CELTA Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CELTA facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What does 'staging' refer to in the context of a CELTA lesson plan? → The sequenced steps and activities that make up the lesson
2. A learner writes a formal email but uses 'gonna' and 'wanna' throughout. Which writing issue does this illustrate? → Inappropriate register for the context
3. Which seating arrangement is most recommended on CELTA for promoting learner-to-learner interaction? → A horseshoe or circular arrangement
4. A CELTA trainee writes the following aim: 'To teach the present perfect.' Why might a CELTA tutor ask the trainee to revise this aim? → It is teacher-centred rather than learner-centred and lacks specificity about use
5. Which of these is an example of an 'affixation' process? → Adding '-ness' to 'happy' to form 'happiness'
6. On a CELTA course, integrating skills means: → Using one skill (e.g., reading) as a springboard into another (e.g., speaking or writing)
7. What does L1 interference mean in the context of pronunciation? → A learner's first language influences the way they produce sounds in the target language
8. What does 'error fossilization' mean, and why is it relevant to corrective feedback decisions on CELTA? → Errors that become permanent habits if not addressed appropriately over time
9. What does 'nominating' mean in classroom management terms on CELTA? → Directing a question or turn to a specific student by name
10. Why is lesson planning emphasized in CELTA? → To deliver structured and effective lessons
11. What is 'elicitation' as used in CELTA teaching methodology? → Drawing information or language from students rather than presenting it directly
12. What does TTT stand for in the context of CELTA feedback and why is high TTT considered a problem? → Teacher Talk Time — it reduces opportunities for learners to practice language
13. In phonology, what does the term 'minimal pair' refer to? → Two words that differ by exactly one phoneme, such as 'ship' and 'sheep'
14. In English, a falling intonation at the end of a statement typically signals: → A completed thought or finality
15. A trainee plans a speaking activity using role cards. What is the main advantage of providing role cards to learners? → They give learners a communicative purpose and information gap to drive interaction
16. Which of the following is an example of a well-formed Concept Checking Question (CCQ) for the sentence 'She had already eaten by the time he arrived'? → Did she eat before or after he arrived?
17. What is a 'collocation' in English language teaching? → A pair or group of words that frequently appear together by convention
18. What is the primary purpose of the 'Language Related Task' (LRT) assignment on the CELTA course? → To demonstrate trainees' ability to analyze language as a teacher would
19. Which of the following is an example of a minimal pair? → 'ship' and 'sheep'
20. What does 'connotation' mean in language analysis? → The emotional or cultural associations a word carries beyond its literal meaning
21. What is 'gist listening'? → Listening to get the overall topic or main idea of a text
22. Which of the following listening activities develops bottom-up processing skills? → Identifying individual phonemes and word boundaries in connected speech
23. Why should teachers adapt coursebook materials? → To match learners’ context and abilities
24. Which of the following is an example of 'extrinsic motivation' in an EFL context? → A professional who needs English to qualify for a promotion
25. What is the purpose of a receptive skill? → To understand written or spoken language
26. Which feature of intonation is used in English to ask a yes/no question? → Rising intonation at the end of the utterance
27. What does TTT stand for in CELTA? → Teacher Talking Time
28. What is the primary goal of the CELTA course? → To qualify teachers to instruct adult English learners
29. What is 'linking' in connected speech? → Connecting the final sound of one word to the initial sound of the next
30. What is the International Phonemic Alphabet (IPA) primarily used for in ELT? → Representing pronunciation of words in a consistent, language-independent system