Cambridge CELTA Pre-Interview Task
Name ______________________________________________________________________
Complete this task carefully. It is an important factor in considering your application. CELTA is an intensive four-week course of
study. Because of this, candidates need to be fully prepared for the demands of the course and show that they are able to research
language structures, a skill required of ESL teachers. Keep in mind that we cover language analysis on the CELTA course, so we do
not expect you to be an expert in grammar before the course starts.
To help you please refer to a grammar book such as Practical English Usage by Michael Swan (Oxford University Press) or
any other grammar reference book you might have at home or find in the library/book store.
The internet is also a great source of information. If youre looking for a site, try:
http://esl.about.com/od/englishgrammar/English
Please make sure you proof-read your work carefully as the CELTA course requires a high level of written English.
When you have finished, please send it to www.www.com. Retain a copy of this task for your interview.
Part one: Language awareness
A. Error correction
Each of the exchanges below contains a mistake. In each case:
i) write the corrected version in the space provided
ii) clarify your correction in simple English to explain the mistake
Example
Mr. Smith:
Giorgio:
Do you have much experience in the restaurant business?
Yes, Ive been working as a chef since 10 years.
i) Ive been working as a chef for ten years.
ii) We use since before a point in time for example, since Tuesday, since 1992, since 5 oclock. We use
for before a period of time - for example, for two weeks, for six years, for ten minutes. In this case 10
years is a period of time, so we need for.
1.
Maria:
Receptionist:
Id like some informations about your courses.
Certainly, heres our brochure.
i) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
ii) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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2.
Jack:
Pierre:
How do you get to the CELTA center every day?
Im walking and then taking the subway.
i) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
ii) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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3.
John:
Helen:
John:
Did you see the movie on HBO last night?
Yes I did, it was so a good movie
Yeah, I think Tom Cruise is such a good actor.
(Comment on the difference between so and such)
i) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
ii) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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4.
Carla:
William:
Can you borrow me $10?
Sure. Here you are.
i) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
ii) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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B. Differences in meaning
Comment on the difference in meaning between the following pairs of sentences, and outline how you might teach these differences
in meaning.
Example:
a) Claire is working late again; shes so passionate about her work!
b) Jane is working late again; shes so obsessed with her work!
In the first sentence, the word passionate suggests that Claires reason for working late is that she is driven by a love for her job
and a healthy desire to succeed. In the second sentence, the word obsessed suggests that Claires reason for working late is that
she lacks a healthy balance in her life. She is so fixated on her work that perhaps she doesnt do anything else, or perhaps other
areas of her life are negatively affected.
To teach it, I would draw two pictures (or bring in two photographs). The first would be of a person working at her desk in an office. I
would show the time with a clock on the wall (showing 9:30 pm). She would have a smile on her face to show that she was happy
(and passionate about her work!)
For the second sentence, I would have a picture of Jane at her desk in her office, but she would look tired (and a little stressed). The
time would still be 9:30pm on the clock.
I hope these two examples would show the positive/negative aspects of the two sentences.
1.
a) She is alone.
b) She is lonely.
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2.
a) What time is it?
b) Do you mind telling me what the time is please?
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2
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3.
a) If I become president, Ill lower taxes.
b) If I had become president, I would have lowered taxes.
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C. Word Stress
All words of more than two syllables in English have one specific syllable which is stressed. For example, in the noun record (bought
in a record store) the stressi.e. the louder syllableis the first syllable: REcord Oo. But in the verb to record (e.g. Elvis tried to
record an album every year) the stress is on the second syllable reCORD oO.
In the following words, underline the syllable which takes the main stress, then put the word into the correct column below according
to the number of syllables and the main stress.
examples:
banana
hospitality
menu
momentous
bystander
superb
independent
undeniable
reliable
computer
burger
ratio
photograph
photographer
photographic
oO
record (verb)
Oo
Ooo
oOo
menu
record (noun)
banana
ooOo
oOoo
ooOoo
hospitality
D. Sounds
Match the underlined sound of the words in column A to a word in column B with a corresponding sound. Note: the sound can
correspond to any sound in the words in Column B. For example: advice goes with sip.
Beware! The spelling of the sound may be different!
Column A
Column B
i.
advice
a. unit
ii.
advise
b. jump
iii.
day
c. eight
iv.
beach
d. though
v.
lodge
e. thick
vi.
thin
f. sip
vii.
breathe
g. week
viii.
young
h. zoo
Part two: Approaches to teaching and learning
Write a minimum of 250-300 words about what you think constitutes a good language lesson, based on
your experiences.
Disclosure
Before submitting your pre-interview task, please read the points below and type your name with the date
below. If you have any questions concerning these points, please send your queries to www.www.com
1. I understand and acknowledge that upon commencement of a University of Texas CELTA Centre course, the course fee will not be
refunded if I decide to withdraw.
2. I acknowledge that the University of Texas CELTA Centre course is a Pass/Fail course, and that if I receive a 'Fail' grade, the result
cannot be changed, and that the course fee will not be refunded.
3. I acknowledge that the University of Texas CELTA Centre course requires 100% class attendance, in addition to work outside of
scheduled contact hours. As a result, absences, tardiness, incomplete or late assignments may compromise my grade on the course.
4. I confirm that all of the information disclosed in my application is complete and accurate, including any circumstances that may
affect my performance on the course.
5. I confirm that the pre-interview task is my own work.
Signature
(Please type your name and the date in the space below)
Name: _____________________________________
Date: _______________________________
The Interview
Thank you for completing the pre-interview task!
Once we have received the pre-interview task we will get back to you to set up a suitable time for an
interview. We run most of our interviews during daytime working hours from Monday Friday.
Please complete the following grid to give us an idea of the best time for you.
Candidates will be calling into our office for telephone interviews. In-person interviews are held only at
the University of Texas in Austin when a qualified interviewer is available.
What type of interview would you
like?
In person at the University of
Texas at Austin
By telephone
During the next two weeks, are there
any dates you are not available? If
so, when?
Which time best suits your schedule
(all times Central Standard Time)
Is there any other information that
will help us to set up a suitable time
for an interview?
9:45am
11am
1:30pm
2:45pm
Other
