CELTA Planning & Resources 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When writing a CELTA lesson plan, what does the 'anticipated problems and solutions' section primarily address?
- Potential language or task difficulties learners may encounter and how to handle them (Correct answer)
- Equipment failures during the lesson
- Problems the teacher expects to have with classroom management
- Issues that may arise with the coursebook publisher
Correct answer: Potential language or task difficulties learners may encounter and how to handle them
This section asks trainees to predict where learners might struggle—with vocabulary, grammar, or task instructions—and plan remedies in advance.
Question 2: A trainee plans a reading lesson using an authentic newspaper article. What is the primary advantage of using authentic texts in CELTA contexts?
- They require no adaptation and save preparation time
- They expose learners to real-world language as it is actually used (Correct answer)
- They are always at the appropriate level for all learners
- They eliminate the need for pre-reading tasks
Correct answer: They expose learners to real-world language as it is actually used
Authentic texts expose learners to genuine language use, including natural discourse patterns, vocabulary, and register.
Question 3: In CELTA lesson planning, what is the purpose of stating 'assumed knowledge' for a lesson?
- To list everything the teacher knows about the topic
- To identify prior language or skills learners are expected to already have (Correct answer)
- To describe what the trainer assumes about the trainee's teaching ability
- To outline the coursebook chapter previously covered
Correct answer: To identify prior language or skills learners are expected to already have
Assumed knowledge clarifies what linguistic or procedural foundations learners bring so the lesson can build on them appropriately.
Question 4: A CELTA trainee wants to use a song as a resource in a grammar lesson. What is the most pedagogically sound approach?
- Play the song purely for enjoyment so learners relax before grammar work
- Select a song that naturally contains multiple examples of the target structure in context (Correct answer)
- Use the song only as a warmer with no connection to the lesson aim
- Choose the most popular current song regardless of its linguistic content
Correct answer: Select a song that naturally contains multiple examples of the target structure in context
Resources should be selected because they authentically contextualise the target language, making the song functionally integrated into the lesson aim.
Question 5: What does 'staging' refer to in the context of a CELTA lesson plan?
- Setting up the physical classroom furniture
- The sequenced steps and activities that make up the lesson (Correct answer)
- Deciding which learners will perform speaking tasks
- The process of writing aims on the whiteboard
Correct answer: The sequenced steps and activities that make up the lesson
Staging refers to the ordered sequence of distinct activity phases in a lesson, each with its own purpose and timing.
Question 6: When a CELTA trainee plans a task-based lesson, what should come AFTER the main communicative task according to the TBL framework?
- A pre-task vocabulary input stage
- A language focus stage where form is examined (Correct answer)
- Another communicative task at a higher level
- A reading or listening text on a new topic
Correct answer: A language focus stage where form is examined
In Willis's TBL framework, the post-task language focus stage allows learners to analyse and practise the language that emerged during the task.
Question 7: A trainee includes 'by the end of this lesson learners will have practised using conditionals in conversation' as a lesson aim. What type of aim is this?
- A personal development aim
- A skills aim
- A language systems aim
- A learner aim stated in terms of what learners will do (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A learner aim stated in terms of what learners will do
Effective CELTA lesson aims are learner-centred and describe what learners will be able to do or will have practised, not what the teacher will do.
CELTA Planning & Resources 2
When writing a CELTA lesson plan, what does the 'anticipated problems and solutions' section primarily address?