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You are here:

  1. Cambridge English
  2. Teaching English
  3. Cambridge English Teaching Framework
  4. Language knowledge and awareness

Language knowledge and awareness

  • Cambridge English Teaching Framework
    • Learning and the learner
    • Teaching, learning and assessment
    • Language ability
    • Language knowledge and awareness
    • Professional development and values

Cambridge English 5 Teaching Challenges

Find new ways to identify, analyse and correct your learners’ mistakes.

Find out more

Language knowledge and awareness

This category looks at your understanding of key terms and concepts used to describe language, your use of strategies to check and develop your language awareness, and your ability to apply such knowledge practically in order to facilitate language learning.

In this video Anne, a teacher in the Netherlands, explains why she places herself at the Expert stage in the Language knowledge and awareness category of the Cambridge English Teaching Framework.

Below is what teachers can do in this category at each of the four stages of the Cambridge English Teaching Framework and suggestions on how to develop further.

Foundation 

  • Have not yet developed strategies to check and develop their own language awareness.
  • Aware of some key terms for describing language, and some key reference materials.
  • Starting to demonstrate understanding of these terms to: 
         - analyse common language points
         - choose very simple models of language usage
         - answer simple questions about language with the help of reference materials.

See an example

Emilie is in her first year of teaching in a private language school in China, after passing her CELTA course. 

She is using a number of well-known coursebooks with her students and finds the teacher’s books particularly helpful when planning her lessons. She is learning a lot about English grammar through her teaching and finds timelines useful when introducing learners to new tenses.

Although she is a native speaker of English, she feels a little under confident if learners challenge her about language points as she has never had to analyse English grammar before. She relies heavily on the grammar reference book she first used on her CELTA course. She also uses a teacher’s online forum to help her answer student queries.

She is particularly interested in finding out more about teaching pronunciation, because her Chinese students tend to make similar pronunciation errors and often ask her for advice on how to improve their speaking skills.

Ways to develop further

Unlimited access Watch
  • English Grammar in Use: Video Tips
  • The Difference Between Written Grammar and Spoken Grammar (Mike McCarthy, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • English Language Learning Tips – Tenses
    • Part 1
    • Part 2
Unlimited access Read
  • Analysing Grammar for Teaching Purposes (Alex Tilbury, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Choosing Appropriate Teacher Classroom Language (Jim Scrivener, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Patterns after Verbs (Alex Tilbury, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Time and Tense (Alex Tilbury, Cambridge English Teacher)
Unlimited access Do
  • Record your learners and identify some common errors your learners make.
  • Identify a key reference book and read up about language points you are unsure about.
Unlimited access Study

Achieve a qualification

  • CELTA
  • CELT-P
  • CELT-S

Enrol on a course

  • Cambridge English Teacher (fee applies)
    • Grammar for Teachers: Language Awareness
    • English for the Teacher

Further reading

  • Harmer, J. Essential Teacher Knowledge (Pearson Education, 2012) Section A (pp.12-79)
  • Harmer, J. The Practice of English Language Teaching 4th Edition (Pearson Education, 2007) pp. 13 – 48
  • Murphy, R. Essential Grammar in Use 3rd Edition (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
  • Parrott, M. Grammar for English Language Teachers 2nd Edition (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
  • Slattery, M. & Willis, J. English for Primary Teachers (Oxford University Press, 2001)
  • Spratt, M. English for the Teacher (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
  • Underhill, A. Sound Foundations (Macmillan, 2005)

Developing 

  • Have started to develop strategies to check and develop their own language awareness.
  • Are aware of most key terms for describing language, and of many available reference materials.
  • Demonstrate understanding of these terms to:
         - analyse most language points
         - provide accurate models of usage for many language points
         - answer most learner questions with the help of reference materials.

See an example

Ricardo has been teaching at a private language school for three years. He enjoys teaching grammar and exam preparation classes and has started to create a file of grammar worksheets to extend the materials in the coursebook he is using with his Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) and Cambridge English: First (FCE) learners. He also uses these worksheets and other reference materials to guide students when they have questions about specific language points.

He is a member of Cambridge English Teacher, which he finds useful for new lesson ideas and to access other reference materials. He has recently completed an online grammar course Grammar for Teachers: Language Awareness to refresh his knowledge of English grammar. He regularly attends training sessions at his school and would like to teach higher level exam preparation classes in the future.

Ways to develop further

Unlimited access Watch
  • English Language Learning Tips – Prefixes and Suffixes
  • English Grammar in Use: Video Tips
  • Sounding English, or Using English – Which Matters More? - Overview (Consultant) (Jack Richards, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Grammar (Consultant) (Jack Richards, Cambridge English Teacher)
Unlimited access Read
  • Grammar and Pronunciation (Alex Tilbury, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Modality - Article (Consultant) (Scott Thornbury, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Speaking vs. Writing - Article (Consultant) (Professor Mike McCarthy, Cambridge English Teacher)
Unlimited access Do
  • Record your learners and reflect on how many of the errors you actually noticed during the lesson.
  • Read reference materials for the language points you are teaching, and compare their explanations with how you exemplify language in class.
Unlimited access Study

Achieve a qualification

  • CELTA
  • CELT-P
  • CELT-S
  • ICELT

Enrol on a course

  • Cambridge English Teacher (fee applies)
    • Grammar for Teachers: Language Awareness
    • English for the Teacher

Further reading

  • Harmer, J. Essential Teacher Knowledge (Pearson Education, 2012) Section A (pp.12-79)
  • Harmer, J. The Practice of English Language Teaching 4th Edition (Pearson Education, 2007) pp. 13 – 48
  • Murphy, R. Essential Grammar in Use 3rd Edition (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
  • Parrott, M. Grammar for English Language Teachers 2nd Edition (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
  • Slattery, M. & Willis, J. English for Primary Teachers (Oxford University Press, 2001)
  • Spratt, M. English for the Teacher (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
  • Underhill, A. Sound Foundations (Macmillan, 2005)

Proficient

  • Use strategies to regularly check and develop their own language awareness.
  • Have good knowledge of key terms and available reference materials.
  • Demonstrate the ability to:
       - correctly analyse most language points
       - provide accurate models of usage for most language points
       - answer most learner questions with minimal use of reference materials.

See an example

Deniz teaches English for Specific Purposes (ESP) to students of law, engineering and medicine at a university language centre where she also helps co-ordinate teacher training. As well as running workshops and induction sessions for new teachers, she has recently set up a weekly ‘grammar surgery’ for students, drawing on her 15 years’ teaching experience and in-depth knowledge of English to help learners with specific language problems.

She has recently been asked to help select resource books and reference materials for the university teaching library and has encouraged her language centre to take out a Cambridge English Teacher Institutional Membership.

Ways to develop further

Unlimited access Watch
  • Language Clips – Idioms
  • English Grammar in Use: Video Tips
  • Corpora and the Advanced Level: Problems and Prospects (Mike McCarthy, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Reassessing Translation and Own Language Use (Guy Cook, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • It's a Two-Way Street, Isn't It? (Geraldine Mark and Ronald Carter, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Corpora, Speaking and Listening - Overview (Consultant) (Mike McCarthy, Cambridge English Teacher)
Unlimited access Read
  • Listening to Connected Speech (Alex Tilbury, Cambridge English Teacher)
Unlimited access Do
  • Record your learners and reflect on the link between your language models and the accuracy of learners' output.
  • Read reference materials for the language points you are teaching, and try out different ways of exemplifying language that your encounter. Identify the effects on your learners.
Unlimited access Study

Achieve a qualification

  • Delta
  • ICELT

Enrol on a course

  • Cambridge English Teacher (fee applies)
    • Grammar for Teachers: Language Awareness
    • English for the Teacher

Further reading

  • Bolitho, R. & Tomlinson, B. Discover English (Macmillan, 2005)
  • Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. Exploring Spoken English (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
  • Murphy, R. English Grammar in Use 3rd Edition (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
  • Thornbury, S. About Language (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
  • Thornbury. S. Beyond the Sentence (Macmillan, 2005)
  • Underhill, A. Sound Foundations (Macmillan, 2005)

Expert

  • Consistently use strategies to check and develop their own language awareness.
  • Have a sophisticated knowledge of key terms and available reference materials.
  • Demonstrate this understanding by:
         - correctly analysing all language points
         - provide consistently accurate models of usage
         - answering all learner questions with minimal use of reference materials.

See an example

Lyudmyla is Head of a private secondary school that offers Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programmes and is hoping to complete a Master’s degree in Bilingual Education next year. 

She runs regular language workshops for her CLIL teachers, and has encouraged three subject-specific teachers to take TKT: CLIL. She hopes more of her teachers will agree to take the test in the future.

She has developed an extensive teaching library that includes reference books and materials that teachers can draw on to extend their students’ learning and language knowledge outside the classroom. She has contributed to a recently published CLIL resource book, analysing how language is used in key school subjects. 

She is a Cambridge English examiner and keeps her own language knowledge up to date by attending workshops and webinars run by publishers. She is also a regular presenter for an online teaching community.

Ways to develop further

Unlimited access Watch
  • Language Clips – Idioms
  • English Grammar in Use: Video Tips
  • Teaching Spoken English: From Communicative Competence to Pragmatic Competence (Jack Richards, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Are We Speaking or Are We Writing? Grammar and Formality (Ronald Carter and Geraldine Mark, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Language Courses - Overview (Consultant) (Jack Richards, Cambridge English Teacher)
Unlimited access Read
  • Corpora and Grammar - Article (Consultant Advice) (Mike McCarthy, Cambridge English Teacher)
  • Listening to Connected Speech (Alex Tilbury, Cambridge English Teacher)
Unlimited access Do
  • Record your learners and reflect on the effectiveness of the language models you give in class.
  • Design workshops for other teachers on language awareness for teaching, based on the reference materials you’ve read.
Unlimited access Study

Achieve a qualification

  • Delta

Enrol on a course

  • Cambridge English Teacher (fee applies)
    • Grammar for Teachers: Language Awareness
    • English for the Teacher

Further reading

  • Bolitho, R. & Tomlinson, B. Discover English (Macmillan, 2005)
  • Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. Exploring Spoken English (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
  • Murphy, R. English Grammar in Use 3rd Edition (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
  • Thornbury, S. About Language (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
  • Thornbury. S. Beyond the Sentence (Macmillan, 2005)
  • Underhill, A. Sound Foundations (Macmillan, 2005)

Download the Cambridge English Teaching Framework – Competency statements (PDF)

Download the Cambridge English Teaching Framework – Framework components (PDF)

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