Teaching English for exams
- Prepare learners for international English exams
- Lessons built around exam tasks and marking criteria
- Specialist Level 5 qualification
- Five modules, 60 guided learning hours
Exam preparation is one of the most in-demand areas in TEFL. Exams such as IELTS, TOEIC and FCE are gateways to studying, working or settling abroad, so learners actively look for a teacher qualified in this specific area.
An exam preparation lesson is fundamentally different from a general English lesson: the clock matters, the task types are fixed, and the marking criteria are set in advance. This programme works directly on those differences.
If you have sat an English language exam yourself, you already understand the process from the inside. Add the methodology and you can guide a learner through it with confidence.
The course is built around two of the most widely taken exams, but the skills transfer to other exam contexts.
- guided learning hours
- 60
- Course modules
- 5
What this course gives you
Demand is high
Employers look specifically for teachers who can prepare exam candidates: results here are measurable and feed straight into a school's reputation.
A defined specialism on your CV
"English teacher" and "qualified exam preparation teacher" read as two different levels to an employer.
It transfers to other exams
Once you can teach one exam type, you adapt to the next by its structure — you do not need a separate course for each.
A confident teacher makes confident learners
A teacher who knows the exam inside out is at ease in the room. That carries across to the learner and shows in the result.
Who this course is for
- You have English at B2 or above, evidenced by a certificate
- You want to teach English as a profession
- You are 17 or older
- You want a qualification that is recognised internationally
Course modules
1Understanding the principles of teaching English for exams
What makes this area distinct, and what drives a learner to sit an English language exam in the first place. Knowing their goal is the first condition of a well-built lesson.
2The structure and content of English language examinations
How exam papers are designed, which section measures which skill, and how the final score is put together.
3Receptive skills and grammar in examinations
The task types that appear in listening and reading sections, and the part grammar and vocabulary play within them.
4Productive skills in examinations
The speaking and writing sections: task types, marking criteria, and how to prepare a learner against those criteria specifically.
5Lesson planning and practical considerations
You build your own exam preparation lesson plan, and work through the advice to give a learner for exam day itself.
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