaching practice: e.g. in relation to lesson planning, self-
and tutor assessment in teaching practice; guided observation of English classes; observation of
‘unknown language’ lessons; completion of related teaching journals, learner profile, and materials
assignment; and other relevant pro formas
• the proposed pre-interview and/or pre-course task where relevant.
The proposal must be accompanied by a cheque made payable to Trinity College London in payment of
the scrutiny fee. The fee will be advised to the course provider when a full proposal is invited. Course
providers should ensure that they have full details of current CertTESOL fees for initial scrutiny, validation,
mid-course visits and moderation prior to writing a proposal. Details may be obtained from Trinity’s
Information Officer who can be e-mailed at tesol@trinitycollege.co.uk

Proposals will be considered only if:

• they are set out as requested above
• they cover the following fourteen areas, using relevant pro formas and following the detailed guidance
set out in Part B of this booklet:

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 A Aims of the course
B Objectives of the course
C Environment and proposed target group
D Entry requirements and selection procedures
E Proposed course dates, length, frequency and class size
F Course structure (including draft timetable with staffing and draft teaching practice timetable)
G Course components
H Bibliography
I Tutorials
J Weighting, assessment and grading
K Course management
L Management and tutoring staff: curricula vitae of course director(s) and tutors, including date
and provenance of academic and teaching qualifications, and details of teaching and training
experience
M Resources
N Premises
• and they are accompanied by the scrutiny fee.
All course providers must satisfy Trinity’s requirements, but we encourage them to vary in the precise
composition and method of delivery of courses. They must indicate clearly and convincingly how they will
meet the criteria set out in this document as essential to a Trinity CertTESOL course. They must also expand
the statements they make to show how they will deliver a programme that is appropriate to their specific
needs, and how they will actually deliver the course in their own organisational environment,
demonstrating their own special values and resources. Validation is a formal requirement and criteria must
be satisfied, but it is also a creative and collaborative process.

B. The scrutiny
B1 Considering a proposal
A submitted proposal will be considered by the Head of TESOL and a validation panel selected from
experienced moderators, including other existing course providers, but excluding those who might be
considered to have any conflict of interest. The panel members considering the proposal remain
anonymous. Trinity then sends the course provider a compilation of all recommendations and suggestions
for amendments to the proposal.

B2 Timescales
The validation process takes a minimum of twelve weeks. This is in view of the detailed discussion
process that takes place between Trinity and the course provider. Prospective course providers are
therefore advised to submit the main body of a proposal well in advance of their anticipated course start
dates to allow for the full validation process and the inevitable revisions to their first proposal. A course
cannot normally be promoted as leading to the Trinity CertTESOL until validation has been confirmed.

B3 Withholding validation
Consideration by Trinity of a proposal is not a guarantee of validation. Trinity will withhold validation of
courses that do not meet validation criteria or which are run by organisations that cannot assure Trinity
that their staffing and material resources are sufficient to ensure consistent course provision as set out in
their proposal. The withholding of validation does not imply that the course is without merit but that it
does not meet Trinity’s requirements.

B4 Handling queries
Any queries arising concerning handling of a proposal should be referred to the Head of TESOL at Trinity.

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C. The validation visit
C1 Visiting the course provider
After Trinity and the course provider have agreed in writing a proposal that is on paper acceptable to both,
the Head of TESOL or an experienced course moderator will visit the organisation to discuss the proposal
constructively and in detail, view premises and resources, and talk to the course director and tutors. This
applies to all course providers whether in the UK or elsewhere. The visit is arranged for a mutually
convenient time and normally takes a minimum of half a day. The organisation is invoiced for the
appropriate validation fee following the validation visit.

C2 Confirmation or withholding of validation

Trinity confirms in writing, normally no more than two weeks following the validation visit:
• either that the proposal meets all current validation criteria, the course provision is formally validated
and may be publicised as such
• or that the proposed course provision meets most validation criteria and will be validated subject to
specific amendments: course providers are invited to indicate in writing how and when these
amendments can be effected
• or that the proposal will need to be significantly revised in order to be considered further: course
providers will be invited to indicate in writing whether they wish to proceed.

D. Running the first course

D1 Running a validated course
Once a course has been validated by Trinity it must normally start within 12 months of validation. Providers
who do not start validated courses within this time must make a new full submission. (See also Continuing
Validation in section H.)

D2 The mid-course visit

A course moderator normally pays a mid-course support visit, at the course provider’s expense, to an
organisation offering their first Trinity validated course. The moderator checks course progress, observes
one or more sessions, and talks to tutors and trainees. Appendix 3 includes the pro forma mid-course visit
report.
Course providers offering Trinity validated courses for the second or subsequent occasions may request a
mid-course visit if they would find this helpful; equally Trinity may insist on a mid-course visit if this is
deemed necessary, although this is unusual. In both cases, the organisation is charged the normal fee for a
mid-course visit unless alternative arrangements have been specified.

D3 Supplementary visits
The Head of TESOL or another moderator delegated for the purpose may visit a course provider at any
time for an interim check, with or without notice, on any aspect of the CertTESOL course provision. A fee is
payable at Trinity’s discretion.

E. Moderation
E1 Course moderation
Following validation, every CertTESOL course that takes place is visited and moderated by a Trinity
appointed and trained moderator. The visit takes place at the end of the course. No more than ten trainees
may be moderated in one day. It is suggested that course providers do not allocate to moderation a day of
a course that is only twenty working days in duration since this will severely reduce the time available to
trainees for their studies. An additional day should be identified for this purpose. Trinity is usually able to
make a moderator available at the weekend as well as during the working week if this helps with
scheduling.
Appendix 3 provides further details of the mid-course visit.

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E2 Individual candidates
If they wish to be considered for an award or other recommendation by Trinity, all trainees must
participate in the moderation process unless they have confirmed in writing their withdrawal from the
course. Where exceptional circumstances such as illness or bereavement prevent their attendance, they
may be recommended for a deferred decision. If trainees do not attend moderation for any other reason, it
is not possible for Trinity to make a recommendation with respect to their certification, nor to accept an
appeal from them in respect of their performance on the course.

E3 The Moderation Handbook

Detailed guidance on the group and individual moderation interviews, the sampling of written work, the
independent assessment, and the writing of moderation reports is given in the Moderation Handbook,
which must be consulted by all moderators and course providers and is available from Trinity on request.

E4 The moderation schedule

The following is a summary of the moderation process. It is essential that course providers make available
to moderators full course documentation at the beginning of the visit, including:
• the full written course proposal as agreed with Trinity, including trainees’ pre-interview and pre-
course tasks, if any, with any interim updates and including a timetable and details of assessment
procedures and criteria
• all written assignments and journals for all trainees, with tutors’ comments, grades and marks, and
trainees’ written self-evaluation where appropriate, e.g. for teaching practice
• a copy (i.e. a photocopy) for the moderator to retain of each trainee’s written rationales and evaluations
in the Materials Assignment, without any comment from tutors (Unit 4)
• full details of grades or marks for all other assignments and teaching practice for all trainees; these
grades or marks are regarded as being provisional until moderated by the moderator and confirmed by
Trinity; note that from October 2003 the Materials Assignment (Unit 4) has been assessed rather than
moderated by Trinity and is therefore not to be graded or marked by tutors
• copies of Part 2 (the trainee’s submission) of the Moderation Report completed by each trainee.

E5 The moderator’s functions and timing

Moderators carry out the following activities. The approximate duration of each component for a course
of ten trainees is shown in brackets:
• Check that full course documentation is available (15 minutes)
• Check specifically that data is complete for the course provider’s assessment procedures and criteria
and the individual grades or marks given to each trainee for separate assignments and teaching
practice sessions, and any overall grade given, paying special attention to cases for referral and fail
(15 minutes)
• Sample a selection of written work from each trainee (including teaching practice and unknown
language journals, learner profile and any other written assignments). The course provider must make
all assignments for all trainees available to moderators for the sampling process. Moderators should
consult trainees’ grade or mark sheet when sampling and read thoroughly each trainee’s two rationales
and evaluations for Unit 4 (2 hours plus 10 x 5 minutes = 2 hours 50 minutes)
• Discuss with trainees in groups of five (or fewer in an overall group of fewer than ten) their general
impressions of the course (30 minutes per group = 1 hour)
• Hold an individual interview with each trainee to discuss their materials assignment. Moderators will
assess the assignment as Pass or Refer but must not reveal their assessment to trainees
(15 minutes per trainee = 2 hours 30 minutes)
• Discuss their findings and anticipated key reporting points with the course director and as many tutors
as can be made available in a feedback session (1 hour)
• View resources and premises as necessary (20 minutes)

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N.B.The following schedule is required for each trainee:
1. to be interviewed in a group
2. to have her/his rationales and evaluations read by the moderator, with the teaching materials for reference
3. to be interviewed individually
However, moderators may select one of the following schedules in consultation with the course provider:
Either schedule a):
i) all group interviews
ii) all reading of rationales and evaluations
iii) all individual interviews
Or schedule b):
i) interview one group of five (+/–) trainees
ii) read rationales and evaluations for five (+/–) trainees
iii) individually interview five trainees
and repeat until all trainees have been through the process.
Including approximately 60 minutes for breaks, the total time taken will be around 9 hours 10 minutes, excluding
travelling time.

E6 The course provider’s responsibilities

The course provider must make specific arrangements for the moderation timetable, but the above schedule
should be adhered to.Within the practical constraints of the moderation day, it is the moderator’s function to
ensure that the course meets its objectives and that different course providers aim at and achieve similar
standards of performance. Moderators do not normally discuss all individual trainees’ performance in detail,
although they discuss any apparently broad deviations in allocation of marks.They also discuss and agree all
cases for immediate pass, referral, deferral, or fail; any cases where tutors have graded or marked trainees as
borderline pass/refer or refer/fail; and any cases where overall grades or marks are close to the pass/refer or
refer/fail borderline.
Moderators may occasionally ask to have written work other than that for Unit 4 made available to them the
night before the main moderation day, depending on arrangements for travel and timetabling.

E7 Following moderation
Following submission of the moderator’s report to Trinity, the Head of TESOL writes to the provider indicating
which trainees will be awarded the Trinity College London CertTESOL immediately, which are referred and which
are failed, and which have had the decision deferred. (These terms are explained in PART II section J.) A copy of
the moderator’s report is sent to the course provider.The report highlights any areas for immediate action
(recommendations) or possible development at the discretion of the course provider (suggestions).
Continuing validation will depend on the course provider implementing recommendations unless there are
sound reasons for the Head of TESOL to agree that this is not appropriate.

E8 Results and certification

The responsibility for confirming recommendations and suggestions, and confirming individual awards of pass,
refer, defer and fail lies with Trinity rather than with the course provider or the moderator, and following
consideration of the moderation report the final decision on these matters rests therefore with Trinity. However,
the assessment by the moderator of Unit 4 as individual pass or refer is independent of Trinity, is not modified
and contributes directly to the overall result.
Certificates for pass trainees,in each trainee’s name,are forwarded to the course provider during the four weeks following
despatch of the moderation report and results.These may not be withheld by the course provider for any reason.

E9 Grades of pass
The Trinity College London certificate does not distinguish between various grades of pass; course providers may
inform individual trainees of their own internal merit or distinction marks if they wish, but it should be made
clear that these are not grades awarded by Trinity, and they may not be added to the Trinity certificate.

E10 Feedback on moderation

Course providers are sent a pro forma on which to comment on the usefulness of the moderation visit and the
efficiency of Trinity in its dealings with the organisation. It is recommended that these pro formas are always
completed and returned to Trinity. (See Appendix 9.)

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F. Changes to the original submission
F1 Approving changes
Course providers offering Trinity validated courses must submit to Trinity for approval details of any
substantial changes they propose to make to their courses. Such changes would include major
adjustments to the timetable or course content; changes to the weighting, assessment and grading
procedures; any changes to teaching practice arrangements; any changes to staff, in which case they must
send Trinity Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) of any new tutors they propose to use, and details of induction
procedures, and inform Trinity of the departure of any regular tutors or course director(s). All new course
directors must be approved by Trinity in writing.
Course providers offering a validated full-time course who wish to have a part-time course validated (or
vice versa) must send Trinity full details including a revised timetable and relevant related information
prior to advertising the new format of a validated course.

G. Summary of procedures for initial validation

Trinity provides on request details of CertTESOL validation requirements to course providers applying for
validation, with related papers and fee details.
Course providers send Trinity the organisation fact file.
Following approval of the fact file by Trinity, course providers send Trinity the written submission. If they
require advice they are encouraged to contact the Head of TESOL for prior discussion on the requirements
in advance of writing the proposal. The scrutiny fee is payable when the full proposal is submitted.
Trinity acknowledges the proposal and provides the course provider with initial comments on the
proposal if this is thought necessary.
Trinity sends these notes with the proposal to the validation panel.
The validation panel comments on the submission, normally within four weeks of receiving it, and their
comments are forwarded to the course provider with those of the Head of TESOL.
Trinity and course providers finalise an agreed proposal acceptable to both: this is normally done through
a combination of written and verbal communication. E-mail is recommended.
Following agreement on the written proposal, the Head of TESOL or a moderator pays a validation visit to
the organisation. This does not in itself guarantee validation.
Trinity writes within two weeks to confirm whether or not validation is granted immediately, and if not,
what further steps must be taken.
If validation is agreed, the course provider agrees with the Trinity CertTESOL Coordinator dates for a mid-
course visit if this is required, and dates for the first moderation visit.
Copies of Part 2 of the Moderation Report (trainee’s submission: teaching practice and observation data)
must be given by the course provider to all trainees at the start of their course. These must be completed
with the relevant data and given to the moderator at moderation. (See Appendix 8.)
A moderation visit is arranged for the end of every course, after which the moderator completes Part 1 of
the Moderation Report and sends this together with Part 2 for each trainee to Trinity, along with the
documentation relating to the Materials Assignment (Unit 4). (See Appendix 8.)
Not later than twelve months after first validation, course providers submit to Trinity a copy of their trainee
Handbook. This is a compilation of the guidance given to trainees.
At the end of the third year of validation, and every three years thereafter, course providers will either
resubmit their proposal to Trinity or submit details of changes to the original proposal if these are
relatively brief.

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H. Continuing validation and withdrawal of validation
H1 Continuing validation
The latest available edition of the validation requirements constitutes the terms of Trinity’s
agreement with the course provider. Breach of these terms will require Trinity to withdraw validation.
Validation may be withdrawn by Trinity under the circumstances indicated in H2 below.
Withdrawal will normally be preceded by a warning and a period of time during which the course provider
can make good the infringement of regulations, unless Trinity thinks it appropriate to withdraw validation
immediately in the interests of potential trainees and to protect the reputation of Trinity as an
independent award-giving body.
Compliance with H2 below will be checked during the validation process and subsequent visits.
Course providers whose courses are validated at the time of issue of this edition of the validation
requirements (June 2003) will be given a period of not less than six months in which to implement the
new requirements. The requirements were effective immediately for course providers whose courses were
validated on or after 1st July 2003.
External assessment for Unit 4 (Materials Assignment) as set out in these requirements was introduced
from 1st October 2003 for both existing and new course providers. This means that all trainees
moderated on or after 1 October 2003 were moderated against the new course and moderation
requirements for Unit 4 as set out in these Validation Requirements. Continuation of validation is
dependent on the new requirements for Unit 4 being satisfied for all courses starting from that date.

H2 Withdrawal of validation
Validation of CertTESOL courses by Trinity may be withdrawn for the following reasons:
• if the course provider delivers a course that does not comply with the course proposal as agreed with
Trinity at the time of validation and as set out in the fourteen sections of the agreed proposal
• if requirements for changes to course provision detailed in Trinity moderators’ reports and confirmed
by Trinity are not complied with during a period covered by two subsequent short intensive courses
(e.g. each of twelve weeks’ or fewer duration) or one subsequent part-time course (e.g. of more than
twelve weeks’ duration), unless an alternative agreement is reached with Trinity in writing
• if the course provider does not submit to Trinity at the end of the first year of validation a copy of its
internal CertTESOL handbook for trainees containing details of course content, timetable, assessment,
administrative details, and appropriate pastoral advice in relation to the pressures of study, the need for
careful time management, regard for peer trainees etc.
• if the course provider does not submit to Trinity at the end of each three year period following
validation either a full updated course proposal, or a document indicating what changes have been
made to the original proposal, or a document confirming that there have been no changes made to
the original proposal

H3 Revalidation
If substantial changes have taken place, Trinity reserves the right to demand a full or partial re-validation at
the course provider’s whole or partial expense at Trinity’s discretion. This may or may not result in the
withdrawal of validation depending on the findings of the revalidation.
Validated courses that are not run during the 12 months following validation, or which are run once or
more but not then run for a period of 18 months (for full-time courses) or 24 months (for part-time
courses), will need to go through the full validation procedure. The re-validation will be at the course
provider’s expense.

H4 Financial irregularities
Validation may be withdrawn without notice if the course provider does not settle invoices for validation,
moderation and other appropriate charges in full by the due dates reasonably announced; if the course
provider is found to mislead or mistreat trainees in respect of their financial commitments; or if in any
other way is found to fail in the course provider’s financial obligations to Trinity or to Trinity candidates.

H5 Disrepute
Validation may be withdrawn, subject to appeal to Trinity’s Director of Language Examinations, if the course
provider is judged to have brought Trinity’s procedures, qualifications or personnel into disrepute.

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Part 2: Validation
Requirements for New and
Continuing Courses
A. Sample aims of a Trinity CertTESOL course
The Trinity CertTESOL course is designed for those who have little or no experience of teaching English in
the contemporary ESOL classroom and who would like to take initial training as teachers of ESOL. They
must have a high level of competence in spoken and written English, whether English is their first, second
or a foreign language. The training equips them with the basic skills and knowledge needed to take up
posts as ESOL teachers and gives them a firm foundation for self-evaluation and further professional
development.

B. Sample objectives of a Trinity CertTESOL course

Trainees will be expected to demonstrate the following learning outcomes on completion of the course.
The outcomes are described more fully under the individual units in section G.
a. Knowledge of the main phonological, lexical and syntactic features of contemporary English
b. Awareness of the learning needs of individuals or groups of learners, and of the motivation of learners
in a variety of cultures and environments
c. Ability to establish rapport and create and maintain learners’ interest
d. Ability to draw up a range of lesson plans with clear and achievable aims, using appropriate methods
for learners with various needs
e. Ability to manage and stimulate active participation among a class of learners and provide a relevant
learning context and learning opportunities in relation to their learning objectives
f. Ability to evaluate, use and adapt published material and create simple teaching material, which may
include visual aids, audio, video and information/communication technology
g. Broad understanding of the main advantages and disadvantages of various language teaching
approaches
h. Ability to evaluate their own effectiveness as teachers and to work co-operatively as members of a
teaching team or group
i. Awareness of the need to continue their development as ESOL teachers through their future
employment, through private study, further training and participation in professional networking
events
j. Awareness of the means of identifying a TESOL post after training, including using the media and
professional associations, and of the main issues relevant to employment in this area that may affect
their future security and further professional development

C. Environment and target group

In addition to the information that course providers have given in their organisation fact file, they should
provide the following:
• details of their principal local and wider teacher-training market
• details of accommodation facilities for trainees not locally resident.

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D. Entry requirements and selection procedures
D1 Admission requirements
Course providers must indicate admission requirements for the course, covering as a minimum the
following areas:
• minimum age: Trinity requires trainees to be a minimum of eighteen years old at the time of entry to
the course—i.e. on the first day of the course or at the start of the pre-course distance learning phase if
there is one; course providers may set a higher minimum age limit if they choose, provided this does
not contravene any other national regulation with regard to training or education; Trinity does not
specify an upper age limit; the criteria set out below, plus any additional criteria set by the organisation,
are applicable to all applicants irrespective of age
• educational background/qualifications: Trinity requires trainees to have at least qualifications for
entry to higher education (tertiary level) in the UK or in the trainees’ home country or the equivalent in
terms of demonstrated academic and study potential; course providers must require proof of
qualifications
• level of competence in spoken and written English: see the requirements of proof of language
competence set out in D6 below; all trainees must be given a writing task to be completed at interview
without the assistance of dictionaries or other aids
• a general awareness of the significance of the structure and functions of English in teaching the language
• the willingness to work cooperatively as a member of the whole training group and respond
constructively to feedback on personal performance
• the potential for combined study including both language description and analysis and also practical
training that will be rigorous and demanding of time, energy and emotional stamina: course providers
should bear in mind the somewhat differing pressures in this respect of full-time intensive courses and
part-time extensive courses.
and
• any other areas of experience or competence, demonstrated through tests or tasks (indicate
whether to be completed at home or at the training organisation) not specified by Trinity.

D2 Admission procedures
Course providers must indicate the nature of admission interviews, what questions will be asked and what
criteria used in accepting/rejecting applicants based on the points above. Interviews should normally be
face-to-face, and only exceptionally by telephone or online. Where interviews are carried out by telephone
or online, course providers must indicate the reason for this and the measures to be taken to ensure that
successful applicants have met the entry criteria before arriving at the course location. Where applicants
are accepted following such interview procedures, they must be warned in advance that they may be
refused a place on the course on arrival if they are not then considered to meet the entry requirements set
by Trinity and by the individual course provider.

D3 Background enquiries
Teaching of any kind is a responsible occupation in which both teacher and learner are vulnerable.
In the interests of both the teacher and the learners, Trinity strongly suggests (rather than requires) the
following enquiries, unless they contravene a national or local law or regulation with regard to education
and training or data protection:
Course providers should ask applicants to indicate whether they are suffering or have ever suffered from
any disease, illness or impairment that might affect their or other trainees’ course of study. Where such a
condition is acknowledged, course providers should document this discussion and advise applicants how
far the course provider can make suitable special facilities available to them and whether the condition is
likely to affect the applicants’ progress during training, bearing in mind the length and intensity of the
course. Course providers in the UK should consult among other sources of information the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995 or later and also Appendix 2 of this document relating to trainees with special
needs. They should apply their own school or college policy in these matters and may in addition consult
Trinity. Course providers should ask prospective trainees to reveal any criminal record.

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It is primarily the responsibility of an employer to assess job applicants’ suitability for a teaching position by
taking into account any criminal record. For this reason, Trinity does not insist upon criminal record
disclosure for all applicants for CertTESOL courses. However, course providers may, under certain
circumstances, wish to identify any offence against children or other vulnerable members of society by
applicants for training, or any other offence that seems relevant to the trainee’s role as a teacher.
Course providers in the UK may wish to invite applicants to obtain an Enhanced Disclosure from the
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). This provides an exhaustive list of the individual’s known violations of the
law. Having a criminal record does not necessarily bar an applicant from entry to the course. It is the
responsibility of the course provider to decide on what basis to grant or withhold access to candidates in
consultation with Trinity and appropriate sources of legal advice.
In the case of trainee teachers likely to work with under-16s, it is possible in some circumstances to be
granted access to official lists of individuals prosecuted for certain offences in relation to under-16s.
If trainees will be working with under-16s in the course of their training (i.e. during teaching practice), the
course provider must make the necessary enquiries as indicated above in all cases unless they can assure
Trinity that each trainee will not at any time be left alone with a young person. Course providers are
reminded that under UK law any organisation that allows under-16s to be educated, trained or cared for on
its premises is held responsible for the proper conduct of its staff and those with delegated responsibility
such as trainee teachers.

D4 Special needs
Course providers must make clear their arrangements for trainees with special needs.
Prospective trainees with special needs should be encouraged to discuss their requirements with the
course provider and the means by which the trainee and course provider can make special provision so
that the trainee will have the opportunity to follow the course and have a reasonable opportunity of
completing the required assignments to the necessary standards. (See Appendix 2.)

D5 Equal opportunities
It is recommended that course providers include a statement to indicate their equal opportunities policy
in relation to gender and sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion and beliefs.

D6 English language competence

Whether English is their first, second or foreign language, prospective trainees must demonstrate a high
level of competence in reading, writing, aural and oral skills in English as appropriate to a teacher of the
language.
The trainee’s own use of spoken and written English on entry to the course must be sufficient to equip
them for the above training process. Course providers must reach a judgement on:
• the trainees’ own competence in English
• their ability to explain relevant features of English to learners and
• their ability to teach these in a real-time communicative context.
An assessment of appropriate structure, spelling and punctuation of written English, and fluency and
pronunciation of spoken English, must be included in the entry procedures of the course for all candidates.
All trainees must be given a writing task to be completed on the spot without the assistance of
dictionaries or other aids.
Trainees for whom English is a second or foreign language must demonstrate competence in all skills. The
following tests and examinations may be used as partial benchmarks, subject to demonstrated
competence during the selection process:
• Trinity graded examination in spoken English, Grade 10 or above
• Cambridge ESOL Certificate of Proficiency in English
• Cambridge ESOL Certificate in Advanced English
• IELTS band 7.0 (on all sub-scores) or above
• Pitman Advanced ESOL examination
• TOEFL score 600 (250 with computer-based score).

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In considering candidates for whom English is a first language, course providers must ascertain by various
means that candidates’ levels of spoken and written English are of a sufficiently high standard to enable
them to perform the function of role models as language teachers. Academic or vocational qualifications
should not be accepted as the sole evidence for appropriate spoken and written language skills. The
varieties of spoken and written English deemed appropriate for a teacher of English include regional and
world varieties as well as British Standard English and Received Pronunciation.
It is accepted that teachers from many parts of the world with English as a second or foreign language
may have distinctive features of pronunciation, grammar and/or vocabulary which conform to the model
of English prevalent in their own linguistic/cultural group. While Trinity does not require all trainees to
conform linguistically to all features of British Standard English or Received Pronunciation, course
providers must recognise that trainees who are to be awarded the Trinity CertTESOL will have special
status as teachers of English, not only within their linguistic/cultural group, but beyond it. It is very
important that this factor is taken into consideration when setting linguistic entry requirements. Trainees
can be failed by Trinity on the moderator’s recommendation if it is decided that their standard of English is
significantly below that required for a teacher of English, bearing in mind the above points.

E. Proposed course dates, frequency, class size and

course length
E1 Course frequency, group size and minimum course hours
Course providers must indicate the following:
• expected course dates including preferred first course dates
• expected frequency of course: e.g. monthly, once annually
• maximum group size: Trinity requires the first course run by a newly validated course provider to
include not more than twelve trainees, and course providers should indicate the likely number;
payment for moderation will normally be based on a minimum of ten per capita moderation fees; on
subsequent courses it may be possible for the course provider to agree with Trinity a larger group size
subject to availability of practical and staffing resources
• minimum group size: Trinity does not set a minimum group size but recommends that a group of
fewer than six trainees over a full course does not provide the optimum range of peer interaction and
feedback
• number of hours for overall programme and for individual course components; the minimum
course length is 130 timetabled hours per trainee, and 15 non-timetabled hours. Timetabled hours
must include:
• a minimum of 90 hours of supervised input, to include lectures, workshops and guided private or
group work and tutorials
• a minimum of six hours of observed and assessed teaching practice
• a minimum of four hours of guided observation of classes given by experienced teachers with
genuine English language learners
• the balance of the time to be timetabled for preparation and private study.
The 90 hours of supervised input can include:
• plenary including lecture for any component
• teaching practice
• teaching practice feedback
• supervised workshop
• supervised private study (self-access centre/library)
• working on the ‘unknown language’
• plenary planning interviews for learner profile
• plenary planning for materials assignment
• tests/examinations
• moderation (group and individual interviews)

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 The remaining 34 hours may include:
• private study and required homework for any component
• observation of experienced teachers (minimum four hours of observation of English classes)
• preparation and completion of the teaching practice journal
• preparation and completion of the ‘unknown language’ journal
• preparation for the materials assignment.

E2 Timetabling
The course must be timetabled over no fewer than four weeks full-time, or on a part-time basis over a
longer period. In addition to the 130 hours already allocated, the course must be timetabled to enable a
minimum of fifteen hours’ extra unsupervised private study (e.g. reading, research, assignments and lesson
preparation). This means that the timetable for a four-week course will be extremely pressurised: not all
applicants will be suited to this kind of schedule. All applicants accepted on a course must be warned of
the rigorous nature of the training.

E3 Increasing the group size

If course providers intend to run a second or subsequent course for more trainees than originally agreed in
the course validation, permission must be obtained from Trinity and details given of the additional staff,
resources and teaching practice classes to be taken on in order to accommodate the larger numbers.

E4 Pre-course assignments
Applicants must be enrolled early enough to complete any pre-course reading and other tasks that are to
be carried out by all trainees. Such tasks must be relevant to the rest of the course; any mark given should,
however, not normally form part of the final assessment, unless special reasons are given. Course tutors
should devote some time near the start of the course to giving and receiving feedback to/from trainees on
the pre-course study phase.
Short intensive courses (of six weeks full-time or fewer) must include a pre-course preparation or distance
learning phase. This may include a reading list with relevant guidance, materials relating to grammar,
phonology and methodology, and related tasks or research activities. Tutors are not required to give
feedback on any pre-course tasks to trainees before the course begins. If they do not do so, however, they
should do so at the start of the course.

F. Course structure
F1 Timetabling
Course providers must include with their proposal a draft timetable for all course sessions including
teaching practice and feedback, and guided observation, and indicate:
• details of the particular (provisional) areas of responsibility of each tutor on the timetable
• a note of dates for completion of and handing in of all assignments
• details of breaks (e.g. morning, lunch, afternoon)
• details of tutorials (see section I below)
• a brief rationale for the proposed timetable, demonstrating tutors’ understanding of the
complementary nature of the different units.
Course providers must add a separate note itemising:
• the number of learning hours allocated to each course component or topic area, including any pre-
course study phase
• the number of staff hours allocated for supervised or tutor contact time.
Trinity appreciates that the draft timetable may be subject to some changes once implemented but considers it
essential that course providers should think through the course delivery process very carefully prior to validation.

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F2 Sequencing
Course providers must bear in mind the relevance of each component to others and the likely logical
progression through the components. For example, the unknown language exercise is usually best placed
near the beginning of the programme, being completed in the second or at the start of the third week of a
four-week course, as this gives trainees a good basis for their work in the classroom and other observation
activities. The timetabling of teaching practice should allow for reflection and planning between sessions,
while not being so drawn out as to slow down the incremental learning process between sessions. The
course structure must allow trainees adequate input before completion of assignments without leaving
too much to be completed and marked on the last few days.

F3 Scheduling the moderation visit

This should be timetabled for the end of all courses. Trainees must have completed all their assignments
and teaching practice prior to moderation unless exceptional circumstances such as illness, accident or
bereavement have prevented them from doing so. (See notes on the moderation visit at Appendix 7 and
also additional notes in the moderation handbook.) All moderation visits must follow the same schedule
regardless of the length of the course.

G. Course units
Trinity’s Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL) is designed around
five mandatory units which incorporate all the required learning components, plus a holistic factor of
professional awareness and development which is not separately assessed. This new format complies with
the standards set in the UK by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and it is being applied to all
Trinity CertTESOL courses worldwide.
Units may not be certificated separately: certification is for the successful completion of the whole
programme. The weighting for the relative coverage of each unit is as follows:
Unit 1: Teaching skills (including methodology, teaching skills, teaching
practice and related journal, guided observation and related
journal, coursebook and materials evaluation, and methods
of assessment and testing in the classroom 57%
Unit 2: Language awareness (grammar and phonology) 13%
Unit 3: The learner profile 11%
Unit 4: The materials assignment 11%
Unit 5: Unknown language 8%
See section J for more detailed guidance on assessment.
The rationale for Unit 1 (Teaching skills) being considerably larger than other units is that it involves the
assessment of skills, knowledge and understanding developed in all areas, but demonstrated in an
integrated fashion as appropriate to a dynamic learning environment.
Additionally, this qualification prepares the candidate specifically for initial stages of the teaching
profession, hence the greater typical guided learning hours and weighting attached to Unit 1. This ensures
the vocational validity, relevance and professional integrity of the award in relation to the standards set by
the QCA and by other professional bodies internationally.
Factors relating to professional awareness and development are taken into consideration when assessing
trainees’ performance across all units. Guidance on this is given at the end of the unit specifications.
There are no longer separate components for Coursebook and materials evaluation and Assessment and
testing: these are now subsumed under Unit 1.
Course providers’ validation proposals must include a section on each of the five units, demonstrating not
only that Trinity’s minimum requirements will be met but also how that component will be delivered and
what specific guidance will be given to trainees. Course providers are not required to provide detailed
notes for every training session.

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Unit 1: Teaching Skills
Successful trainees must demonstrate the following learning outcomes in the context of initial training:
a. understanding of, and ability to put into practice, contemporary TESOL approaches, methodologies and
management skills in a manner appropriate to lesson aims, and to the learners’ background and
learning objectives
b. the ability to use materials and teaching aids with technical competence, imagination and awareness
of how they meet learning requirements
c. awareness of the key features required of coursebook and print materials in relation to presentation of
form and function, as well as attractiveness and user-friendliness for both teachers and learners
d. awareness of the main public examinations in ESOL and the main forms of test most useful in assessing
students’ performance in English: e.g. diagnostic and achievement, subjective and objective; the need to
identify the specific language items and skills assessed for which they may be required to prepare learners
e. the potential to assess their own strengths and weaknesses in order to benefit from further training
and assist in the evaluation of their peers.

The demonstrated skills include:

a. identification of the needs of different types of learners in monolingual and multilingual groups
b. preparation of appropriate aims for a lesson or lessons and means of achieving them
c. identification and development of the learning styles and motivation of learners, establishing and
maintaining rapport
d. organisation and management of the classroom, including whole-class activity, pair, group and
individual work
e. the ability to understand and adopt different teaching methods and styles for different learner groups
and individuals, with respect to the principles of differentiated learning
f. management of learners’ behaviour to encourage confidence, creativity and cooperation with other learners
g. understanding and developing the role of learners in contributing to their own learning programme
through self-directed study and self-evaluation
h. the ability to balance the requirements of accuracy and fluency as aims in teaching, including
treatment of errors
i. the ability to balance teacher-learner and learner-learner participation and to give clear instructions
j. the ability to adapt and use print materials effectively in whole or in part; use of teachers’ and students’
books to complement main coursebook
k. use of authentic and self-generated materials as aids to learning
l. use of teaching aids such as board, overhead projector, and audio equipment, and awareness of video
and ICT (information and communication technology) to achieve learning aims
m. devising and playing simple language games to achieve learning aims
n. use of activities such as role-play, songs, jazz chants, verse and drama to achieve learning aims.

All courses must include the following topic areas:

a. an overview of basic TESOL methodologies in relation to the principal theories of language learning
and acquisition, and learner needs
b. the design of a language learning programme to incorporate a variety of methods
c. the relationship between methodology and approach; strategies for planning a sequence of lessons to
integrate the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing and their sub-skills; identification of the
grammatical, lexical and phonological components of a syllabus on an individual and integrated basis
d. learner needs with reference to lesson planning, remedial activity and error analysis
e. materials selection and analysis, including coursebooks, supplementary and authentic materials
including print, audio, visuals, video and ICT
f. the development of simple materials with specified aims for specific learners
g. trainee self-evaluation and evaluation by tutors.

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Assessment of practical teaching skills

Means of assessment
Trainees are assessed on their understanding and practical application of the course content, including the
teaching of grammar and phonology, through teaching practice and the compilation of teaching practice
and guided observation journals. The final grade awarded for this component amalgamates not only
grades or marks for actual teaching practice, which comprise the greater part of the weighting, but also
the two journals. The course provider may wish to add to these assignments an exercise in coursebook
evaluation and/or testing and assessment.

Guided observation
Trainees must complete a minimum of four hours’ guided observation of experienced teachers with
genuine English language students, comprising at least two sessions of a maximum of two hours each,
although shorter sessions are recommended. The four hours’ observation must focus on at least four
classes or types or level of learner, or teacher. At least three of the four hours must be live teaching, as
opposed to video-recorded teaching or commercially published demonstration videos.

Teaching practice
Trainees must complete a minimum of six hours’ teaching practice with genuine English language learners.
The classes must be with students of at least two different levels of ability, and may for example include
two different levels of intermediate learner. All six hours of the teaching practice must be with classes of six
or more learners. It is recommended that trainees are normally invited to give personal feedback to the
trainer on their own performance before receiving the tutor’s feedback, and before peer feedback if this
activity is carried out. Some tutors may wish to use video to assist trainees in the feedback session. Trainees
may carry out team teaching if the course provider chooses but only those sections of the lesson actually
taught (not simply attended) by a trainee will count towards their six hours.

Feedback
Trainees should be given time in which to reflect on their teaching practice experience before giving a
self-evaluation. In providing feedback, both oral and written, tutors should balance positive comment to
encourage trainees and develop their self-confidence with a realistic appraisal of the areas in which
development is needed, bearing in mind that this is an initial course of training only. Tutors should
remember that trainees who do not reach the standard required to pass the course, or who receive a lower
grade than they had hoped, will scrutinise tutors’ evaluation comments: it is imperative that adequate
advice and warning of a likely fail grade is given. Trainees’ self-evaluation and tutors’ feedback must be
given orally and in writing.

Journal(s)
Course providers should use pro formas with trainees to guide them through the items listed below. These
represent a minimum requirement for the course.
Teaching practice log or journal
This must include the following:
a. list of contents of the journal
b. all pro formas used and completed for lesson planning, self- and tutor-evaluation
c. lesson plans for all lessons observed and assessed, set out in chronological order, and including as a
minimum brief references to the following:
1 student context (numbers, age, educational and/or professional level, purpose in learning English,
level of English, first language)
2 level of this class or learner
3 aims of the lesson, with learning outcomes
4 how aims will be achieved through content, methodology, materials, etc.
5 timing of stages
6 use of materials
7 anticipated problems
8 means of assessing learning outcomes

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d. self-evaluation and tutor evaluation
e. a summary of the overall experience to reflect the trainees’ professional evaluation of this component
and their own progress: this must be a considered statement that goes beyond a simple comment on
the trainees’ personal difficulties.

Self-evaluation assessments
These may be brief but will include as a minimum:
1 achievement or non-achievement of aims or learning outcomes
2 perceived reasons for the above
3 suggestions for adaptation of methods or materials for a future class or learner
3 assessment of feasibility of lesson aims
4 overall strengths and weaknesses.
5 reference to personal teaching aims for the next lesson.

Tutor evaluation assessments

These may also be brief but will include as a minimum:
1 achievement or non-achievement of aims
2 perceived reasons for the above
3 suggestions for adaptation of methods or materials for a future class or learner
4 assessment of feasibility of lesson aim
5 development of classroom management skills including the ability to establish rapport and motivate
learners
6 overall strengths and weaknesses.

Assessment of understanding of methodology

1 Trainees’ skills and knowledge may be assessed through other forms of examination or assignment, in
addition to teaching practice, if course providers think appropriate
2 Course training methodology may include micro-teaching and evaluation with peers or team teaching
if the course provider so chooses.

Guided observation journal

This may be brief but should include the following as a minimum:
1 aims of the observation (for example overall teacher and class performance, or specific aspects of the
teacher-class interaction)
2 level of class and composition of group
3 aims of lesson
4 comments on the teaching process and learning outcomes.
Trinity usually recommends that trainees are guided to look for specific features or aspects of teaching in
different observation sessions rather than trying to concentrate on all aspects during every session. This
journal should focus only on the observed English language classes, not on the unknown language classes
which are commented on in the unknown language journal.
See section I regarding recommended weighting for the two journals.

Coursebook and materials analysis

Trainees may, if course providers wish, complete a brief exercise on the evaluation of a small selection of
coursebooks. The task can be carried out on a team basis, provided individual trainees’ contributions can
be clearly identified. A pro forma can be used to identify key points for trainees to look for in their survey.
Although this component need not be formally assessed, trainees should be given feedback on their work.

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Testing and assessment, including major public examinations
Trainees must be made aware of the main forms of test most useful in assessing students’ performance in
English: e.g. diagnostic and achievement, subjective and objective, although one would not expect the
teacher with only a CertTESOL to teach immediately towards advanced examinations. They must be aware
of the need to identify the specific language item tested for the process to be meaningful.

Teaching young learners

The CertTESOL focuses primarily on the teaching of English to adults—the over 16s. There is a separate
Trinity programme available for the teaching of English to young learners (CertTEYL) which lays greater
emphasis on the learning process in young learners and methods, materials and assessment procedures
relevant to their particular needs, and of course requires relevant teaching practice settings. However, it is
recognised that the majority of ESOL teachers will at some stage in their careers teach young learners. The
flexibility of the Trinity CertTESOL validation requirements allows course providers to add a component on
areas specific to young learners and to include young learners in the teaching practice schedule, provided
that:
• the necessary guidance and materials have been provided in relation to classroom approaches and
methods, motivation, and means of assessing young learners
• the ratio of teaching practice with young learners is appropriate to the amount of input on young
learners provided in the course
• all appropriate measures have been taken to ensure the safety and proper treatment of those young
learners
• appropriate procedures have been followed at selection stage to ensure the suitability of trainees to
work with young learners.
Course providers must include a copy of any guidance pro formas and self- and tutor evaluation pro formas
with their proposal.

Unit 2: Language awareness

Successful trainees must demonstrate the following learning outcomes in the context of initial training:
a. understanding of the relationships between linguistic form (phonological, lexical and syntactic),
function and meaning in standard English
b. understanding of the principal concepts and terminology for describing the structure and use of
English
and the ability to:
c. describe these in terms of language skills and sub-skills
d. teach them in a communicative context
e. develop them in a language learning syllabus or programme
f. assess their learners’ competence in these areas.

This component of the CertTESOL course must be clearly integrated with the other four main components
to enable trainees to contextualise the language in terms of learners’ linguistic needs. Trainees must be
made aware of the main current sources of reference and pedagogic material. They may be assessed
therefore on this component through a specific test or exercise during the course. Marks must be
deducted if written assignments are not presented with appropriate spelling, punctuation and
grammatical usage. Understanding the teaching of grammar and phonology as demonstrated in their
teaching practice is assessed under Teaching Skills.

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Language awareness, grammar and phonology
In order to be awarded the Trinity CertTESOL, trainees will demonstrate the following progressively and in
the context of what is an initial training course:
a. an understanding of the basic relationship between meaning and linguistic and/or phonological form
in British Standard English
b. an understanding of the principal concepts and terminology of both the linguistic and phonological
structure of English
c. a recognition of current written and spoken usage
and the ability to:
i) describe these in terms of language skills and sub-skills
ii) teach them in a communicative context
iii) assess their learners’ competence in these areas
iv) develop their learners’ skills in these areas within a language learning syllabus.
The following inventories provide the essential syllabus for linguistic form and phonology to be adopted
by CertTESOL course providers. They may add to these if the context of training permits but these will be
the minimum to be addressed in the training programme. All courses must include the following syllabus:

Section A: Linguistic structure: form, function and usage

The following four areas are seen as the basic framework within which the main functional and
grammatical features of contemporary English are to be found and upon which the learner outcomes are
based. Trinity requires course providers offering courses of six weeks or fewer to give trainees pre-course
reading material or references to published material and related tasks. While this is not mandatory for
providers of longer courses, they are strongly recommended also to provide pre-course reading and study
material.

1. Grammatical terms and metalanguage

a. word classes and parts of speech
b. names of tenses
c. affixes
d. necessary terms related to other aspects listed below

2. Approaches to grammar and grammar teaching

a. different approaches to grammar (e.g. prescriptive, descriptive)
b. different current and historical approaches to grammar teaching (e.g. grammar-translation,
behaviourist, structural, functional)

3. Basic structural and functional grammar of English

a. function and form of major verb forms: time-reference, aspect and modality
b. word-building and lexical relationships
c. clauses and phrases
d. multi-word verb forms, infinitive and non-infinitive forms
e. sentence structure and basic features of discourse analysis
f. main features of correlation between form and function

4. Register
a. principal grammatical and lexical differences between spoken and written language
b. principal features of formal and informal spoken language

Additional features:
An awareness of typical differences between British Standard English and other varieties of English and of
the nature of English as a global language is also required. However, trainees are expected to have
awareness of these topic areas rather than have detailed knowledge of them or the competence to handle
them in assignments or teaching practice.
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Language learner outcomes:
On completion of the course, and with reference to appropriate textbooks, a successful trainee will be able
to deal with the following in the classroom and ally them to communicative teaching and learning
approaches:

i) Word classes as a tool for language analysis

a. determiners and modifiers
b. nouns and pronouns (form, function and position)
c. adjectives and adverbs (including comparative and superlative forms)
d. prepositions
e. verbs: person, number, auxiliaries, affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, active and passive voice
f. modals

ii) Time reference: form and function

a. verbs: basic tenses and their time reference: active and passive voice/aspect
b. finite and non-finite forms (e.g. gerunds)
c. modality
d. conditionality and hypothesis
e. adverbs and prepositions of time
f. direct and indirect speech

iii) Form and function at lexical level

a. word formation including inflectional affixes
b. multi-word verb forms and their associated grammatical features
c. main features of lexical relationships and lexical sets including collocation
d. basic features of formal and informal register in spoken and written English

iv) The structure of connected text

a. conjunctions, connectives and complex sentences
b. question forms, including rhetorical questions
c. phrase and clause types
d. basic grammatical features of textual cohesion
e. text types: basic grammatical features of register and genre in written English *
f. main features of contrastive analysis and first language interference *
g. punctuation and paragraphing
*These two items may be handled in the context of reading and writing skills.
v) Self-awareness and self-evaluation
a. recognition of and corrective strategies for difficulties experienced by the trainee in producing the
grammar, spelling and punctuation of British Standard English
b. evaluation of techniques for teaching form and function.

Section B: Phonology
The following areas are seen as the basic framework within which the main phonological features of
contemporary spoken English can be understood and on which the learner outcomes are based. Trinity
requires course providers offering courses of four or five weeks intensively to give trainees pre-course
reading material or references to published material and related tasks in these areas. While this is not
mandatory for providers of longer courses, they are also strongly recommended to provide pre-course
reading and study material.

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1. Phonemes
a. consonants: place and manner of articulation, voicing
b. vowels: place and manner of articulation
c. diphthongs
d. phonemic symbols and phonemic realisation of individual phonemes
e. correlation between sound and spelling

2. Word and phrase

a. word stress
b. pronunciation and grammatical forms (e.g. past tense -ed)
c. contractions, weak forms, strong forms
d. phonemic transcription of short items of connected speech

3. Sentence and discourse

a. tone groups, tonic stress and information focus
b. intonation: basic grammatical patterns
c. features of connected speech; for example: assimilation and elision, catenation, syllable and stress
timing
All or any of the above may be the subject of questions in tests set by course providers.

Additional features:
An awareness of the following aspects of phonology is required, but trainees are not expected necessarily
to demonstrate competence in these areas in their assignments or teaching practice:
allophones; consonant clusters; discourse intonation; British Standard English and other varieties of
English; English as a global language.

Language learner outcomes:

The areas listed above should be related to a methodology for teaching phonology so that on completion
of the course, and with reference to appropriate textbooks, all trainees are able to apply and carry out the
following techniques and activities, in a communicative teaching and learning context, in order to improve
learners’ intelligibility and confidence in spoken English.
i) Use and evaluation of pronunciation teaching techniques
a. articulation of independent and connected phonemes
b. use of phonemic symbols and phonemic chart for description and discrimination
c. visual techniques: e.g. diagrams of mouth, mime, finger-counting
d. modelling techniques: e.g. repetition, drills, back-chaining
e. sound discrimination exercises and activities: e.g. minimal pairs
f. integration of phonology into grammar teaching
g. one-to-one phonology teaching

ii) Activities to develop awareness and improve intelligibility in connected speech

a. visual techniques: marking stress and intonation
b. modelling techniques: e.g. back-chaining, jazz chants etc
c. use of tapes, dialogues, games.
iii) Recognition of learner error or difficulty (as demonstrated particularly through the Learner
Profile)
a. phonemic transcription of learner speech
b. analysis of spoken errors, including some use of basic contrastive analysis
c. analysis of written errors in relation to the correlation between sound and spelling where relevant

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d. analysis of learner difficulties in understanding spoken English in terms of phonemic distinctions, weak
forms and stress patterns
e. error correction techniques both in the classroom and in the one-to-one lesson.
iv) Self-awareness and self-evaluation
a. recognition and analysis of own areas of difficulty in pronunciation encountered during the unknown
language lessons
b. ability to use phonemic symbols to transcribe and analyse own pronunciation
c. evaluation of own pronunciation teaching techniques
The language awareness component of the CertTESOL course should be clearly integrated with the other
components to enable trainees to contextualise the language in terms of learners’ linguistic needs.
Trainees should be made aware of the main current reference sources and pedagogic resources.
Course providers must include a copy of any guidance pro formas and any language tests or examinations with
their proposal.

Unit 3: Learner Profile

Successful trainees must demonstrate the following learning outcomes in the context of initial training:
a. The ability to draw up a simple linguistic profile and needs analysis for one learner of English on the
basis of a minimum of one and a half hours’ interview and a sample of the learner’s written work which
may include diagnostic tests. The interview should include general discussion of the learner’s language
learning background and aims in learning English; preferred methods of learning; strengths and
weaknesses.
b. The ability to prepare a number of broad recommendations for the learner’s study programme in at
least one area of each of the four main skills, and including grammar and phonology.
c. The ability to prepare and teach up to three lessons totalling 45–60 minutes. (These lessons do not
count as one of the six hours of observed and assessed teaching practice.)

The profile must include the following as a minimum:

a. A description of the learner’s cultural and social background, including reference to her/his mother
tongue and other language learning experience; the occasions when and where the learner uses
English; her/his reasons for learning English and the contexts in which she/he is likely to use English in
the future.
b. An evaluation of the learner’s current linguistic proficiency, including strengths and weaknesses in the
four main skills, analysed in terms of grammar, lexis and phonology, and based on:
1 a recorded sample of the learner’s spoken English in natural dialogue, parts of which will be
transcribed
2 interaction skills in interview
3 intensive and extensive listening skills
4 a sample of written English
5 reading comprehension skills.
(See notes under The profile below.)
c. A lesson plan for, and an evaluation of, up to three lessons totalling 45–60 minutes with this learner,
based on selected key learning needs emerging from the above analysis. This section should include
materials used in the lesson.
d. Recommendations for the learner’s future language development over a further 10 to 20 hours’ English
language learning, based on learning needs emerging from the above analysis.

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The following points must be noted:
Preparation for the Learner Profile:
• The relevant activities must be timetabled so as to ensure a sufficient amount of theoretical
preparation, since this component brings together areas of theoretical knowledge and skills developed
elsewhere, together with sufficient time for interviewing and teaching.
• The preparation should include:
• input on the nature of interlanguage
• the role of error analysis and contrastive analysis in teaching and learning
• the particular requirements of one-to-one needs analysis and teaching.
• The student profiled should not be a spouse, a relative or a learner who presents inappropriate
profiling challenges. Where trainees themselves find students to profile, guidance should be provided
on how to select them.
• Trainees should be sensitised to the particular requirements of one-to-one interviewing and teaching,
where empathy with one learner is especially important.

The profile:
• The section on the learner’s cultural and social background is important, but should take second place
to the linguistic analysis. It should not normally be more than 20-25% of the whole profile.
• The orthographically transcribed sample must be about one minute of continuous speech. Multi-word
segments of this, totalling 20–30 words normally, must be phonemically transcribed, and otherwise
represented where necessary, in order to illustrate clearly problems of intelligibility due to segmental
and suprasegmental features of pronunciation, or other opportunities for developing pronunciation
skills. Trainees are not required to transcribe the entire sample phonemically.
• The phonemically transcribed segments should deal with at least two areas of segmental and/or
suprasegmental ambiguity and should illustrate:
• the trainee’s ability to apply the phonological theory learnt within Unit 2
• their listening skills, particularly in relation to sound discrimination
• their awareness of teaching priorities in terms of pronunciation and intelligibility, and other
teaching objectives.
• Where the analysis involves sounds not normally found in acceptable varieties of English, it is expected
trainees will make use of descriptive strategies such as approximations, words from other languages,
‘mixed’ sounds, etc. in order to represent ambiguous or unclear pronunciation.
• The learner’s interaction skills and learning needs should be based on interviews totalling a minimum
of one and a half hours.
• Intensive listening skills should be based on comprehension of questions and cues in the interview,
while extensive listening skills may be based on the learner’s reported experience with English
language media, e.g. radio, TV, cinema, songs, Internet etc.
• The sample of written English may be generated by a task set by the trainee, or from the learner’s class
work, but should be analysed by the trainee.
• The assessment of reading comprehension should be based on a text of approximately 300 words.
Other strategies, such as newspaper or magazine skimming may be used to assess extensive reading.
• The lesson should not simply concentrate on correction of the written language or discussion of
reading comprehension tasks undertaken for the assessment, but should aim to build on an identified
area of the learner’s language, and language skills that require attention. Published teaching materials
may be used but should be augmented with materials devised by the trainee to meet the particular
identified needs of the learner.
• The suggestions for future language development should include reference to grammatical, lexical and
phonological areas, and listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. It may be set out as a general
outline, a scheme of work, or a series of outline lesson plans, and should include a brief rationale linking
the components focused upon the linguistic analysis of the learner.
• The Learner Profile should not include a transcription of any kind of the whole interview.
Course providers must include a copy of any guidance pro formas with their proposal.

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Unit 4: Materials assignment
Successful trainees must demonstrate the following learning outcomes in the context of initial training:
a. the ability to plan, produce, use and evaluate simple classroom teaching materials and the
accompanying tasks
b. the ability to produce a written rationale for the choice and development, and evaluation of the
effectiveness, of the materials
c. the ability to propose adaptations to these materials in the light of experience of using them with real
learners in teaching practice
d. the ability to propose adaptations to these materials for an alternative purpose, teaching point or
group of learners.

The following points should be noted:

1. The change in 2003 from moderation to assessment

The change from moderation to direct independent assessment for Unit 4 of the CertTESOL comes as a
result of discussions with the UK Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and consultation with
moderators and course providers. It is recognised that apart from changes in interview procedure and
assessment, the moderators will have a slightly different role in relation to trainees.

2. Preparation for Unit 4

a. The materials:
Trainees choose as a focus for their assignment a compilation of two pieces of material and
accompanying tasks used in teaching practice: these must not include materials used in the one-to-
one lesson. The use of published materials, whether TESOL or other, is not excluded but trainees should
show evidence of imaginative exploitation of these, beyond what may be suggested in a coursebook.
Such use should be kept to a minimum and sources acknowledged appropriately. The materials must
be of different types—e.g. not two based on presentation of grammatical points or two reading
comprehensions. They should include material which has worked in part at least quite well and
material which has worked in part less well.
b. Focus for the assessment interview:
Trainees must produce a written rationale and evaluation for each of the two pieces of material, set out
in the order and with the headings indicated on the pro forma provided in Appendix 10. These are
assessed according to the criteria given in Appendix 10. The rationales and evaluations constitute
the focus for the interview. In addition the moderator invites trainees to give an oral appraisal of
the overall benefits of the assignment in relation to the selection or production, evaluation and
adaptation of teaching materials and an appraisal of any insights gained into teaching as a whole. This
appraisal may relate to any of the following:
• classroom management
• lesson planning
• learners’ motivation
• selection and appropriateness of materials
• lesson pacing.
c. The written rationale:
The rationale must include information on the class profile, the anticipated linguistic aims and the
anticipated achievements and difficulties for learners. The profile must refer to a specified group of
learners in terms of level, type of class (e.g. general English, multi- or mono-lingual), their anticipated
strengths and weaknesses, and place of this lesson in the overall programme if this is known.
Anticipated linguistic aims cover the areas of language development trainees expect to work on with
learners, (for example, new language learnt in terms of structure, function, semantics and/or skills
development) and going beyond (for example) simply ‘conversation practice’. Anticipated achievements
and difficulties for learners include linguistic issues, such as learners’ current command of structures or
lexis necessary for use of the materials, complexities of pronunciation, questions of class organisation,
group dynamics, and/or motivation.

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d. The written evaluation:
The evaluation must include a statement of the perceived effectiveness of the materials in terms of
linguistic aims and achievements/difficulties for the specified group of learners, and how the materials
might be improved for the same group of learners or adapted for a different group. The discussion
with the moderator covers the written rationales and evaluations.
e. Volume of materials and length of written assignments:
In deciding how much material to include in the compilation, trainees and tutors must bear in mind
that the final discussion with the moderator takes a maximum of fifteen minutes. The rationale and
evaluation for each of the two pieces of material must jointly be between 400 and 500 words in
length. The total word count, therefore, for the rationale and evaluation for the two pieces of material
together is 800–1000 words.
f. Individual and team work:
The materials assignment must be carried out on an individual basis: while trainees may usefully share
their ideas and experiences with each other, each individual must plan and produce all or a significant
element of their own materials and be able to discuss them independently of other trainees.
g. Materials used in teaching practice:
The trainee must have used the materials with genuine learners in teaching practice.
h. Rehearsal:
Tutors should give trainees the opportunity to rehearse an oral discussion based on their written
rationales and evaluations by way of preparation for the interview with the moderator. They should not,
however, mark either the written work or discussion, although they should give constructive feedback.
Trainees must be told what the Trinity assessment criteria are in advance of completing their work.

3. New moderation/assessment procedures:

The following requirements for interview procedures and the assessment of Unit 4 were set for a trial
period of six months, for moderations conducted to 31 March 2004, during which Trinity took note of
feedback from moderators and course providers as to the effectiveness of the assessment procedures. The
following procedures will be adopted:
a. Total time for assessment of Unit 4:
The total time allocated for the assessment of Unit 4 remains at 20 minutes per trainee.
b. Breakdown of timing:
This 20 minutes is sub-divided as follows:
• 5 minutes in total for reading the two rationales and evaluations for each trainee (see moderation
schedules under section E5)
• 15 minutes for the individual discussion between the moderator and each trainee.
c. Place of the individual interview in the moderation schedule:
Individual interviews must take place after the sampling process, reading of Unit 4 work, and before
the round up sessions with course tutors. However, moderators may:
• either hold all group interviews before all Unit 4 reading and individual interviews
• or hold a group interview followed by the Unit 4 reading and individual interviews of trainees from
that group only
Please note this is a change from the October 2003 requirement.
Thus the individual interview for any one trainee always takes place after their group interview. Trinity
considers that on balance this is the best juxtaposition of group and individual interviews, given the
tensions inevitably raised by the moderator taking on the role of external assessor for a part of trainees’
work.
d. Focus of the individual interview:
The individual interview between the moderator and each trainee has as its focus the discussion of the
two rationales and evaluations. Trainees must not therefore introduce discussion of any other aspect of
their training into this interview. If they have comments, including complaints, about course delivery,
these must be made either during the group interview or in a letter to Trinity.

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e. Interview procedure:
• Course directors must give moderators the photocopies of the rationales and evaluations, together
with the relevant materials, in advance of the point on the schedule set aside for reading (see
section 3c above) and whichever of the two reading options the moderator has chosen in
collaboration with the course director.
• Trainees must give a photocopy of their two rationales and evaluations to the moderator (i.e. not
the top copy).
• Trainees are not asked to give a formal presentation of the rationales and evaluations but to
introduce briefly the first rationale and evaluation (one minute) to be followed by discussion with
the moderator, and then the second rationale and evaluation (one minute) to be followed by
discussion with the moderator. Moderators elicit further information by asking questions as
appropriate. Thus trainees take the initiative at the start of the interview; thereafter the interview is
guided by the moderator but is not formally scripted as such by Trinity. This is in part as a result of
formal guidance from the QCA.
• Trainees must not bring the associated lesson plans to interview but leave these with the teaching
practice journal to be looked at by the moderator in the general sampling process.
• Trainees must not be allowed to take an excessive amount of time to introduce and talk about their
rationales and evaluations if they are not in fact providing the information required by moderators.
• Moderators should assist the flow of the interview with suitable comment but try to avoid explicitly
evaluative comment at this time.
f. Standardisation of written rationales and evaluations:
Trinity provides a standard pro forma for all trainees to complete with the relevant information on their
rationales and evaluations (see Appendix 10). This is to ensure consistency of headings for the written
work and more efficient reading and checking by moderators. The headings relate to the items detailed
in the 2004 edition of the Validation Requirements. The materials assignment in its original form—i.e. a
photocopy of all trainees’ two rationales and evaluations with the original materials—must be given to
moderators without any written comment or feedback by course tutors along with the other written
work for sampling.
g. Standardisation of reporting of assessment of trainees:
• Moderators’ pro forma report: Trinity provides a standard pro forma for all moderators to complete
the assessment and any additional comments for each trainee (see Appendix 10). Moderators
should only include on this pro forma information as required and as relevant to the individual
trainee’s performance on Unit 4.
• Insufficient guidance from course providers may be a factor in referrals. Where moderators feel that
trainees are not meeting Trinity’s requirements on this Unit because of insufficient guidance from
course tutors, they must report this separately in the usual moderation report.
• Paperwork to be sent to Trinity: moderators must return the reporting pro forma for every trainee,
and their copy of the rationale and evaluation for every trainee who is assessed as refer
(rather than pass) on Unit 4.
h. Quality of materials:
The focus of Unit 4 is the rationales and evaluations, not the quality of the materials themselves. (The
materials themselves will have been assessed by course tutors when they evaluate lesson plans and
teaching practice within the framework of Unit 1.)
Moderators may comment on the quality of materials based on their sampling of teaching practice
journals, and in the overall moderation report. The pass criteria for Unit 4 include a reference to the
motivational aspect of materials, which can include the overall quality of presentation.
i. Status of moderators’ assessments:
Under these validation requirements, moderators assess Unit 4, the Materials Assignment, as pass or
refer only. Moderators may not assess Unit 4 as fail. (Where any Unit is assessed as fail, this
automatically means that the trainee would have to repeat an entire course and all assignments in
order to be considered for a Trinity certificate.) Moderators assess Unit 4 against the criteria set out in
Appendix 10. Course tutors are required not to assess Unit 4 (either the written work or a rehearsal of
the interview) but should provide guidance to trainees for both on the basis of the information given
in the validation requirements.

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4. Criteria for Pass and Refer on Unit 4
The terms pass and below standard are used in relation to the assessment criteria; the terms pass and refer
are used for the overall assessment of Unit 4.
Trinity proposes three criteria for each of the categories Pedagogic Skills and Communicative Skills, and
two criteria for Analytical/Reflective Skills for each of the two assessment bands of pass and below
standard. Moderators record an assessment in relation to eight criteria. Trinity also proposes that for the
trial period at least, each of the eight criteria carries equal weighting.
However, for trainees to be awarded an immediate pass on Unit 4, they will have to be given a pass on at
least four of the eight criteria, with at least one criterion from each of the three skills categories. Therefore,
if they are assessed as below standard on five or more criteria, or below standard on all criteria in one skills
category, they must be awarded an overall assessment of refer for Unit 4. All trainees assessed as refer
overall on Unit 4 must be re-moderated for this Unit. This will normally involve a further interview with a
moderator. There may be exceptional cases where only the written needs to be re-submitted and marked
without interview. For a re-moderation to take place, trainees will need to attend another moderation visit
at either their own or another course providing organisation. (Note: this is not in fact a change to the
earlier system.) Please see Appendix 6 for details of moderation and re-moderation fees, where applicable.

5. Relationship of assessment for Unit 4 and moderation of other Units:

The moderator may not fail trainees on Unit 4, but may recommend a fail on the course overall
depending on the assessment of trainees’ other assignments including teaching practice. A trainee may
normally be referred on a maximum of two Units, including Unit 4, if referral is thought appropriate rather
than fail. A trainee will normally only be referred on more than two Units if there are extenuating
circumstances such as illness of the trainee or their family; bereavement; accident etc. Circumstances
which might not prove critical in a long part-time course may prove critical in a short intensive course.
Where trainees are referred on Units 1, 2, 3, 5 or any combination of these, their work is re-assessed by
course director/tutors in the usual way.
Course providers must include a copy of any guidance pro formas with their proposal.
Note. Course providers who were previously approved to offer the old style pre-1999 materials project as distinct
from the materials compilation must now offer the materials assignment as detailed above in order to ensure
parity of assessment procedures across all course providers.

Unit 5: Unknown language

Successful trainees must demonstrate the following learning outcomes in the context of initial training:
a. their awareness of the learning experiences and feelings of the learner being taught a new language,
with little or no use of the learner’s first language
b. their ability to identify the aims and objectives of the lesson and identify the ways in which these were
or were not achieved through the methodology, materials and class management techniques
employed
c. an awareness of a few of the main elementary contrastive features of the taught language and of
English.

The unknown language must be a natural language, i.e. not an invented or computer language. This
language should normally be one previously unfamiliar to the trainee. Where a lesser known language is
chosen, and it transpires that a trainee has some prior knowledge of it, the course provider may agree a
different level of activity and journal for that trainee to complete.

Delivery
Trainees normally receive four hours’ total tuition, in sessions of approximately one hour, with an oral-aural
bias in an unknown language, through the medium of that language, at beginner level, and in a
communicative context. They see in practice some of the methodology and approaches to form and
function introduced elsewhere. They establish and record their feelings and experiences as learners, and
the ways in which different methods and techniques result in successful learning, through a written
journal which will form part of the final assessment.

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Assessment
Trainees are not assessed on the volume or accuracy of language learned but on the accuracy of analysis
and the reflective nature of the journal. Trainees should be provided with a pro forma to guide them in
what to look for in the language lessons and how to comment on what they experience: they may need
help with specific terminology.

The journal
The journal provides both a training process for the trainee and a product for the final assessment. It
should include as a minimum the following:
a. broad details of the methods used by the teacher including use of materials, interactive patterns, pair
and/or group work, and class management techniques
b. an account of the grammatical, functional and lexical objectives of each lesson as perceived by the
trainee
c. a reflection on the nature of the learning experience and on which teaching methods and attitudes as
expressed by the teacher were more or less helpful to the trainee and others in the group
d. a brief description of a few of the main contrastive features of English and the taught language
e. a summary of the overall experience to reflect the trainee’s professional evaluation of this unit and the
teaching methodology used; this must be a considered statement that goes beyond mere comment on
the trainee’s personal difficulties.

The following points should be noted:

a. the teacher of the unknown language must be familiar with the principles of the whole course and the
ways in which the course units complement one another
b. he/she must be able to teach in a communicative style involving learners and demonstrating a range
of techniques and forms of group interaction without relying on coursebooks or the
grammar/translation method
c. he/she must have a high level of competence in the spoken and written forms of the unknown
language
d. the course director must make every effort to choose a language that is not known to any member of
the group; if this proves impossible, and there are one or two members of the group with some
knowledge of the language, the course director must agree with them in advance an assignment to be
carried out by them that will fulfil the normal aims of this course unit
e. the unknown language tuition must be timetabled so that trainees will already have received some
input on methodology, although this unit is normally best timetabled near the start of a full-time
course, and in the early part of a part-time course
f. the four hours may be divided as the course director finds appropriate, although it is usually thought to
be most satisfactory to offer sessions of no longer than one hour, and certainly no longer than two
g. Trinity recommends that trainees are guided to look for different features or aspects of teaching in
different observation sessions rather than trying to concentrate on all aspects during every session.
Course providers must include a copy of any guidance pro formas with their proposal.

Supplementary notes on Professional Awareness

and Development
Successful trainees must demonstrate:
• awareness of the needs of other colleagues in the team, teaching and non-teaching, and the value of
mutual support in the teaching-learning-training environment, and
• awareness of the need for development throughout the course, based on a constructive response to
training input and feedback from tutors, peers and learners.

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This awareness is demonstrated through the following behaviour:
a. willingness to attend all parts of the course (allowing always for absence due to unexpected illness,
accident or bereavement)
b. ability to complete all assessments including teaching practice and hand in assignments at the required
times unless they reach a prior agreement with their tutor
c. ability and willingness to contribute actively to group and workshop activity
d. willingness to respect the contributions and work of other trainees and of their tutors
e. willingness to respect learners’ contributions to the teaching-learning environment
f. willingness to respect the contribution of the non-teaching, non-tutoring staff to the training programme
g. ability and willingness to take note of feedback on their performance and work with their tutors to
develop a constructive dialogue.
In addition, trainees should be encouraged to develop:
• awareness of the need for further professional development through a combination of reflective
practice, participation in discussion with colleagues, reading, attendance at seminars and conferences,
and formal training
• awareness of the principal sectors of employment in their field and the most common and reliable
means of obtaining information on employment and employers: they must be given advice as to the
main sources of teaching vacancies in the national and local press, together with a selection of the
more reputable websites, e.g. EL Gazette (EL Prospects); the Guardian (Tuesday and Saturday editions)
and the Guardian Weekly.

H. Course Bibliography
H1 Core reading
Course providers must provide trainees with a bibliography of appropriate reading material on language
study and teaching methodology, plus a short list of books recommended for purchase by trainees, to
include suitable reference books on grammar and phonology, and a good learners’ dictionary of English.

H2 Pre-course reading
Course providers must issue a minimum pre-course reading list, for example, four books comprising an
introduction to grammar and language awareness, phonology, methodology and other areas relevant to
training, as well as a longer recommended list for study during or after the course. The pre-reading list may
include recommendations as to specific chapters of books or journal/newsletter articles.

I. Tutorials
I1 Frequency
Course providers must timetable for each trainee at least one formal tutorial session per full-time course
and at least two per part-time course to give trainees guidance on their individual progress. It must be
remembered that trainees require considerable guidance on the organisation of their assignments and the
requirements to be met in journals and teaching practice.

I2 Feedback
During tutorials trainees must be given a clear indication if it seems at all likely that they will not meet the
final required standards and not therefore be awarded a certificate.

I3 Mentoring
Trainees may have issues of a personal nature to discuss, as relevant to their training, and should be given
the opportunity to do so.

I4 Record-keeping
Course providers must ensure that a written summary of the tutorial discussion is made available to
trainees and preferably signed by trainees and tutors following each discussion, whether or not the trainee
accepts the tutor’s recommendations or suggestions.

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J. Weighting, assessment and grading of course units
J1 Pass requirements
In order for trainees to be awarded the Trinity CertTESOL, all five course units must be passed by the
trainee, either during the course or as a result of referral and subsequent completion of work to the
required standard, normally within two months of the moderation visit. These units are:
Unit 1 : Teaching skills
Unit 2 : Language awareness (including grammar and phonology)
Unit 3 : Learner profile
Unit 4 : Materials assignment
Unit 5 : Unknown language.
Trainees must attend all the training sessions required by the course provider and complete all
assignments, projects and tests to the standard set by the course provider and agreed with Trinity through
the validation process. Absences due to illness, bereavement, accident or other extenuating circumstances
must be agreed with the course provider.

J2 Weighting
a. Course providers must indicate what weighting is given to the five units in terms of relative coverage
on the programme. They may adjust the following weightings slightly to meet their own requirements.
1. Teaching skills (including methodology, teaching skills, teaching practice and related
journal, guided observation and related journal, coursebook and materials valuation,
and methods of assessment and testing in the classroom) 57%
2. Language awareness (grammar and phonology) 13%
3. Learner profile 11%
4. Materials assignment 11%
5. Unknown language 8%
A typical weighting breakdown for Unit 1, the major unit, will be:
• teaching practice including lesson planning 46%
• teaching practice journal 6%
• guided observation journal 5%
b. Where course providers wish to allocate a weighting for work completed in coursebook evaluation (as
distinct from materials assignment) and/or assessment/testing, it is recommended that no more than
2.5% weighting be allocated to either of these components.
c. Trainees need to be made aware that the course is an integrated whole, and that the benefit of each
individual unit extends beyond the particular assignment allocated to that unit. For example, some of
what is learnt in Unit 5, the Unknown Language, will contribute significantly to the preparation for the
practice component in Unit 1.
d. Professional awareness and development cannot be assessed as a discrete component. If course
providers wish to record any significant achievement or lapse in standard in this area, this must be
done at the appropriate point within the framework of the five course units, on the basis of evidence
within the work required in this unit.

J3 Forms of assessment
a. Course providers must make clear in the proposal the details of the assessment scheme by which
course components will be assessed. Some areas of study—such as language form and function—will
come under scrutiny through various forms of assessment, for example in a language awareness test
and also in teaching practice. Forms of assessment may include:
• continuous and end-of-course appraisal
• formal grading and/or marking of written, practical and oral work
• written and verbal commentary on written, practical and oral work
• written and oral tests or examinations.

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b. Trainees must be made aware at the start of the course of all procedures and criteria used in the
assessment of their work. This information must be conveyed both orally and in writing, so that they
know from the start of the course the kind of marks, grades or comments that they may expect to
receive and how these relate to their progress in their assignments.
c. Self-evaluation must be developed throughout training so that trainees learn:
• to discriminate between their own and others’ strengths and weaknesses, and
• to adopt a self-critical approach in order to become relatively self-reliant and confident.
d. The emphasis in course content, delivery and assessment must be on the practical with sufficient
theoretical underpinning as is appropriate to this level of trainee. All assessment must be combined
with comprehensible feedback enabling trainees to build on current achievements for their future
development.

J4 Procedures for assessment

a. Course providers are required in their submission for validation to provide details of the assessment
procedures for each individual written assignment and for teaching practice and for any other form of
assignment, with the exception of Unit 4, the Materials Assignment, which is independently assessed. If
an A–E grading scale is chosen, C should indicate a pass, in the interests of conformity with other
course providers. If assessment is expressed in percentage terms, totals should be convertible in the
overall grading, or equivalents should be shown.
b. Course providers must provide clear descriptors for each mark, grade or level awarded for each type of
assignment, including teaching practice, but excluding Unit 4. The most appropriate forms of
descriptor are ‘can do’ statements or statements of the expected level of achievement by trainees in a
given area. Course providers are referred back to the sample course objectives in section B for
assistance in selecting the topic areas for which descriptors might be developed.
c. Course providers must make clear in their proposal how the recommendation for the final overall
assessment (pass, refer, fail) will be reached, i.e. how marks will be combined, and whether this will be
done on a purely arithmetical basis or whether tutors will make use of additional criteria in reaching a
final recommendation.
d. Course providers must deduct marks for individual components if the criteria relating to professional
awareness and development are not met and if this is clearly documented—for example, non-
attendance at sessions, late delivery of assignments, inadequate or inappropriate response to feedback.
e. Marks must be deducted if written assignments are not presented with appropriate spelling,
punctuation and grammatical expression., indicating a difficulty in consistently meeting the standards
of linguistic fluency and accuracy under pressure required of a teacher of the language.
f. If course providers wish to award trainees a grade of pass (e.g. distinction, grade A etc) they must
decide how to integrate the award of pass or refer for Unit 4 into that overall grade. Trinity does not
award degrees of pass.

J5 Overall assessment criteria

Grading and marking schemes must be based on the following overall assessment criteria which relate to
qualifications approved at Level 4 of the UK National Qualifications Framework in relation to expectations
of pass, refer and fail, and which are reflected in international standards for good practice in the language
teaching classroom:

(please see overleaf for table)

– 35 –
 Pedagogic skills Communicative skills Analytical and reflective skills

Pass A convincing demonstration Clarity of presentation Awareness of context

of appropriate classroom
techniques, fully informed by
an understanding of the
subject matter.
involving a range of
communication techniques
suitably related to audience
and purpose.
coupled with detailed
preparation and an
understanding of both the
teaching content and the
process of learning.

Referral Some evidence of the
appropriate techniques and
understanding, but not
without defects: additional
evidence required in order to
confirm a pass.
General evidence of the
ability to communicate
effectively and appropriately
but not without defects:
additional evidence required
in order to confirm a pass.
Some evidence that context,
content and the learning
process have been
understood: additional
evidence is needed to confirm
a pass.

Fail Limited demonstration of the
classroom techniques
required and/or the
necessary knowledge and
understanding: not yet ready
to take independent charge
of a group of learners.
Communicative intention
inappropriate or
inconsistently pursued, or
poorly executed so that the
communication of content is
not achieved.
Evidence that the educational
context and/or the teaching
content and/or the process of
learning are not sufficiently
understood for adequate
learning to take place.

J6 Mark definitions
Pass:
Trainees deemed to have passed the CertTESOL course will have:
• completed the entire course
and either by the end of the course or following referral as agreed with the moderator and Trinity
• completed all assignments including all teaching practice to the required standard
and demonstrated:
a. a basic knowledge of form and function in contemporary British Standard English and the use of
phonology for teaching purposes
b. a knowledge of the basic issues relating to language learning and teaching including the importance
of understanding learners’ academic and emotional needs in the classroom
c. competence in preparing materials and lesson plans for specific classes of learners ranging from
beginner to upper intermediate, making use of the standard classroom aids, with some professional
support
d. competence in teaching and evaluating those classes of learners independently on a daily basis but
with some interim professional support
e. awareness of how to make use of reference materials and other sources of professional guidance in
order to build up their knowledge of language, and language teaching and learning issues, to enable
them to teach the full spectrum of learner levels and types, and deal with unknown classes and
unexpected opportunities and challenges in class
f. the ability to work collaboratively with peers and tutors in preparation of work and giving and
receiving feedback on performance
g. the ability to produce journals and other written assignments or test results to an appropriate level of
written English in order to demonstrate their understanding of their own training and learning process.
In summary, they will have demonstrated the necessary knowledge, skills and approach to individual work
and teamwork to allow them to take a responsible and professionally competent role as a teacher in a
range of generally predictable teaching situations.

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Referral:
Trainees deemed to be eligible for referral (re-submission or completion of normally not more than two
assignments including possibly some of their teaching practice) will have:
• completed the entire course
• produced by the end of the course, in whole or in part, all or some of their assignments including
teaching practice
and have demonstrated:
a. all or some of the necessary knowledge of language and language learning and teaching as above
b. all or some of the necessary competence in preparing for and teaching classes as above
c. some awareness of how to use reference materials and other sources of guidance as above
d. some ability to work collaboratively with peers and tutors in preparation of work and giving and
receiving feedback on performance
e. some ability to produce journals and other assignments as above.
In summary, they will have demonstrated a significant level but not all of the necessary knowledge, skills
and approach to individual work and teamwork to allow them to take a responsible and professionally
competent role as a teacher in a range of generally predictable teaching situations but without, at the time
of referral, having been able to complete all their assignments to the appropriate deadline or standard
deemed necessary for the immediate award of a Trinity Certificate.
Note: A decision to pass, refer or fail a candidate may also be deferred if a trainee has been unable to complete
either the course or their assignments because of their own or family illness, or bereavement, or accident.
Fail:
Trainees deemed to have failed the course will have:
• completed all or part of the course
• produced by the end of the course, in whole or in part, all or some of their assignments including
teaching practice
but have demonstrated:
a. an insufficient level of the necessary knowledge of language and language learning as above, and/or
b. an insufficient level of the necessary competence in preparing for and teaching classes as above, and/or
c. an insufficient awareness of how to use reference materials and other sources of guidance as above,
and/or
d. an insufficient ability to work collaboratively with peers and tutors in preparation of work, and
giving/receiving feedback on performance, and/or
e. an insufficient ability to produce journals and assignments as above.
In summary, they will have demonstrated a significant lack of the necessary knowledge, and/or skills, and/or
approach to individual work and teamwork to allow them to take a responsible and professionally
competent role as a teacher in a range of generally predictable teaching situations.

J7 Merit and distinction

Trinity does not award a merit or distinction grade to individual trainees either overall or for particular units.If
course providers wish to award trainees a final grade they may do so, but it will not appear on the Trinity certificate.
Course providers must not recommend to the Trinity moderator an overall mark, grade or level that is higher
than that awarded for Unit 1 (Teaching skills).

J8 Professional awareness and development

Professional awareness and development must not be assessed as a discrete component. Course providers
must record achievements and lapses in standard in this area within the framework of the other five units.
They should deduct marks from their overall mark for individual components if the criteria relating to
professional awareness and development have not been met. In tutorials they must give trainees guidance
on their performance in the areas listed at the end of section G. The principle underlying the inclusion of
this topic area is that teaching within an organisation is a social and collaborative activity, and the relevant
values, attitudes and skills need to be acquired and demonstrated at initial training level.

– 37 –
J9 Early warning
If the course director and tutors consider that any trainee will not or may not reach the standard required
to pass the course, clear warning of the trainee’s lack of progress must be given to the trainees verbally
and in writing. This warning must explain clearly how the trainees’ performance risks falling short of the
required standard. Any interim marks or grades awarded must be made known to the trainees to enable
them to evaluate and improve their performance. (See also Section I.)

J10 Deferral
A trainee who has completed all the assignments including teaching practice but is unable to attend the
current moderation visit as a result of exceptional circumstances (illness, bereavement, etc.) may have a
decision on their performance deferred until they can attend a moderation on a later appropriate
occasion. The trainee’s work must normally be moderated within two months of the end of the course.

K. Course management
K1 Overall management
Course providers must make clear who is responsible for the overall management of the organisation,
whether independent school, college, university (at institutional and departmental level). This should
include brief details of:
• procedures for issuing work permits for teaching/tutoring staff if relevant to the organisation
concerned
• regulations relating to disciplinary offences by trainees: in the case of a serious contravention of a
course provider’s disciplinary code, for example violent or excessively disruptive behaviour, it is
expected that the organisation will deal with this under a declared and understood disciplinary
procedure
• details of provision for applicants with special needs (see Appendix 2).

K2 Course publicity and information

The proposal must show how the organisation provides comprehensive and clear information to its
trainees. This publicity and information :
must reflect accurately the actual location and premises of the course, course content and timetable,
staffing and other resources provided, and any other features of the course
• must be given to trainees in writing before they enrol on the course and pay any deposit, or training or
moderation fee
• must include details of the assessment system
• must reflect accurately and clearly which services, materials and tuition are included in the advertised
fees, and those which carry an additional charge
• must include details of Trinity’s appeals and complaints procedures
• must not include unauthorised or inappropriate use of material bearing Trinity’s name or logo.

K3 Specific course responsibilities

Clear responsibility should be defined for:
• course design at the validation stage and post validation
• recruitment of the course director and/or tutors
• trainee recruitment including interviewing
• directorship or management of the course: the course director (the person with overall responsibility
for the course on a day-to-day basis) must be fully familiar with Trinity’s validation and moderation
procedures and be able to answer questions on these
• course tutoring in all areas
• course administration (non-academic)
• financial procedures: e.g. administration of course deposits and fees: this must be handled responsibly
and in accordance with the published information regarding the cost of courses and other services,
whether payment of fees is made by cheque, credit card or other means

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• handling of trainee complaints and feedback
• handling of administrative and/or financial issues or complaints: the course provider must inform all
trainees of the internal arrangements for handling administrative and financial complaints, and must
give all trainees a copy of the Trinity College London Level 4 CertTESOL procedures for handling
complaints and appeals. This may be found in the CertTESOL Summary document which is specifically
designed as an introduction to CertTESOL for trainees as well as a working tool for course providers,
and which can be downloaded from the Trinity website.

L. Management and tutoring staff

L1 Course management and tuition
Course providers must submit full CVs for the course director or leader and all tutors, specifying their
TESOL and other academic and professional qualifications, including dates and provenance, and
professional experience with special reference to teacher training experience, including dates, location, and
level of training courses; formal qualifications if any awarded to those in training. The minimum
qualifications and experience required of Trinity course directors and tutors are as follows:
Course directors must have one of the following as a minimum qualification:
• Trinity College London Licentiate Diploma TESOL
• Cambridge ESOL (UCLES/RSA) Diploma (DTEFLA/DELTA)
• PGCE in TEFL or with TEFL as a main component
• a qualification in English language teaching of at least equivalent content and depth to the above,
i.e. placed at Level 5 within the UK National Qualifications Framework or a recognised equivalent in or
outside the UK.
Course directors must have substantial, recent English language teaching and documented teacher
training experience.
Course tutors must have one of the following as a minimum qualification:
• Trinity College London CertTESOL
• Cambridge ESOL (UCLES/RSA) Certificate (CTEFLA, CELTA)
• a qualification in English language teaching of at least equivalent content and depth to the above,
i.e. placed at Level 4 within the UK National Qualifications Framework or a recognised equivalent in or
outside the UK.
Course tutors must have recent English language teaching and documented training experience.
The unknown language tutor should have experience of teaching that language using a method and
techniques appropriate to the methodology that trainees are acquiring. Trinity appraises the tutoring
team, including the course director and all tutors, on the basis of their qualifications, teacher training
credentials and teaching experience, and their competence to train or tutor with regard to the specific
duties undertaken by each member of the team.
Trinity advises course providers what induction or shadowing procedures their course director and/or
tutors should follow for a first course, subject to their training experience. Where a proposed team has no
specific Trinity training experience, it is likely that Trinity will recommend a programme of induction by, or
shadowing of, another course provider.

L2 Division of responsibilities
The course provider must indicate the main details of who will lead or tutor each timetabled session: it is
appreciated that there will be some flexibility in practice. These responsibilities will include:
• input: grammar, phonology, language awareness, methodology (including historic overview and
current approaches, methods, techniques, lesson planning, materials development and evaluation, use
of resources)
• workshop activities on the above (if applicable)
• teaching practice: planning with trainees; assisting with lesson plans; observation and feedback; final
evaluation; guidance on and marking of teaching practice and guided observation journal

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• the unknown language: tuition, journal overview and assessment
• learner profile induction, supervision and assessment of assignment
• materials assignment induction and supervision
• tutorials.

L3 An induction plan for future course directors and/or new tutors:

It is accepted that staff turnover will affect CertTESOL staffing. The induction plan, which guarantees
continuity of service and standards, must include a programme for:
• observation of the current course director and/or experienced tutors
• observation by the current course director and/or experienced tutors during the new staff’s first
sessions with CertTESOL trainees
• feedback on these observations
• partial supervision of new tutors until they are ready for fully independent tutoring
• a report of 200–300 words by each new course director, to be forwarded to the Head of TESOL at Trinity
on completion of the observation phase, containing brief details of:
• the induction programme and lessons learned from it
• any specific questions for Trinity
New tutors must not provide the majority of input on a CertTESOL course.
Tutors expected to take a significant role in the delivery of the CertTESOL should be encouraged to work
towards a Diploma or equivalent qualification.
Where the course provider wishes to appoint a new course director, they must forward a copy of her/his
full CV to Trinity for approval prior to the appointment; CVs of proposed new tutors must be forwarded to
Trinity for the record but not for approval. However, it is expected that any new course directors and tutors
will conform to Trinity’s requirements as stated above. If it is found that new tutors are appointed who do
not have the appropriate qualifications or experience, or whose CVs have not been forwarded to Trinity,
the course provider may be asked to refrain from using them on the course.

M. Resources
M1 General facilities
Course providers must give a general description of the resources available to trainees, including:
a. photocopying facilities
b. overhead projectors
c. a suitable range of reference and teacher training materials, and teaching coursebooks, including a
range of periodicals such as EL Gazette, Modern English Teacher (Pearson Education), English Teaching
Professional (the Swan Business Centre) and the IATEFL Newsletter and Special Interest Group
newsletters, or equivalent national and international publications in their own country. The English
Language Teaching Journal (Oxford University Press); Language Teaching (Cambridge University Press)
provide background reading at a more advanced level, as do other advanced and specialist
publications
d. a suitable range of audio and video material and equipment
e. a suitable range of realia for materials-making projects
f. some access to word processing and internet facilities.

M2 Personal facilities
Course providers must either provide trainees with sufficient files or folders (e.g. ring binders, lever arch
files, folders) to ensure the efficient keeping of written work and notes or advise trainees prior to their
joining the course that they will need to obtain this stationery before or during the first week. Zipped
wallets should not be used as these are difficult to open during the busy moderation schedule.

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N. Premises
N1 General requirements
Course providers must give a general description of their premises in their validation proposal. The
premises to be used by trainees must be:
a. sufficiently spacious for the number of trainees and staff to be accommodated in an appropriate
room(s) during input, workshop and teaching practice sessions: it is normally regarded as preferable to
have a training room permanently allocated to a group of CertTESOL trainees: trainees will also need
some quiet space for the preparation of teaching materials and other assignments: one-to-one tutorials
should take place in relatively quiet and private areas
b. appropriately furnished, bearing in mind that trainees take notes while in training and need a proper
flat writing surface as well as seating facilities
c. adequately lit, heated and ventilated
d. free from undue extraneous noise
e. equipped with sufficient numbers of clean and hygienic lavatories for female and male trainees and
staff using the premises at any one time
f. equipped with appropriate and easily accessible emergency exits
g. equipped with clear fire and safety instructions clearly displayed in all classrooms and common areas
h. equipped with some refreshments, in particular drinks; if food is not available on the premises, trainees
should be directed to a local and reliable source of food
i. in a reasonable state of repair, cleanliness and decorative order.
Course providers vary in the sophistication of their premises, but it is considered important that they all
meet the basic requirements necessary to ensure a reasonable standard of comfort for trainees and tutors.

N2 Health and safety

Course providers are responsible for the implementation of local health and safety regulations appropriate
to the venue(s) used. Trinity’s health and safety policy may be consulted on application.

N3 Under-16s
Where language students under the age of 16 are to be invited to attend teaching practice sessions,
special arrangements must be made to ensure that regulations regarding the health, safety and protection
of young people are respected.

O. Taking other inspection and accreditation into account

Where a course provider can provide evidence of other statutory scrutiny or accreditation which makes it
unnecessary to provide a detailed submission for repeat scrutiny, Trinity will take such evidence into
account. Examples in the UK include, in the public sector, HEFCE or Adult Learning Inspectorate reports. In
the independent sector this includes accreditation by English in Britain. In other countries, inspection or
accreditation by the national regulatory body will likewise be taken fully into account.
It should be noted, however, that the main emphasis in CertTESOL validation relates to course design and
implementation specifically for the CertTESOL, rather than to wider institutional factors. Additionally, the
validation process is designed to be a creative as well as a standardising process, enabling the
dissemination of best practice. It is generally found to offer new course providers insights into TESOL
training and qualifications at this level as well as the confidence that they have a course which will deliver
the right results for all concerned.

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Appendix 1
Organisation fact file: In confidence to Trinity

CertTESOL
Trinity use only: Centre No.

This form (in three parts) must be completed by prospective course providers (i.e. not current providers
updating their proposals) and sent to the Head of TESOL at Trinity prior to a full proposal being completed.
Trinity will confirm in writing whether the course provider should continue with a proposal. This
confirmation does not constitute a guarantee of eventual validation.

Part 1: Contact details

Name of organisation:

Full address:

Main TESOL contact: Title: Name:

Telephone:

Fax:

E-mail:

Website:

Status of organisation (e.g. independent sector, state sector, further or higher education, university-based):

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 Appendix 1

CertTESOL (continued)
Part 2 : About your English language students and trainee teachers (if any)
Please indicate:
2.1 The approximate number of language students you take each year in each of the following categories:

a. beginner b. intermediate c. advanced

2.2 The average number of weeks taken by each student:

2.3 The approximate ratio of adult to young learners (under-16s):

2.4 Their area(s) of language learning:

(e.g. general English, English for specific/academic purposes)

2.5 The approximate range of nationalities:

2.6 The approximate ratio of EFL to ESL or ESOL learners if relevant:

2.7 The approximate number of ESOL trainee teachers or teachers trained annually and the level of the
course ( if any):

a. introductory b. initial c. diploma

d. other (including in-service); please indicate which:

2.8 Towards which qualification(s), if any?

2.9 The approximate number of trainee teachers having English as:

a. first language b. second language c. foreign language

please turn over for part 3

– 43 –
Appendix 1

CertTESOL (continued)
Part 3 : About your organisation
Please provide a short description of the course providing organisation with its main features:

3.1 Who is responsible for overall management if in the state sector?

3.2 Who owns and who manages if in the independent sector?

3.3 Is it one of a chain of independent sector schools or colleges?

3.4 Is it a member of a consortium? if so, which?

3.5 Current membership of associations or schemes and year of joining:

(Please tick where relevant and write date)
• British Council’s English in Britain Accreditation Scheme (EiBAS)
• Association of Recognised English Language Services (ARELS)
• British Association of State English Language Teaching (BASELT)
• European Association of Quality Language Services (EAQUALS)
• International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL)
(i.e. associate membership)
• Comparable associations or schemes in and outside the UK (if so, please state which, year of joining, and
whether the association or scheme operates an inspection process of any kind)

3.6 Date of establishment of organisation:

3.7 Date of establishment of English language courses if any:

3.8 Date of establishment of teacher training courses if any:

3.9 What documentation you could provide to confirm these dates if required:

3.10 Approximate number of English language teachers employed annually:

full-time: part-time:

3.11 Number of sites on which EFL/ESOL activities are carried out:

3.12 Statement to indicate course provider’s equal opportunities policy in relation to gender and sexual
orientation, ethnicity, religion and beliefs. (See D5, p. 15)

– 44 –
Appendix 2
Provision for applicants with special needs
1. Course providers are required as part of their proposal for validation to indicate what provision is made
for applicants with special needs if they are accepted on the course. It is Trinity’s policy to provide every
reasonable opportunity for teacher training to applicants who are disabled or who have special needs,
while anticipating the expectations of their students once trainees are qualified and have gained a
teaching post. Course providers in the UK should consult among other information sources the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 or later. All course providers should also consult their own school or
college policy in this area.
2. Course providers should note that the same standards of assessment must apply to all trainees
regardless of disability. Allowances for trainees’ disability or special needs will be made only in the
conduct of an assessment, where appropriate.
3. Applicants with disabilities or special needs should normally be encouraged not to apply for places on
short intensive courses, especially if extra time is required to complete assignments.
4. Before applicants are accepted on CertTESOL courses, the course provider should discuss with them
the nature of their disability or special needs, including mobility difficulties such as the need for
wheelchair access. They should discuss the means by which the course provider and the trainees would
be able to work together in such a way that the trainees could follow the course and have the
opportunity to complete the required assignments including teaching practice to the necessary
standard. In making disability and special needs provision, course providers must bear in mind the
usual requirements of both language learners and the teaching organisations that employ teachers of
English. Details of what provision is to be made should be communicated to Trinity before the
applicants are accepted on the course.
5. Applicants who are disabled or who have special needs (including those registered blind, partially
sighted, deaf or hearing-impaired, or those with other disabilities) must demonstrate that they can
handle, supplement or provide effective substitutes for the usual range of language teaching
equipment in the classroom, such as board, audio and video equipment. All trainees must be able to
identify individual learners and correct their spoken and written work on the spot.
6. If applicants wish course providers to take into account a condition such as dyslexia or difficulties with
reading or writing skills, they (the applicants) must supply a report from an educational psychologist (a
chartered educational psychologist, a full or affiliate member of the Association of Educational
Psychologists or a person employed by a local education authority as an education psychologist).
Reports from psychologists of other disciplines (e.g. clinical) are not accepted.
7. There are many different manifestations of dyslexia and it does not necessarily affect only reading and
writing skills. It can also affect short-term memory, spatial awareness and labelling skills. Many dyslexic
trainees will have developed or will be able to develop strategies to cope with their dyslexia, and it
need not necessarily be a barrier to full participation in a course.
8. There is no fixed extra-time allowance for teaching practice or the completion of assignments for
trainees with special needs. Extra time, where necessary, should be agreed between individual trainees,
course providers and Trinity, according to the nature of the disability or special needs.
9. Course providers must inform the Head of TESOL at Trinity of any trainees known to have special
needs, preferably at the start of their training.
10. Further advice on applicants with special needs is available from Trinity on request.

– 45 –
Appendix 3
Mid-course visit for first or subsequent courses
1. Aims:
a. To provide the moderator, the course provider and Trinity with early warning of any problem areas that
can be remedied before the end of the course
b. To establish that trainees have understood the nature of the assignments required
c. To provide support to the course provider.
The visit is carried out in a supportive spirit. It is expected that following all first-time courses, providers
may wish to make some amendments to their proposal or course description in the light of experience.
However, it must be remembered that a first-time course has the same status as later courses and trainees
are entitled to a similar standard of service across all courses. The moderator may be able to help clarify
points in the validation requirements.

2. Content:
The moderator and the course provider must schedule time for the moderator:
a. To talk to the course director and all course staff
b. To talk to trainees as a group
c. To sample any completed assignments
d. To observe one or more ongoing sessions of course input or feedback on teaching practice
e. To view premises and resources.
The moderator cannot cover all areas of the course in depth, but particular attention is paid to teaching
practice arrangements. The moderator must be given a copy of the latest agreed version of the course
proposal, including the timetable and full details of teaching practice arrangements and assessment
procedures.

3. Outcome:
The moderator is asked to provide a short report for Trinity which is normally forwarded to the course
provider with comment as appropriate. The moderator will refer to strong and weak points of the course,
without pre-empting the outcome for either trainees or course provider.

– 46 –
 Appendix 3

Mid-course visit report

CertTESOL
This form must be completed by the moderator for a mid-course visit to a first or subsequent course. It
should be sent to Trinity College London, preferably within two weeks of the visit.

Name of organisation: Centre number:

Name of moderator: Date of visit:

Is this a first course? Yes No If no, which course is it?

Name of course director:

Names of course staff:

Number of trainees registered for course: Number of withdrawals to date:

Please comment and make recommendations under the following headings where possible. Comments
should be typed on a separate sheet since we do not wish to limit the amount of text moderators provide.

a. General conclusions, recommendations and suggestions

b. Premises
c. Resources
d. Entry requirements and selection procedures
e. Staffing
f. Timetable/organisation
g. Trainees’ comments (general perceptions of the course, understanding of assignments)
h. Teaching practice (sessions completed to date, trainees’ progress, efficiency of organisation)
i. Written assignments seen, if any
j. Any other comment

Signature: Date:

– 47 –
Appendix 4
Appeals and complaints procedure for trainees
1. Procedure for appeals by trainees
1.1 Grounds for appeal
a. Trinity considers appeals only against overall awards of fail, but not against awards of referral, or against
overall grades or marks where the trainee is deemed to have passed the course. Trinity does not itself
award levels of pass (e.g. merit or distinction) but simply pass, referral or fail.
b. Trinity considers appeals against overall awards of fail only where trainees provide information or
evidence to indicate that courses were possibly not delivered in line with the course provider’s publicity
and course information and/or Trinity’s validation requirements and that therefore they were deprived
of appropriate training and/or an appropriate assessment procedure. Such an appeal may relate to the
assessment system in place and the way in which it was operated.
c. In handling appeals against fail, Trinity does not re-mark assignments or teaching practice. Trinity
obtains information from the appellant, the course provider and the course moderator in order to reach
a judgement as to whether the course has been appropriately delivered and the assessment system
fairly implemented.
d. Trinity does not enter into disputes between trainees and course providers relating to payment or
refund of fees or other charges, or financial compensation for delivery of services.
e. If an appeal is accompanied by a written or verbal proposal of legal action, then Trinity does not pursue
the normal appeals procedure but refers the matter to its solicitors.
1.2 First level of appeal
a. There is no charge to trainees wishing to appeal at first level. Trainees wishing to appeal against an
overall fail mark must write to the Head of TESOL at Trinity’s head office setting out the following clearly
and on numbered pages:
• the grounds for appeal which must be consistent with section 1.1 above
• the range of grades or marks that they believe they have been awarded for individual assignments
including teaching practice
• any other relevant evidence, including any assignments that they have failed where the course
provider’s grades, marks or written comments are included
• a note of the date when their fail was confirmed, and by whom, and in what mode—e.g. meeting,
telephone, letter, e-mail, etc
• written confirmation that their letter of appeal may be shown to the course provider and the
moderator for an investigation to take place.
b. The letter must be postmarked or fax dated not later than fourteen days after trainees have received
official confirmation from the course provider or from Trinity that they have failed. Appeals are not
accepted by e-mail.
c. It must be noted that the course moderator, following consultation with the course provider, makes
recommendations as to whether trainees have passed, been referred on or failed the course. Trinity
makes the final award and this is confirmed in a pro forma letter to the course provider from the Head
of TESOL. Occasionally the Head of TESOL will ask the course provider in that pro forma letter to
provide additional information before Trinity confirms the award of fail.
d. On receipt of an appeal, Trinity normally acknowledges the appeal in writing within seven days of its
receipt. If the appeal is under the terms of appeal procedures, Trinity forwards the relevant material to
the course provider and course moderator with a view to investigating the grounds for appeal. If the
appeal is not accepted as being consistent with Trinity’s terms of appeal, the Head of TESOL writes to
the appellant to explain the reasons for this decision. Rejection of the appeal terminates the first level
appeal procedure but does not remove the appellant’s right to pursue a higher level appeal.
e. The Head of TESOL reaches a decision after receiving the comments of the course provider and course
moderator and replies to the appellant as appropriate.The target time for resolving appeals at first level is 28
days maximum from the date of receipt, depending on the completeness of information from the appellant
and on the availability of relevant course tutors and moderator to comment, and on that of the Head of TESOL.

– 48 –
 Appendix 4

1.3 Second level appeal

a. Appellants whose appeal at first level is not granted and who are not satisfied with the decision of the
Head of TESOL may if they wish proceed to a second level of appeal to the Director of Language
Examinations. Appellants must write directly to the Director of Language Examinations giving their
grounds for their continuance of the appeal procedure and their written permission for their second
appeal letter to be copied to the course provider and course moderator.
b. The letter must be postmarked or fax dated not later than fourteen days after the date of the letter
from the Head of TESOL confirming that their first level appeal is not granted. Second level appeals are
not accepted by e-mail.
c. Appellants must enclose a fee of £25.00 (twenty-five pounds) made payable to Trinity College London
with a second level appeal. If writing from outside the UK this must be drawn in pounds sterling on a
UK clearing bank.
d. If the appeal is accepted under the terms of appeal procedures, the Director normally acknowledges
the appeal in writing within seven days of its receipt, copies the second level appeal letter to the Head
of TESOL for information and forwards the relevant material to the course provider and course
moderator with a view to investigating the grounds for appeal. This material includes the original
appeal documentation and any additional documentation received.
e. The Director reaches a decision after receiving the comments of the course provider and moderator
and replies to the appellant as appropriate. The target time for resolving appeals at second level is
28 days maximum from the date of receipt, depending on the completeness of information from the
appellant and on the availability of relevant course tutors and course moderator to comment, and also
on that of the Director.
f. If the second level appeal is upheld, the fee of £25.00 is returned to the appellant, but not otherwise.

1.4 Third level appeal

a. Appellants whose appeal at second level is not granted and who are not satisfied with the decision of
the Director of Language Examinations may if they wish proceed to a third level of appeal to the Chief
Executive. Appellants must write directly to the Chief Executive giving grounds for their continuance of
the appeal procedure and their written permission for their third appeal letter to be copied to the
course provider and course moderator.
b. The letter must be postmarked or fax dated not later than fourteen days after the date of the letter
from the Director of Language Examinations confirming that their second level appeal is not granted.
Third level appeals are not accepted by e-mail.
c. Appellants must enclose a fee of £50.00 (fifty pounds) made payable to Trinity College London with a
third level appeal. If writing from outside the UK this must be drawn in pounds sterling on a UK
clearing bank.
d. The Chief Executive normally acknowledges the appeal in writing within seven days of its receipt,
copies the third level appeal letter to the Director of Language Examinations and Head of TESOL for
information and reaches a decision in association with an independent member of the ESOL and
TESOL Review Board after receiving the comments of the course provider and moderator. He then
replies to the appellant as appropriate. The target time for resolving appeals at third level is 28 days
maximum from the date of receipt, depending on the completeness of information from the appellant
and on the availability of relevant course tutors and course moderator to comment, and also on that of
the Chief Executive and independent assessor.
e. If the third level appeal is upheld, the total fee for second and third level appeals of £75.00 is returned
to the appellant, but not otherwise.

– 49 –
Appendix 4

1.5 Possible outcomes of appeal where granted

In the event of an appeal against fail being granted, it is possible for Trinity to take any of the following
actions:
a. require course providers to re-assess a specific written assignment and give their written comments as
to the reason for the final grade or mark, which may, but need not necessarily, differ from the original
grade or mark
b. require moderators to re-assess the materials assignment
c. require course providers to give trainees a further opportunity to repeat the entire course and all
assignments at the course provider’s whole or part expense (i.e. a referral)
d. require course providers to give trainees a further opportunity to repeat one or more assignments
including all or part of teaching practice, and with appropriate support and input from the course
provider, at the course providers’ whole or part expense (i.e. a referral)
e. require the course provider to make changes to their course design or delivery, including assessment
systems, against a specific deadline in order to retain validation by Trinity.
Trinity does not reimburse trainees with all or part of their training fees or moderation fees.
In the event of a first or second level appeal not being granted, Trinity reminds appellants that they have
the possibility of proceeding to a second or third level appeal respectively.

2. Procedure for complaints by trainees

2.1 Grounds for complaint
a. Trinity will consider serious complaints by trainees who have in fact met all course requirements and
been awarded a Trinity CertTESOL, as well as by those who have failed, if they can demonstrate that
courses were not delivered in line with the course providers’ publicity and course information and/or
Trinity’s validation requirements and that therefore they were deprived of appropriate training. Please
note the outcome of complaints where substantiated under section 2.3.
b. It must be noted that Trinity does not enter into disputes between trainees and course providers
relating to payment or refund of fees or other charges, or financial compensation for inadequate
delivery of services.

2.2 Complaints procedure

a. Trainees must write to the Head of TESOL at Trinity setting out the precise reasons for their complaint
and include any relevant evidence, together with written confirmation that their letter of complaint
may be shown to the course provider and the moderator for an investigation to take place.
b. If the complaint is accepted as a complaint under the terms of the complaints procedure, Trinity
normally acknowledges the complaint in writing within seven days of its receipt and forwards the
relevant material to the course provider and course moderator with a view to investigating the
grounds for complaint.
c. Trinity reaches a decision after receiving the comments of the course provider and replies to the
appellant as appropriate. The target time for deciding the outcome of complaints is 28 days maximum
from the date of receipt, depending on the completeness of information from the complainant and on
the availability of relevant course tutors to comment, and on that of the Head of TESOL at Trinity.

2.3 Possible outcomes of complaint where substantiated

a. It must be noted that if the complaint is found to be substantiated, Trinity may require the course
provider to make changes to their course design or delivery, including assessment systems, against a
specific deadline in order to retain validation by Trinity.
b. Trinity does not reimburse trainees with all or part of their training fees or moderation fees.

– 50 –
Appendix 5
Conditions for export of a CertTESOL course validated by
Trinity College London in or outside the UK
1) Approval of validated courses for delivery in other locations
Existing Trinity College London course providers who wish to have a currently validated course
approved for delivery in another location must send their written request to the Head of TESOL no later
than ten weeks prior to the start of the exported course. They must include details of staffing, premises,
resources and teaching practice arrangements, together with an assurance that course design, staffing
and teaching practice will be as stipulated in conditions 2–5 below. Continuing approval of the
exported course will be dependent on satisfactory moderation reports and payment of fees as
appropriate, together with the usual conditions set by Trinity for the continuance of validation.

2) Course design
The exported course must be the same in terms of design, timetabling and assessment as the course
currently validated by Trinity College London.

3) Staffing
The course director must be either the course director of the parent course or a senior tutor
experienced in the delivery of the Certificate TESOL, qualified to at least Diploma level or equivalent
and approved by Trinity. Other course tutors must have appropriate qualifications and experience and
have been approved by Trinity.

4) Premises and resources

Premises must be equivalent or superior in size and quality to those offered by the parent provider.
Resources must be adequate in range and quality for the aims of the course to be achieved.

5) Teaching practice
There should be sufficient English language classes available as described in Trinity’s Validation
Requirements to provide each trainee with at least six hours’ teaching practice over a minimum of two
levels and with at least six learners per session. The learners and the regular teachers for those classes
should be aware of the special arrangements under which those classes are being taught. The regular
teachers should be consulted as to levels of learner and current syllabus being taught so that the
trainee teachers can, as far as possible, complement the regular teaching of those classes and not be
seen as disruptive to the learning process.

6) Advertising
It is usual for the parent provider to advertise the course and design the selection procedures and
criteria. Selection procedures may be carried out by the parent provider or the organisation where the
course is to be held, provided the agreed procedures are followed.

7) Moderation
The usual procedure is followed, including checking of premises and resources.

8) Fees
No additional validation fees are normally payable. The moderation charges will be at the rate
appropriate to the country in which the course is being delivered (i.e. not the location of the parent
provider).

9) Management responsibility and contact

Trinity regards the parent course provider as having full academic, legal and financial responsibility for
the course, and they are responsible to Trinity for payment of fees under the usual terms.
Correspondence relating to the exported course will be with the parent provider. Any appeal or
complaint against the exported course is handled with the parent provider. Trinity reserves the right to
withdraw validation of the exported course if any of the criteria for validation are not met.

10)Exporting agreements
Parent course providers must negotiate their own terms of agreement with organisations where
courses are to be run. Trinity takes no responsibility for any such agreements and does not enter into
disputes between the two parties relating to the fulfilling of any such agreements or financial
obligations.

– 51 –
Appendix 6
Application by course providers for moderation
1. Provisional notification of course dates
Course providers must give provisional notification to the Trinity CertTESOL Coordinator in writing of
their proposed start and end dates for their next course a minimum of six weeks before the end of the
course.

2. Firm notification of course dates

These dates, together with names of course participants or trainees, must be confirmed to the
Coordinator a minimum of three weeks before the course end date on the official summary and
application form to be found at the end of this Appendix. A copy of these forms is normally e-mailed to
course providers at the time of validation. Dates and full names of trainees as they should appear on
certificates must be supplied. Trinity cannot guarantee that a moderator will be available if the three-
week deadline is missed.

3. Surcharge for late applications

Any applications received after the three-week deadline for which a moderator is found are liable for a
surcharge, which stands at 50% at the time of writing.

4. Transfer of entries
An entry made in the name of one trainee may not be transferred to another trainee without prior
written agreement with the CertTESOL Coordinator.

5. Payment of moderation fees

Course providers are invoiced for moderation fees immediately after the three-week deadline when
they confirm names of trainees to be moderated. Payment must be made within the timescale
specified. Cheques must be made payable to Trinity College London and attached to the summary and
application form. Alternatively, a remittance advice must be sent to the CertTESOL co-ordinator as
proof of payment. Moderation fees cannot be refunded by Trinity.

6. Moderation fees for withdrawals, deferrals and referrals on Unit 4

The moderation fee charged by Trinity covers all trainees entered at the three-week deadline. If trainees
withdraw from the course after this deadline, Trinity does not refund the moderation fee. If trainees are
moderated on a later occasion, they have to pay a further moderation fee paid unless agreement is
reached with Trinity that this is not necessary. This is only in exceptional circumstances, such as illness,
accident, bereavement etc. Course providers must give Trinity documentary confirmation of such
circumstances. However, trainees needing to be re-moderated following referral on Unit 4 will not need
to pay a further moderation fee.

7. Levels of moderation fees

Moderation fees are set to cover the direct and indirect costs of both the moderation visit and the
overall service provided by Trinity to validated course providers. Fees are reviewed annually and fees
for a calendar year are normally announced at the end of the preceding March. Moderation and
validation fees vary according to the country in which training and moderation take place. Details of
current fees may be obtained from the Trinity website or from the CertTESOL Coordinator. Trinity
reserves the right to alter fees as circumstances require.

8. Trinity Online
Developments are under way to allow course providers the facility to register trainees online with Trinity
as part of a system that will give providers and Trinity extensive access to information and statistical
data, and trainees access to providers information. Full details will be announced during 2004.

– 52 –
 Appendix 6

Application for moderation of CertTESOL trainees’ work

Notes:
1) This form must be completed by the Course Director and sent to Trinity College London no later than three
weeks before the requested date for the moderation.
2) This form must be sent with the Cert TESOL Moderation Summary Form which must include payment details.
3) Please write in the names carefully and accurately stating forenames and family name as the names used on
certificates are taken from this form. There is a charge for replacement certificates where the name on the
certificate is changed from that on the application form.
4) If there are more than five trainees to be moderated, use additional application forms.

Name of Institution:
Centre No.: Course reference No.:
Date(s) requested for Moderation:
Names, addresses and dates of birth of trainees:

Forename(s) Family Name Date of Birth Recommendation/

note (pass, refer, fail,
defer, withdrawn)

1.

Address

Trinity would like to send you further information regarding professional development and other services.
Please tick here if you would like to receive such information.

2.

Address

Trinity would like to send you further information regarding professional development and other services.
Please tick here if you would like to receive such information.
3.

Address

Trinity would like to send you further information regarding professional development and other services.
Please tick here if you would like to receive such information.

– 53 –
Appendix 6

CertTESOL moderation summary form

UNITED KINGDOM

Notes:
1) This form must be sent to Trinity College London with the Application for Moderation form and the
appropriate fee.
2) There is a minimum fee which must be paid before a moderation can take place. This fee can be found on the
sheet Moderation Fees for Cert TESOL courses for the relevant year.

Name of organisation:

Centre no.: Part time* Full time*

Date/s requested for moderation:

No. of trainees to be moderated:

Moderation fee due: £

* Tick relevant box

I enclose a cheque for the above amount*

The above amount will be remitted to Trinity College London by (date)*

Signed Date
(Course Director)

– 54 –
 Appendix 6

CertTESOL moderation summary form

OVERSEAS

Notes:
1) This form must be sent to Trinity College London with the Application for Moderation
form and the appropriate fee.
2) There is a minimum fee which must be paid before a moderation can take place. This fee can be found on the
sheet Moderation Fees for Cert TESOL courses for the relevant year.

Name of organisation:

Centre no.: Part time* Full time*

Date/s requested for moderation:

No. of trainees to be moderated:

Moderation fee due: £

* Tick relevant box

I enclose a cheque for the above amount*

The above amount will be remitted to Trinity College London by (date)*

Signed Date
(Course Director)

– 55 –
Appendix 7
The moderation visit
Moderation visit: detailed supplementary guidance on the group and individual moderation
interviews, the sampling of written work and the writing of moderation reports is given in the
Moderation Handbook, and must be consulted by all moderators and course providers. The following
constitutes a summary of that section.
1. Role of the moderator
Moderators are required to moderate marks or grades awarded to all trainees’ written work, except for the
Materials Assignment, for which they assess the written work and the discussion. In reporting on trainees’
work and presentations, moderators make recommendations and suggestions relating to course provision if
appropriate. Once the moderation report is confirmed and forwarded to the course provider by Trinity,
recommendations must be implemented for long-term validation to be continued, unless the course
provider reaches an agreement with Trinity on an alternative way forward. Suggestions should be
considered in the context of advice or possible alternative approaches to a training issue.
2. Status of the moderator’s recommendation on awards to trainee
The responsibility for confirming recommendations and suggestions, and overall awards of pass, refer, defer
and fail lies with Trinity rather than with the course provider or the moderator, and the final decision on
these matters rests therefore with Trinity, following detailed consultation with the other parties. However,
the assessment by the moderator for Unit 4 as pass or refer is independent of Trinity. Moderators should
inform course directors of their intended recommendations with the warning that these are subject to
confirmation by Trinity.
3. Allocation of moderators
Moderators are allocated to courses by Trinity. Course providers may not normally refuse a particular
moderator. Trinity makes every effort to ensure that moderators are not asked to moderate a course in
which they have a vested interest. It must be remembered, however, that many TESOL trainers and
moderators will have worked together during their professional career. In the event of a dispute concerning
the allocation of a moderator to a course, the course provider should write to the Head of TESOL at Trinity
setting out the grounds for the dispute.
4. The moderation visit
Moderators carry out the following, based on the information and resources available to them:
a. Data and reports: see Appendices 8 and 9. Moderators collect data as required in Part 1 of the
moderation report form and receive data provided by trainees in Part 2. They complete Part 1 of the
report form under the given headings, including recommendations and suggestions. They are
welcome to produce the main report format and content on computer and send it to Trinity by
e-mail provided all the other data is sent in either by computer or hard copy.
b. Trainee feedback through group interviews: Through the group interviews moderators obtain
feedback on:
i) the information, guidance notes and pro formas produced by the course provider covering
course timetabling, content, assignments with deadlines for completion, and the means of, and
criteria for, assessment
ii) the effectiveness and reliability of course management including timetabling
iii) professionalism and appropriateness of input from course staff, and whether the course design
and implementation was in line with the course objectives
iv) preparation for, and organisation and delivery of, teaching practice sessions
v) attentiveness of staff to trainees’ needs, including the provision of feedback on written and
practical assignments
vi) attendance of tutoring staff
vii) provision of teaching resources
viii)provision of facilities such as rooms for class and quiet study, toilets, refreshments, and health and
safety policy.
c. Individual interviews with trainees: Through the individual interviews with trainees, focussed
specifically on the materials assignment, moderators give trainees the opportunity to demonstrate
their understanding of the most basic principles of teaching English in relation to the use of
materials and methods to achieve language learning. Moderators mark the materials assignment as
a pass or refer according to criteria set by Trinity.

– 56 –
 Appendix 7

d. Moderation of marks and/or grades: Moderators assess and comment on the appropriateness of
grades or marks, based on:
i) the course provider’s course proposal, especially the assessment system and criteria
ii) Trinity’s validation requirements.
In order to do this, moderators must be provided with all individual marks and provisional final
grades or marks allocated at the start of the moderation visit. They discuss with the course director
any borderline marks, specifically between pass and refer, and refer and fail. Moderators do not
normally read every written assignment but read a representative sample of trainees’ work.
Moderators do not themselves mark or grade assignments, other than trainees’ materials
assignments. Neither course providers nor moderators must recommend a final overall grade or
mark that exceeds the grade or mark given for teaching practice (which includes the assessment of
the journal for teaching and for guided observation).
5. Recommendations on trainees following the moderators’ visits
Following discussion with the course director and tutors, moderators recommend to Trinity one of the
following awards for each trainee:
a. pass: no further work to be completed or re-submitted
b. referral: to include a note of which assignments trainees are referred on (see below) and which
marks or grades were awarded for these assignments;
c. fail: to include a note of the following:
• the grades for all the assignments, including teaching practice, and confirmation of which they are
deemed to have failed
• an indication of the kind of feedback and advice they were given on their progress, e.g. specific
comments on fail assignments and/or comments made at their tutorial
• confirmation that they were given details of the assessment system at the start of the course
• confirmation that they were not thought suitable for referral.
d. deferral (of decision on trainee): with a note of reasons for this recommendation.
Supplementary notes:
i) Pass: moderators and course providers are reminded that trainees must pass either by the end of
the course or as a result of a successful referral all five course units:
Teaching skills; Language awareness (grammar and phonology); Learner profile;
Materials assignment; Unknown language.
ii) Referral: moderators discuss with the course director any trainees appropriate for referral - i.e.
trainees who are required to resubmit or complete an assignment in order to reach the required
standard. Trainees will not normally be asked to repeat more than two assignments (including an
element of teaching practice) unless there are exceptional circumstances such as illness,
bereavement, or an accident. Trainees who are recommended for referral should normally have
demonstrated their basic competence on the course. The referral system is designed to give a
further opportunity to those who have not quite reached the required standard despite making
progress overall. Referred work must normally be re-submitted within two months of the
moderation visit. All referred work may be re-assessed by the course tutors with the exception of
Unit 4, the materials assignment, which must be re-assessed at the earliest opportunity by a
moderator, either at the course providing organisation or at another accessible by the trainee.
iii) Deferral: moderators should note any trainees who have completed all their assignments
including teaching practice but who are unable to attend the current moderation visit due to
exceptional circumstances (illness, bereavement, etc.) and for whom, therefore, a decision is
deferred until they can attend a moderation on a later appropriate occasion. Trainees’ work must
normally be moderated within two months of the end of the course.
6. Feedback on moderation: (See Appendix 9.)
Course providers have the opportunity to provide feedback to Trinity on every visit through a pro forma
to be returned in confidence to the Head of TESOL at Trinity. The areas covered include the useful and
less useful aspects of the moderation visit, and the efficiency of communication with Trinity. Comments
are not routinely forwarded to the moderator but Trinity reserves the right to do this where necessary,
with the course provider’s approval.

– 57 –
Appendix 8
Moderation report (Part 1) (As at October 2003)

CertTESOL
This form must be completed by the moderator and sent to Trinity College London, preferably within two weeks of
the moderation date.

Name of course provider: Centre number:

Name of moderator:

Course dates: Full time Part time

Next CertTESOL course dates: Full time Part time

Tick here if this is the first Trinity course for this course provider.

I confirm that I have carried out this moderation visit in accordance with guidance from Trinity College London.

I recommend that:

(no. of ) trainees be awarded the Trinity College London CertTESOL

(no. of ) trainees be referred on the conditions stated

(no. of ) trainees be failed. I have provided relevant supporting information as set out
in paragraph 5c on p. 57 of the Validation Requirements

Decisions on (no. of ) trainees should be deferred until a future date.

I attach copies of the Unit 4 assessment pro forma for each trainee and copies of the rationales and evaluations
for those trainees recommended as refer (rather than pass) on Unit 4.

Signature: Date:

– 58 –
 Appendix 8

The course provider should make information on this page available to the moderator in writing before or at the
start of the moderation day.

1 Course staff (please tick those tutors who include teaching practice observation in their duties)

Course director:

Course tutors:

2 Number of trainees

Completed course: Withdrawn:

Completed course and

presenting for moderation:

Reason(s) for withdrawal:

3 Trainee data—please give total numbers of:

Women Men

Postgraduates Graduates

Non-graduates but with qualifications for entry to HE

(e.g. A-levels, GNVQs, HNDs, NVQs, CertEds—Please specify)

Special status (please specify)

Non-British qualification for entry to

higher education (please specify)

Speakers of English as a first language

Speakers of English as a second language

Speakers of English as a foreign language

Age groups
Under 20 20–29 30–39
40–49 50–59 60+

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Appendix 8

4 Documents made available to you

Yes No

a Validated course proposal

b Timetable for this course

c Trainee handbook

d Weighting and assessment scheme with criteria

e Course marks sheet

f Two previous moderation reports

g Trainee data sheets

5 Work sampled

Yes / Number No
Unrepresentative

a Pre-course assignment(s) if any

b Teaching practice journal

c Guided observation journal

d Language awareness test

(grammar and phonology)

e Learner profile

f Unknown language journal

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 Appendix 8

6 Moderator’s observations

Please comment under the following headings. Comments should be typed on a separate sheet—we do not
wish to limit the amount of text moderators provide. It is not necessary to repeat all descriptive details of the
routine procedures for every course if it is run frequently—e.g. more than three times a year. However, at
least a few lines under each heading should be included to indicate the main features .

a Timetable for this course

b Entry requirements and admission procedures

c Pre-course task/distance learning component, if any (i.e. as given to all course trainees)

d Teaching skills (inluding teaching practice, guided observation and related journals)

e Coursebook evaluation, and public examinations and assessment if itemised separately

f Language awareness (grammar and phonology) (including input and assessment)

g Learner profile (including guidance and written profile)

h Materials assignment (guidance to trainees in relation to any overall comment on trainees’

performance but not their specific results which are recorded separately)

i Unknown language (including guidance and journal)

j Professional awareness and development if applicable

k Career possibilities (input)

l Any other significant course input

m Premises

n Resources

o Other comments based on interviews with group of trainees

p Other comments based on interviews with tutors

q Comments on action taken on previous moderation report

r Firm recommendations (to be implemented by course providers)

s Suggestions for further or alternative development: these are based on the moderator’s experience
of other courses and are not for compulsory implementation

t Confirmation of names of trainees recommended for referral or deferral, with reasons why, and for
fail, with explanatory note—see Appendix 7, Section 5c.

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Appendix 8

Moderation report (Part 2—trainee’s submission)

CertTESOL
Course providers should give each trainee a (photo)copy of this form at the beginning of the course. Course
directors should give all completed trainee submissions to the moderator at the start of the moderation day.
Certificates will not normally be issued to successful trainees unless they have completed this data sheet.
All trainees must complete sections 1 and 2. Only section 3 is optional.

Name of trainee:

Name of course providing organisation:

Course dates:

Name of moderator:

1 Guided observation

Detail below the lessons you observed, given by experienced teachers.

For example:
Number Length Type of class Level Teacher
one x 30 minutes class of general English at elementary level with (S Jones)

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 Appendix 8

2 Lessons given by you, observed and assessed by tutors

Date of lesson Length Level of lesson No. of students Tutor’s name

(minutes) present for (first name and surname)
whole lesson

N.B. Please provide additional sheet if this grid is too short.

3 About yourself

The following information is useful for Trinity College London but it is not compulsory for you to provide it.

a) Future job plans

Yes No
Currently employed
Job waiting on completion of course
Looking immediately for post
Looking in six months’ time or later

b) Preferred location (please tick one)

UK Western Europe Central / Eastern Europe
Asia Middle East Australia/ New Zealand
North America South/Central America Other

4 Now please sign and date this form

Your signature Date

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Appendix 9
Feedback on the moderation visit

CertTESOL
Trinity College London and the moderators’ panel would be grateful if the course director would provide
feedback on the moderation visit. This is to help us plan better for moderation and help our moderators
to maintan consistently high standards. It is not necessary to refer to any individual by name. Please send
the completed form to the Head of TESOL at Trinity.
Completion of this form is optional. Your comments will remain private and confidential but we reserve
the right to show them to the moderator following discussion with you.

Name of organisation:

Address of organisation:

Date(s) of moderation:

1 What were the most useful aspects of the moderation visit for you and your staff?

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 Appendix 9

2 What were the least useful aspects of the moderation visit?

3 Do you have any further comment(s) on the moderation visit?

4 Please comment on your normal communication with Trinity College London in connection
with validation and moderation of courses. How can we improve our service?

Thank you

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Appendix 10
Unit 4: Materials Assignment: pro forma for trainees’ use

Trinity College London CertTESOL

Name of trainee:

Course providing organisation:

Please write between 400–500 words for the joint rationale and evaluation for each of the two materials. A new pro
forma should be used for each. Please computerise if at all possible. (N.B. Clear and coherent notes are acceptable).

Complete word count including rationale and evaluation for Material 1:

1. Rationale: Material 1
Type of material:

Type of activity:

Point in lesson when used:

Class profile (in tabular form):

Anticipated linguistic aims:

Anticipated achievements and difficulties for learners:

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 Appendix 10

2. Evaluation: Material 1
The effectiveness of the material in relation to the anticipated linguistic aims and achievements/difficulties for
the learners and suggestions for adaptations (if any) for the same group of learners:

The motivational factors relating to the chosen materials (e.g. quality of appearance, quality of production,
appropriateness of content and format to the specified group of learners):

The adaptability of the materials for an alternative purpose, teaching point or group of learners (please specify which):

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Appendix 10

Complete word count including rationale and evaluation for Material 2:

1. Rationale: Material 2
Type of material:

Type of activity:

Point in lesson when used:

Class profile (in tabular form):

Anticipated linguistic aims:

Anticipated achievements and difficulties for learners:

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 Appendix 10

2. Evaluation: Material 2
The effectiveness of the material in relation to the anticipated linguistic aims and achievements/difficulties for
the learners and suggestions for adaptations (if any) for the same group of learners:

The motivational factors relating to the chosen materials (e.g. quality of appearance, quality of production,
appropriateness of content and format to the specified group of learners):

The adaptability of the materials for alternative groups of learners (please specify which):

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Appendix 10

Unit 4: Materials Assignment: assessment criteria

Category for Pass criteria (a minimum of four pass criteria Below standard criteria
assessment required, with at least one per skills
section, for overall pass on Unit 4)

Pedagogic skills Satisfactory written expression of the following, Very limited ability to
reflecting the development expected from initial express:
training:
1. the rationale for the use of the chosen materials in 1. see pass criterion
terms of the anticipated linguistic aims and
difficulties for a specified group and level of
learners
2. the evaluation of the perceived effectiveness of 2. see pass criterion
the materials used in relation to the anticipated
linguistic aims and achievements/difficulties for
that group, including their motivational aspects,
and suggestions for adaptations (if any) for the
same group of learners
3. the adaptability of the materials for an alternative 3. see pass criterion
purpose, teaching point or group of learners

Communicative Satisfactory discussion of the following, reflecting the Very limited ability to
Skills development expected from initial training: discuss:
1. the rationale for the use of the chosen materials in 1. see pass criterion
terms of the anticipated linguistic aims and diffi-
culties for a specified group and level of learners
2. the evaluation of the perceived effectiveness of 2. see pass criterion
the materials used in relation to the anticipated
linguistic aims and achievements/difficulties for
that group, including their motivational aspects,
and suggestions for adaptations (if any) for the
same group of learners
3. the adaptability of the materials for an alternative 3. see pass criterion
purpose, teaching point or group of learners.

Analytical and Satisfactory discussion of the following, reflecting the Very limited ability to
reflective skills development expected from initial training: discuss with the moderator:
1. the benefits of the assignment in relation to the 1. see pass criterion
selection or production, evaluation and adapta-
tion of teaching materials
2. the insights gained into teaching through this 2. see pass criterion
assignment.

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 Appendix 10

Unit 4: Materials Assignment: assessment pro forma

for moderators’ use
Moderators must complete this pro forma by ticking the appropriate boxes as follows. They must place a tick in
either the Pass box or the Below Standard box for each of the eight criteria listed under Pedagogic Skills,
Communicative Skills and Analytical Skills. They must enter therefore a total of eight ticks. They must then enter
an overall assessment for Unit 4 of Pass or Refer. A minimum of four passes, including one in each of the three
sections, is necessary for pass on Unit 4 as a whole. Fewer than four passes, or four or more passes but without at
least one pass in each of the three sections, will result in a referral on Unit 4, and the re-submitted work will
normally need to be assessed by a moderator on a future occasion.

Name of trainee:

Course providing organisation:

Centre number: Date of moderation:

Moderator:

Assessment categories and marks: Pedagogic Skills Communicative Skills Analytical & Reflective Skills

Pass: criterion number 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2.

Below standard: criterion number 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2.

Overall assessment for Unit 4: Pass Refer

Moderator’s supplementary comments (if any):

Note: This pro forma covers the joint assessment of each trainee’s two rationales and evaluations. Moderators will
use their judgement in deciding on marks to be awarded where the trainee has perfomed better with one
rationale and evaluation than with the other.

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