TEFL Cheat Sheet 2026

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

1. What is a 'topic sentence' and why is it important in EFL writing instruction? → The first sentence of a paragraph that states the main idea of that paragraph
2. What does 'nominating' mean in classroom interaction? → Specifically selecting a student to respond to a question or contribute to discussion
3. Which lesson planning model emphasizes a 'Test-Teach-Test' sequence? → TTT
4. A 'semantic map' or 'word web' is used in vocabulary instruction primarily to: → Visually organize related words and concepts around a target word
5. What part of speech is 'on' in 'Put it on the table'? → Preposition
6. What is 'positive reinforcement' in the TEFL classroom context? → Acknowledging and rewarding desired behaviours or correct language to encourage repetition
7. A TEFL student asks why 'police' takes a plural verb ('The police are here'). The best explanation involves which concept? → Collective noun treated as plural in British English
8. Often used terms that are seen to detract from written English are referred to as → clichés
9. Which of the following is a proper noun? → Thames
10. What is 'inter-rater reliability' in speaking or writing assessment? → The degree to which two or more assessors give consistent scores to the same piece of work
11. According to sociocultural theory, language learning is primarily viewed as: → A social and interactive process mediated by tools and people
12. Which concept refers to the gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with teacher support? → Zone of Proximal Development
13. Which reading sub-skill is being practised when students answer multiple-choice questions about specific facts in a text? → Scanning for specific information
14. The 'Silent Period' in SLA refers to: → A phase where learners comprehend input before producing output
15. What is the function of 'well' in 'She performed well'? → Adverb modifying 'performed'
16. Which seating arrangement best supports cooperative learning activities in an EFL classroom? → Clusters or groups of 4-6 desks
17. What does 'concept checking' refer to in TEFL methodology? → Using questions to verify students understand meaning, not just form
18. A learner says 'I have many informations.' What part-of-speech error has been made? → Treating an uncountable noun as countable
19. A learner who avoids using the subjunctive because they are unsure of it is demonstrating: → Avoidance strategy
20. Which term describes the output learners produce when they 'push' themselves to use more precise or complex language structures? → Comprehensible output
21. In 'Neither the students nor the teacher was ready,' 'neither…nor' is a ___. → Correlative conjunction
22. What is 'intensive reading' in TEFL? → Careful, close reading of a short text to understand language, meaning, and details fully
23. What is a 'collocation' in English vocabulary teaching? → Words that naturally and frequently occur together
24. Which strategy best helps maintain student engagement during a long grammar explanation? → Incorporate concept-check questions and brief student responses throughout
25. Which listening sub-skill involves understanding the general topic or main idea of a spoken text? → Listening for gist
26. In Nation's vocabulary framework, what does 'word knowledge' include? → Form, meaning, and use of a word
27. What does 'pacing' refer to in TEFL lesson delivery? → Managing the speed and flow of activities to maintain engagement and cover planned content
28. In an adult EFL class, a student persistently dominates discussions preventing others from contributing. What is the most appropriate management strategy? → Implement structured turn-taking protocols such as discussion cards or talking chips
29. Is an article a determiner? → an
30. What does 'derivational morphology' involve in vocabulary instruction? → Teaching how prefixes and suffixes change a word's meaning or grammatical class