The terms used in ESP.

1. English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

An EAP program focuses instruction on skills required to perform well in an English-

speaking academic context across core subject areas generally encountered in a university
setting. Programs may also include a more narrow focus on the more specific linguistic
demands of a particular area of study, such as psychology, business or medicine. Programs
may be divided into pre-sessional courses and courses taken alongside students' other
subjects. In the former case, sometimes EAP courses may be intended to raise students'
general English levels so that they can enter university.

2. English for Business Purposes (EBP)

This program is aimed at students with a background or interest in business. The students will
develop language skills that will enable them to interact in a business environment or pursue
further training. This advanced level program will help them to read and understand business
materials, write reports, and develop a business vocabulary. They will develop oral skills
through classroom presentations and discussions. They will gain knowledge about
business through informational interviews, research assignments, business speakers, and a
work experience component.

3. English for Medical Purposes (EMP)

English for Medical Purposes course is designed for doctors, nurses and other medical and
health professionals, who need to hone their English communication skills for working in
English speaking medical environments. This medical English course will improve student’s
ability to understand and develop the spoken skills required to communicate effectively with
patients in English. There is a focus on oral communication, to enable professionals to
communicate effectively, safely and to full professional capacity with patients and
colleagues. Students will also learn about colloquial speech used by patients within a health
context. This course will help bridge the communication gap between patients and overseas
trained professionals.

4. English for Occupational Purposes (EOP)

EOP is the language training for the employees who handicapped by poor speaking, reading
or writing skill. The training need here is to develop the listening and speaking skills that will
enable them to answer the phone, offer help, connect the caller or say why he can not and
offer to take a message. These are the minimum requirements of the job.

5. English for Science and Technology

The course is designed for graduates students of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology who
are interested to enrich the scientific and technical English language. The course is for people
 working or training to work as engineers and technicians. The material covers a wide range of
technical areas, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and electronics. The
aim of the first part of the course is to increase the knowledge of the English language
through a revision of most of the important parts of grammar and vocabulary.

What the difference between ESL, EFL and ESOL?

A common question is what is the difference between ESL and EFL?

ESL - English as a Second Language - it is a term used when English is taught in a country
where English is not the country's first language. ESL is usually taught by teachers whose
native language is English.

EFL - English as a Foreign Language - Is a term used when English is taught in a country
where English is not the country's first language. EFL is usually taught by teachers whose
native language is not English.

Sample
EFL, ESP and EIB - 1

1.1: Introduction
1.2: Objectives
1.3: Classification of TESOL, EFL, ESP and EIB
1.4: Characteristics of ESP
1.5: Teaching ESP
1.6: Answers to Questions.

1.1: Introduction

The first two chapters of this unit give you an overview of EFL (English as a Foreign
Language), ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and EIB (English for International Business)
and examine the relationship between them. We also consider whether or not teaching EIB is
different from teaching ESP or General EFL. Both chapters also attempt to stimulate your
interest in some of the more recent developments in EIB, notably: genre analysis,
communication skills training and intercultural communication skills training.
In many ways the chapters are introductory, and much of their content will be developed in
other chapters and units. We recommend that you follow up those areas in which you are
interested by referring to the reading provided in the bibliography at the end of the unit.
1.2: Objectives
The main aims of this chapter are to:

1. consider the differences between EFL and ESP

2. establish criteria that can distinguish EFL from ESP
3. identify the defining characteristics of ESP.

Pre-reading task

Before you begin, consider the questions in the shaded box below. These are designed to
stimulate your thinking and to focus your mind on the main points in the chapter.

1. Is there such thing as “General EFL” teaching, or are all EFL courses specific in
that they do focus on the specific needs of the learners?
2. Is ESP simply a matter of teaching specialized varieties of English? For example, do
teachers teach science words and grammar to scientists and hotel words and
grammar to hotel staff?

1.3: Classification of TESOL, EFL, ESP and EIB

Pause for thought

You have probably discovered already that the world of EFL teaching is full of acronyms.
Before you read further, write down as many of these acronyms as you can think of. How
would you categorize them?

The acronym TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. It is a
blanket term and refers to situations where English is taught both as a second language and as
a foreign language. The acronym EFL (English as a Foreign Language) is adopted in places
where English is not generally used as the language of communication
or instruction. Such places would include Italy, Argentina and Russia.
In the 1970s, the development of communicative methodology
focused attention on English as a tool for communication rather than on English as a system
to be studied. Course content was chosen to match the communicative needs of the learner.
This shift resulted in the emergence of needs-based courses, which were designed to meet the
specific requirements of course participants. Such courses are known as ESP (English for
Specific Purposes) courses. Within ESP, many other abbreviations are often used. Although
these abbreviations may seem confusing, they will help you classify ESP and to understand
how it relates to the term EFL.
Traditionally, ESP has been divided into EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and EOP
(English for Occupational Purposes). Both EAP and EOP can be further divided according to
discipline or professional area.
EAP may include: EST (English for Academic Science and Technology), EMP (English for
Academic Medical Purposes), ELP (English for Academic Legal Purposes) and English for
Management, Finance and Economics (no acronym) which is often taught to non-native
speakers on, for example, MBA (Master of Business Administration) courses. A distinction
can be made between common core English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) and
English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP). EGAP examines the skills and language
associated with the study of all academic disciplines, for example: listening to lectures and
reading textbooks. ESAP integrates the skills of EGAP with the features that distinguish one
discipline from another.
EOP refers to courses that are not for academic purposes. EOP includes: English for
professional purposes in administration, law, medicine, business, and vocational courses. A
distinction is therefore made between English for Academic Medical, Legal or Scientific
Purposes, and English for practicing doctors, lawyers and scientists. EOP is therefore divided
into English for Professional Purposes and English for Vocational Purposes. English for
Professional Purposes can include: EMP (English for Medical Purposes) and EBP (English
for Business Purposes). English for Vocational Purposes can be divided into Pre-vocational
and Vocational English. Pre-vocational English is concerned with, for example, finding a job
and interview skills. Vocational English is concerned with the language of specific trades or
occupations. A distinction should also be made between English for General Business
Purposes (EGBP) and English for Specific Business Purposes (ESBP). We suggest that EIB
is a category within EOP and therefore one of a range of courses that can be taught under the
umbrella term ESP.
So what exactly are the differences between General EFL and ESP? It could be argued that
all learners of English have their own specific purposes and that, as a consequence, all
English courses are ESP courses. For example, if English is on the school curriculum, the
learners’ purpose may be to pass exams. Other people may want to study English because
they think it will help them in their professional lives. Thus, their specific purpose may be to
get a better job.
Furthermore, EFL teachers will always restrict the content of their programmers. For
beginners, teachers restrict the language to be taught. Teachers may also wish to restrict the
choice of topics and activities based on the kind of students they are going to teach. For
science students doing postgraduate work, teachers may also want to focus almost
exclusively on reading. On General English courses, restrictions on the four skills are
unlikely to be imposed. However, General EFL programmers tend to begin with lists, for
example: a list of functions, a list of themes and topics, a list of vocabulary and a list of tasks
and activities.
It is here that we can see the difference between EFL and ESP. If General EFL programmers
begin with the language, ESP courses start with the learner and the situation. The key
defining feature of ESP is that its teaching and its materials spring from the outcome of a
needs analysis. The first questions to ask when preparing materials for a course in ESP are
almost always: What do the learners want to do with English? Which skills do they need?
Which genres do they need to look at? Specific needs can be identified by examining the
learning or occupational situation in which English is used, and the written and spoken texts
associated with those situations.
A second key feature of ESP is, therefore, concerned with looking at how spoken and written
texts work, and how they are used within a particular community. If needs analysis and
specific situational texts are two key features of ESP, they are not the only defining
characteristics. It is to these characteristics that we now turn.

1.4: Characteristics of ESP

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) define ESP as an approach. They suggest that ESP does not
concern a particular language, teaching methodology or material. The key to understanding
ESP, in their view, is to find out exactly why a person needs to learn a foreign language.
Needs can vary from study purposes to work purposes. These purposes may be negotiating
contracts or writing monthly reports for head office. However, it is the definition of needs
that is the starting point for decisions which determine the language to be taught.
Strevens (1988) makes a distinction between absolute characteristics and variable
characteristics of ESP. The absolute characteristics are that ESP courses are:
 1. designed to meet the specific needs of the learner
2. related in content to particular disciplines or occupations
3. centered on language specific to those disciplines or occupations
4. in contrast to General English.

The variable characteristics are that courses may:

1. be restricted in the skills to be learned

2. not be taught according to a particular methodology.

Robinson (1991) suggests two absolute criteria for defining ESP courses. The first is that ESP
programmers are normally goal-oriented. The second is that they derive from a needs
analysis. The needs analysis will state as accurately as possible what it is that learners will
have to do when speaking the language. Other characteristics are that ESP courses are
generally limited to a certain time period, and that they are taught to adults in classes that are
homogeneous in terms of the work or study that participants are doing.
Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) suggest that any definition of ESP should include the fact
that much ESP teaching makes use of methodology that will differ from General English
teaching, especially when the course is specifically linked to a particular profession or
discipline.