CELTA


CELTA is an initial teacher training qualification for teaching English as a second or foreign language. It is provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment through authorised Cambridge English Teaching Qualification centres and can be taken either full-time or part-time. CELTA was developed to be suitable both for those interested in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and for Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Languages.
CELTA is designed for candidates with little or no previous English language teaching experience. It is also taken by candidates with some teaching experience who have received little practical teacher training or who wish to gain internationally recognised qualification. Candidates should have English language skills equivalent to at least C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or an IELTS score of 7.5.
CELTA gives equal emphasis to theory and practice. The strong practical element demonstrates to employers that successful candidates have the skills to succeed in the classroom. Courses can be taken full-time or part-time and either fully face-to-face or in a blended format that combines on-line self-study with practical teaching experience. A full-time, face-to-face course typically lasts between four and five weeks. CELTA is a continuous assessment course leading to a certificate qualification.
Candidates who successfully complete the course can start working in a variety of English language teaching contexts around the world. CELTA is regulated at Level 5 of the Qualifications and Credit Framework for England, Wales and N. Ireland and is suitable for teachers at Foundation and Developing level on the Cambridge English Teaching Framework.

History

A certificate course for the teaching of English as a foreign language originated in International House London in 1962 and was run from the 1970s until 1988 by the Royal Society of Arts.
In 1988, Cambridge English Language Assessment reached an agreement with the RSA to take over the running of training courses for teachers of English as a foreign language.
The qualification was amended in response to perceived needs, leading to the launch in September 1988 of the CTEFLA. By 1996, the CTEFLA became the RSA/Cambridge CELTA and in 2001 it was known simply as Cambridge CELTA.
In 2011, Cambridge English Language Assessment and IH London co-operated to launch a jointly produced online blended CELTA course: CELTA Online.

CELTA for teachers of adult learners

CELTA focuses on teaching adult learners, but many of the skills and techniques apply to teaching young learners as well. Candidates who plan to teach mainly young learners could take the Young Learner Extension to CELTA, after completing Celta until 2010 when Young Learner Extension ceased to exist.

Course admissions

CELTA is suitable for candidates who are beginning their career and experienced teachers who have received little practical teacher training or who wish to gain an international certification of their ELT skills. Teachers who already have an initial teacher training qualification, and who have at least one year’s English Language Teaching experience, may be more suited to another qualification such as Delta. CELTA is suitable for teachers at Foundation and Developing level on the Cambridge English Teaching Framework, whereas Delta is designed for teachers at Proficient and Expert levels of the framework.
CELTA applicants are required to have English language skills equivalent to at least level C1 of the CEFR – a standard of English which enables the teaching and understanding of language issues at a range of levels, from beginner to upper-intermediate students.
CELTA applicants should be over the age of 18 and ideally have a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education. Applicants without formal qualifications may be accepted if they can demonstrate that they are likely to complete the course successfully.
Applicants are asked to complete a written task. The task will focus on language awareness and consideration of issues related to teaching English. If the written task demonstrates an appropriate level of English and the potential to develop the skills needed to pass the course, the applicant will be invited to an interview.
The nature of the interview varies from centre to centre. It may be an individual interview or a group interview, and may be conducted face-to-face, on the telephone or on Skype. The interview is an opportunity for centres to provide information to candidates, as well as to assess candidates’ potential to successfully complete the course.

Course aims and main features

CELTA is an initial teacher training qualification designed to help candidates acquire and improve the skills needed for teaching English, with an emphasis on hands-on teaching practice. The official course aims are as follows.
The course enables candidates to:
CELTA programmes are designed by individual centres using the syllabus and course aims provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment.
The syllabus consists of five topic areas:
The exact nature of the programme will vary from centre to centre. Programmes may also vary year on year to reflect changes in technology and teacher training methodology. However, all courses will have a minimum of 120 contact hours and will include the following components:
Candidates are expected to dedicate an additional 80 hours for required reading, research, pre- and post-session tasks, assignments and lesson preparation.

Course syllabus

The CELTA syllabus consists of five topic areas, which are each assessed through a combination of teaching practice and written assignments. The following section outlines the main content points covered in each topic – the full Learning Outcomes are available in the course syllabus.
Topic 1 – Learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context
Topic 1 has six syllabus content points:
Topic 1 is assessed through teaching practice and a written assignment focused on the learner and learning contexts: ‘Focus on the learner’.
Topic 2 – Language analysis and awareness
Topic 2 has seven syllabus content points:
Topic 2 is assessed through teaching practice and a written assignment focused on an aspect of the English language system: ‘Language related tasks’.
Topic 3 – Language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing
Topic 3 has five syllabus content points:
Topic 3 is assessed through teaching practice and a written assignment focused on an aspect of language skills: ‘Language skills related tasks’.
Topic 4 – Planning and resources for different teaching contexts
Topic 4 has five syllabus content points
Topic 4 is assessed through teaching practice and a written assignment focused on classroom teaching and the identification of action points: ‘Lessons from the classroom’.
Topic 5 – Developing teaching skills and professionalism
Topic 5 has nine syllabus content points:
Topic 5 is assessed through teaching practice and a written assignment focused on classroom teaching and the identification of action points: ‘Lessons from the classroom’.

Course delivery format

CELTA courses can be taken full-time or part-time and either face-to-face or online. All versions of CELTA give equal emphasis to theory and practice. All versions of CELTA lead to the same internationally recognised certificate.
Full-time courses, conducted face-to-face in an authorised teaching qualification centre, last four to five weeks. Part-time courses, conducted face-to-face in an authorised teaching qualification centre, last anything from a few months up to a year.
A directory of global Cambridge English teaching qualification centres and their contact details can be accessed on the Cambridge English Language Assessment website.

CELTA online

CELTA Online is provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment in partnership with International House, London. It provides a flexible manner of obtaining CELTA by combining online self-study with face-to-face teaching practice. The online materials can be accessed at any time allowing students to plan their course work around other professional / personal commitments.
The online course is conducted over a minimum of ten weeks and maximum of an academic year. Each online course has a minimum of three and a maximum of 24 candidates.
The online self-study units have interactive materials, tasks and discussion forums. Candidates work independently or collaboratively on these tasks with support, evaluation and comment from an online tutor. The teaching practice elements of the course take place at an authorised teaching qualification centre with face-to-face contact. Candidates teach for a total of six hours with peers observing.

Young Learner (YL) Extension to CELTA (Discontinued)

The Young Learner Extension to CELTA was aimed at teachers who had gained the CELTA certificate and wished to build on the content of CELTA to teach young learners. The YL Extension to CELTA was normally taught full-time over the course of two weeks.
However, registration for the YL extension was phased out in December 2016. Instead, Cambridge English recommends taking the "TKT: Young Learners" module as an alternative to the YL extension.

Assessment and results

CELTA does not have a final exam. It is a continuous assessment course, which leads to a certificate. An external assessor, appointed by Cambridge English Language Assessment, moderates each course.
Candidates are required to attend their course and fulfil the following course requirements:
The CELTA certificate is awarded to candidates who meet the course requirements and whose performance meets, or exceeds, the criteria in the two assessment components:
Each centre designs their own written assignments. Assignment should be between 750-1,000 words and should consist of:
There are three passing grades: Pass, Pass, and Pass.
Candidates who fail to meet criteria in any or all assessed components will receive a Fail. The application and interview process is intentionally rigorous to ensure candidates have the potential to pass the course and the failure rate is therefore not high. Candidates who fail will receive a letter confirming the result and an end of course report which states their areas of achievement and areas for further development. In order to pass, candidates will need to re-take the course and meet all the criteria.

Usage

CELTA is one of the most widely taken English Language Teaching qualifications with over 316 approved CELTA centres, in over 60 countries, providing over 850 CELTA courses every year.
CELTA is recognised around the world by international English Language Teaching organisations, public bodies, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, publishers and English Language Teaching quality assurance bodies, including:
International English Language Teaching organisations that recognise CELTA include:
Higher education institutions that recognise and/or provide CELTA includes universities based in:
At Swansea University, for example, the CELTA is offered both to external applicants and as an embedded course to undergraduates as part of their studies in the College of Arts and Humanities
Candidates accepted on to a CELTA course are provided with a reading list of suitable materials and a pre-course task. The pre-course task is an introduction to English language teaching, which provides candidates with information about methodology and language analysis. Additionally, candidates receive access to Cambridge English Teacher where further materials and professional development courses can be accessed.

Cambridge English Teacher (Discontinued)

As of July 2013, all CELTA candidates receive a 1-year membership of Cambridge English Teacher. This has been discontinued since May 2017. However, resources for Teacher Development are available on the Cambridge English website. Cambridge English Teacher provides continuous professional development for English language teachers and is run by two departments of the University of Cambridge: Cambridge English Language Assessment and Cambridge University Press.
It is an online resource that supports career development by providing short courses, webinars with experts, articles and videos, teaching resources, a global network of thousands of teachers, a Jobs Board and a calendar of events.