Written Assignment 1 – Focus on the Learner

NAME SUBMISSION DATE WORD COUNT

This document has 1716 words. Subtract that from
your total word count and state the new number of
NAWAL MERROUCH words here. Do not include the bibliography or
appendices in the word count.

Candidates are reminded of the Centre’s policy on plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as submitting as one’s own work, irrespective
of intent to deceive, that which derives in part or in its entirety from the work of others without due acknowledgement. It is both
poor scholarship and a breach of academic integrity.

I CONFIRM THAT THIS SUBMISSION IS ALL MY OWN WORK.

SIGNED: NAWAL MERROUCH DATE:

Reserved for the tutor

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA (CELTA Syllabus and Assessment Guidelines - Fifth Edition)
1st submission 2nd submission

can show awareness of how a learner’s/learners’ background(s), previous learning experience and learning
preferences affect learning (Section A and C)
can identify the learner’s (s’) language/skills needs (Sections A and B)

can correctly use terminology relating to the description of language systems and/or language skills (Sections,
A, B and C)
can select appropriate material and/or resources to aid the learner’s/learners’ language and/or skills
development (Sections B and C)
can provide a rationale for using specific activities with a learner/learners
(Section C)
can find, select and reference information from one or more sources using written language that is clear,
accurate and appropriate to the task (Sections A, B, and C)

FIRST SUBMISSION Result PASS RE-SUBMISSION

Tutor comments:

Signed: Date: Double mark:

SECOND SUBMISSION Result PASS FAIL

Tutor comments:

Signed: Date: Double mark:

Referencing

Your assignments need to be written in clear, accurate and academic English with appropriate in text referencing. You should use

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mainly indirect quotes, meaning that you paraphrased the text. If specific quotes are used, they should be referenced using
author(s)’ surname(s), year of publication and page numbers quoted, e.g. (Richards 2001:98). Page numbers are not required if
indirect quotes are used. E.g. Richards (2001).

The bibliography should be presented in alphabetical order of author’s surname. Year of publication, city and publisher should be
included. This should be presented after the assignment and before the appendices, and should only include publications referred
to in the text itself.

Referencing should follow a recognised format throughout the assignment.

Here are examples of references according to the APA Publication Manual, (6th ed., 2009); for more information see
www.apastyle.org or visit https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm for additional examples.

Single author book

Richards, J.C. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Section of edited book

Messick, S. (1989). Validity. In R. Linn (Ed.), Educational measurement. (pp. 13–103). New York: Macmillan.

Journal article
Chapelle, C. (1999). Validity in language assessment. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. 19, 254–272.

Edited book
Graves, K. (Ed.) (1996). Teachers as course developers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Electronic source
British Educational Research Association. (1992).* Ethical guidelines. Retrieved 22 May, 2016, from:
http://www.bera.ac.uk/guidelines.html

*(n.d.) if there is no date available

Please note that the bibliography is not included in the word count

Plagiarism
Please note that plagiarism includes:

 copying another’s language or ideas as if they were your own;

 unauthorised collusion;
 quoting directly without making it clear by standard referencing and the use of quotation marks and/or layout (indented
paragraphs, for example) that you are doing so;
 using text downloaded from the internet without referencing the source conventionally;
 closely paraphrasing a text;
 submitting work which has been undertaken wholly or in part by someone else.

Instructions
Section A (250 words approximately)

 write a profile of your group. Use the information gathered on day one to help.
 please share info. with others in your TP group but do the writing alone.
 you can mention students by name, especially if it’s useful to explain who the exceptions are.

Section B (350 words approximately)

 provide example weaknesses in your students’ language use, one each for grammar, lexis and pronunciation.
 again, this should be specific quotes of things they have said/written.
 remember to focus on useful errors for the level, and language points which can be usefully practised in class eg. 3rd
person sing. ‘s’ is not challenging for intermediate sts.

Section C (300 words approximately)

 provide exercises focusing on two of the errors from section B.

 give the students practice in using the language point.
 consider adapting material to suit students’ reasons for learning (a work context?) and/or their classroom preferences
(kinaesthetic? Visual?). Refer here to section A.
 you could use the red folders in the computer room to find activities.

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The length of the assignment must be between 750 and 1000 words (+/- 10%). Any submission exceeding the word limit
is an automatic resubmission. Appendices are NOT INCLUDED in the word count.

Please write in continuous prose throughout.

Recommendations

Section A

 answer all the questions and avoid omitting information (e.g. level, ages, interests, etc.).

Section B

 GRAMMAR - select examples of grammar errors that match the level of ability of the learners. Consult the table of
contents of the course book used by your learners to identify grammar structures typical at that level of proficiency.
Consult appropriate reference books to validate problems caused by L1 interference;
 PRONUNCIATION – select 2-3 examples for each pronunciation error. This will validate / corroborate the error. Make
sure you use standard IPA to exemplify the phonology.
 LEXIS – use errors related to meaning, appropriacy, register, word class, word form, collocation, connotation, etc. Avoid
using a misspelled word as a lexical error.

Section C

 choose ONE grammar error and ONE pronunciation error from part 1 and state the error you are referring to clearly;
 state the specific activity selected including the corresponding source;
 state how the activity matches the learning preferences of your learners (refer back to PART A);
 GRAMMAR ERROR – include (a) an activity designed to review the grammar rule (teacher- or student-centered); (b) an
activity designed to provide controlled practice; (c) an activity designed to provide communicative practice. Make sure
that the activities matches the nature of the error (i.e. spoken or written). Make sure that the activity deals with the error
directly (i.e. the focus of the activity must match the error). Make sure the activity includes practice of the specific error
made by the learner(s) (e.g. the learner said ‘I have buyed a new computer’ > the activity should also provide practice of
the past participle of the verb “to buy’).
 PRONUNCIATION ERROR – include (a) an activity designed to promote receptive practice (i.e. ability to recognize
sounds) and (b) and activity designed to promote productive practice (i.e. ability to produce the sounds). Make sure that
the activity deals with the error directly (i.e. the focus of the activity must match the error). Make sure the activity
includes practice of the specific error made by the learner(s) (e.g. the learner said /ˈsaʊə(r)/ instead of /ˈʃaʊə(r)/ >
the activity should also provide practice of the word ‘shower’).
 When adapting published material, make sure new lists of words / sentence (i.e. those which you intend learners to
focus on and practice) are submitted together with the original activity.
 Don’t forget to include the activity as an appendix.

Reference books
For typical errors made by L1 speakers of Thai
 Thai speakers by David Smyth. In Learner English – A teacher’s guide to interference and other problems by Michael
Swan and Bernard Smith. Published by Cambridge University Press.

SECTION A - Learner Backgrounds

Find out from the rest of your TP group the information everyone has collected about the students, and using this
information write a summary of the group in the boxes below.

Learners’ level, ages,

interests, reasons for

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learning English, learner
preferences, preferred
activity types, previous
learning experiences.
How have these factors
affected the students’
learning? Consider how the
learners have studied
English in the past. What
are the learners’
language/skills needs?
Comment briefly on the
group’s communicative
ability (making themselves
clear, dealing with not
understanding, fluency).
Comment briefly on the
group’s ability to do
reading, listening and
writing tasks successfully.

SECTION B - Learner Weaknesses

Observe the students carefully during TP and note down two specific examples of their weaknesses in grammar and
pronunciation, and one for lexis. You can refer to either spoken language or written language (but specify which).
Simply complete the boxes below. N.B. You can choose the same areas of weakness as your peers, but the analysis
should be your own.

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 GRAMMAR ERROR 1
What the student said/wrote
(delete as necessary)
What is wrong

Why did the learner make

this error?

GRAMMAR ERROR 2
What the student said/wrote
(delete as necessary)
What is wrong

Why did the learner make

this error?

PRONUNCIATION ERROR 1
What the student said

How this should be

pronounced
What is wrong

Why did the learner make

this error?

PRONUNCIATION ERROR 2
What the student said

How this should be

pronounced
What is wrong

Why did the learner make

this error?

LEXIS ERROR
What the student said/wrote
(delete as necessary)
What is wrong

Why did the learner make

this error?

SECTION C – Helping the Learners

Look again at the grammar and pronunciation problems identified above.

1. Select one specific activity which will help the learners with each of these areas (grammar or pronunciation).
You can select activities either from your course book, from a book of supplementary materials in the CELTA
library, or design your own activity. However, at least one of the activities you choose should be taken from
published resource material that is not the coursebook.
2. Attach photocopies of the activities in the appendices, paying due regard to copyright.
3. Complete the boxes below to justify the above.

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GRAMMAR ERROR

State specific activity

selected
Aim of the activity

Why it is suitable for your

learners (you must refer
back to part A and your
comments on learner
preferences to help)
Indicate how it will help the
learner and briefly how you
would use it

PRONUNCIATION
ERROR

State specific activity

selected
Aim of the activity

Why it is suitable for your

learners (you must refer
back to part A and your
comments on learner
preferences to help)
Indicate how it will help the
learner and briefly how you
would use it

Bibliography

Appendix 1 – Grammar activity

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Appendix 2 – Pronunciation activity

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