Hello Exam Seekers,

Let me ask you something: Have you ever heard about the CELT-S?

I’ve already mentioned something about it in the post named CELTA-YLE, CELT-P, and CELT-S. What is all that? which describes the differences between these three Certificates in English Language Teaching. Also, last Friday, I wrote a text named What is the CELT-P? – An overview. If you haven’t looked at either of them, make sure you read them.

Today, I’m going to talk specifically about the CELT-S and its format, so check it out!

What is the CELT-S?

CELT-S stands for Certificate in English Language Teaching – Secondary. So, it is a course aimed at secondary school teachers. It helps teachers create strategies for key challenges of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). By taking this course, teens teachers will build their teaching knowledge and work on their classroom skills to teach 11-18-year-old learners with more confidence.

By taking the CELT-S, these teachers will

• develop their understanding of, and ability to respond to, the specific needs of secondary school learners;
• extend the range of approaches for developing their learners’ language skills;
• become more aware of ways to effectively use resources to support learning in and beyond the classroom.

What about its format?

The CELT-S is a 120-hour course combining online study and teaching practice. There are 24 hours of optional additional material for teachers to extend and practice what they have learned during the online course, which is delivered face-to-face in the classroom. Take a look at the structure below:

• English Language Teaching (ELT) methodology:

Eight online modules:

• Key concepts and principles
• A range of activities that engage participants with course content
• Regular progress tests to check learning.

Optional face-to-face seminar for each online module:

• Extension of the online materials
• Practice activities and support: up to 24 hours of face-to-face study.

• Teaching Practice:

A practical written task for each online module:

• A range of tasks in which participants apply their online learning in their classroom.

Teaching observations:

• Developmental feedback from trainers
• Consolidation of online learning

The 8 modules are flexible, which means that you can take them in any order you want. Each module has a number of lessons, which all have the following structure:

• an introduction to the topic;
• learning activities;
• activities that check learning;
• activities that focus on practical classroom applications;
• a review of what’s been learned;
• a short, multiple-choice progress test;
• further reading.

Here is a table with the content of each module:

How is the CELT-S assessed?

Candidates are assessed in:

• English Language Teaching methodology    
  • Completion of the online modules and progress tests
  • A multiple-choice teaching knowledge test (TKT: Module 1).
• Teaching practice 
  • Completion of portfolio tasks
  • Assessment of teaching.

Participants who complete all the modules and assessments will receive the CELT-S qualification certificate. In front of the certificate, there is the name of the course (CELT-S), your name, the number of your certificate, the date and the place of issue, and the qualification: PASS, or PASS WITH MERIT. At the back, there is an explanation about the course. This is a sample of the certificate:

Who can take the CELT-S? And who can run a CELT-S course?

You are required to be an independent English language user (CEFR Level B1 and above). However, some institutions won’t accept candidates who are under the CEFR B2 level.

So, if you are an individual teacher interested in taking a professional development course or qualification, consider taking the CELT-S in any Cambridge authorized center. But if you are a coordinator and want to implement the CELT-S in your school, there is a 6-step process to follow:

1. Pre-course preparation: Inquiry, information gathering, signing an agreement with Cambridge Assessment English, and selecting a Local Course Administrator (up to two months step).
2. Trainer training: Trainer’s nomination and their training (up to two months step).
3. Course set up: Recruit course candidates and confirm they meet the minimum requirements (up to three weeks step).
4. The course: Online, face-to-face training, and assessment (from six to nine months).
5. Post-course: The center submits all the end-of-course documentation for final moderation.

The process above describes the main steps when setting up a CELT-S course for the first time. After that, new courses can usually start at step 3.

If you are a teacher, this piece of information might not be interesting. Still, it’s relevant to know that any institution planning to deliver a CELT-S Course walks hand-in-hand with Cambridge Assessment. If you want some more information about the process, check out a summary Cambridge offers and contact them.

How much is it and how can I register?

As I mentioned, you can go to any Cambridge authorized center and register. Prices depend on your country and center. Find one near you at the link above.

If you have any questions go to the Cambridge website or comment in the comment section below that I’ll be glad to help! 🙂

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Have a great week,
Patricia Moura