This section covers grammar, lexis (words and expressions), phonology (the sound system), and functions (what speakers use language to do). Consider the question “Could you open the window?” A teacher can describe its grammar by identifying the verb could, its function by explaining that the speaker is making a request, and its pronunciation by showing how stress and intonation affect the way the request sounds.

Candidates may take one or more of the following modules:

Core Module 1

Background to Language Learning and Teaching

Core Module 2

Lesson Planning and Use of Resources for Language Teaching

Core Module 3

Managing the Teaching and Learning Process

Specialist Modules

• TKT: Young Learners
• TKT: CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning)

Teachers also examine the skills involved in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Even when learners use the same text, the skill they practise depends on the task. Reading a concert review quickly to decide whether the writer enjoyed the performance develops reading for gist. Looking through that review to find the name of the opening act practises scanning for specific information.

This section examines how motivation, previous experience, exposure to English, and opportunities to interact influence learning. It also considers what teachers can learn from errors. A child who says “Yesterday I goed to the park” may have worked out that English often marks the past with -ed and applied that pattern to an irregular verb. Recognising the pattern helps the teacher build on what the child already understands and introduce went in a meaningful context.

This section looks at how teachers introduce language, give learners opportunities to practise, and check progress. For example, a teacher working on polite requests might begin with a short café dialogue and ask learners to identify how the customer orders a drink. Learners could then practise the phrase “Could I have …?” with different menu items before taking part in a café role-play. During the role-play, the teacher can listen for whether learners make themselves understood and use that evidence to decide what needs more practice. This illustrates formative assessment, where information gathered during learning guides the next teaching decision.

Candidates answer 80 multiple-choice and matching questions in 80 minutes. The test includes 40 questions on language and language skills, 15 on language learning, and 25 on language teaching. Tasks may ask candidates to identify the function of an expression, recognise a learner’s strategy, or match a classroom activity to its purpose.