CELTA Pre Interview Tasks

CELTA course

Pre Interview Tasks

Name: Syeda Basma Emaad

Age: 38 years
1st Language: Urdu
Course date: 18th July to 12th August (2022)

Complete this task carefully. It is an important factor in considering your application. CELTA is
an intensive four-week course of study. Because of this, candidates need to be fully prepared for
the demands of the course and show that they are able to research language structures, a skill
required of ESL teachers. Keep in mind that we cover language analysis on the CELTA course, so
we do not expect you to be an expert in grammar before the course starts.

 You may refer to a grammar book such as “Grammar in Use” by Raymond Murphy
(Cambridge University Press), “Practical English Usage” by Michael Swan (Oxford
University Press) or any other grammar reference book you might have at home or find in
the library/book store, for help.
 The internet is also a great source of information.

However, please note that copy pasted answers may not be accepted.

When you have finished, please send it to: [email protected]

Retain a copy of this task for your interview.
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Task A
Please write a few paragraphs about what you think your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher will be?
Please write in continuous prose rather than in note form. You are recommended to spend 20-30 minutes on
this.

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Coming from a family of educators, and having the love of teaching in my blood, I started teaching at a very young
age. Over the past two decades, but especially in the past three or four years, I have started reflecting upon my
way of teaching more and more. By doing so, and because of some other forms of professional development
opportunities, I have come to realize my main strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. So when I join an
institution and start teaching formally again, I believe I will have the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the
paragraphs that follow.
Firstly, speaking of strengths, my greatest strength in my opinion is the understanding and bond that I am able to
develop with my students. Within a short period of time, my students start feeling very comfortable with me; they
feel free to share their points of view, give answers and make enquiries without any fear or hesitation, and this is
very important for their actual learning progress. There is no fear, rather there is mutual respect.
Another strength that I have as a teacher is that I go the extra mile to make sure that each and every one of my
students is participating in the student-centred learning process, understanding all the new concepts and
improving their skills and knowledge every passing day. No student is ignored even for a very short duration. I
strongly believe that each and every minute that I have in the classroom counts and is of great value, so I try my
best to utilize that time in the most productive way. I come up with creative ideas and activities that enable my
students to open up their minds, to think critically, to synthesize ideas and to find solutions to problems.
Additionally, my habit of preparing very well and thoroughly before every lesson is a strength that enables me to
deliver the lesson in an effective way and to ensure that the learning objectives have been met by every student.
Better preparation means a more productive lesson. Although my language background is sound, as I have
studied at the best institutions, I spend considerable time in preparing any lesson, especially language lessons,
carrying out a lot of research and making sure that I know as much as possible about any topic that the lesson is
about, along with knowing the vocabulary, pronunciations, words origins, grammatical terms, background
knowledge, etc.
Now, moving on to the weaknesses, the main weakness that I have noticed in myself at some occasions is not
being very strict about time management. Sometimes an interesting discussion starts in a class, or an activity
takes more time than I had planned for it, and then the time management gets disturbed. Some part of the
planned work remains undone and I have to move it to another lesson or give it as homework. I believe that I
should plan and manage my classroom time in a more effective way, so that such disturbances can be avoided.
Another weakness that I feel I have is that sometimes I become too strict about disciplinary issues. May be some
people will take it as a strength, like I used to do, but recently I have started viewing it as a weakness also. I have
realized that sometimes it is better to handle things in a more lenient way, even when disciplinary actions are
concerned.
To conclude, I am of the point of view that every educator has their strengths and weaknesses, and with self-
reflection, time, effort and practice, the strengths can be polished further and the weaknesses can be diminished
or even eradicated. I hope to work on my weaknesses to reduce them as much as possible by continuous
professional development and to be the best educator that I can be for my students.
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Task B – Grammar

1. What's the difference in meaning between (Write how you would teach the difference in meaning to the students):
EXAMPLE:
a) She walks to school.
b) She is walking to school.
Grammatical Form:
A) Present Simple
B) Present Continuous
Difference in Meaning:
A) Shows a habit/ something that happens regularly.
B) Shows what is happening at the moment.
Teaching Idea:
Show a picture slide with a girl walking to school 5 days a week. Each day is labelled as Monday, Tuesday and so on.
Then show another slide of a girl walking to school with the picture labelled as „NOW‟
The first slide says „she walks to school‟ and the second slide says „she is walking to school‟, hence clarifying the
difference in meaning – what happens every day vs what is happening now.
a) If I get the job, I will take it.

b) If I got the job, I would take it.

Grammatical Form:

a) First Conditional: if + present simple, modal verb (linked to future) + infinitive

[Simple present tense is used in the if-clause and a modal verb (like shall, will, can, might, should, etc.)
with the infinitive form of a verb is used in the main clause.]

b) Second Conditional: if + past simple, modal verb + infinitive

[Simple past tense is used in the if-clause and a modal verb (usually „would‟ or „could‟) with the infinitive
form of a verb is used in the main clause.]

Difference in Meaning:

a) The first conditional shows that the future situation is likely. If something happens in the future, then
something else will happen in the future. It is likely that he will get the job and then he will take it.

b) The second conditional shows that the present or future situation is unlikely to happen. It is unlikely that
he will get the job, so it is not an option for him to take it.

Teaching Idea:

Show a slide with a table comparing first and second conditionals with some clear and easy-to-understand
examples. The sentences given for first conditionals must show clearly likely future situations, and the
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sentences showing the second conditionals must show clearly unlikely situations. Moreover, the words
showing the tenses, modal verbs, verbs, etc. must be underlined / highlighted.

For example, in the column labelled „First Conditionals‟, there can be sentences like these: “If I see you
tomorrow, I will remind you about the book.” OR “If the cat shows up, I can pat it.” (Clearly, both
sentences are referring to likely future situations.)

And, in the column labelled „Second Conditionals‟, there can be sentences like these: “If I were the
president of this country, I would make the educational system better.” (Clearly it is unlikely that I am or
will become the president of the country.) OR “If he had enough money, he could build a grid station to
generate his own electricity.” (Clearly, it is unlikely that he has or will have that much money.)

a) I went to America last year.

b) I have been to America.
Grammatical Form:
a) Past simple
b) Present Perfect
Difference in Meaning:
a) This shows that an event took place and finished in the past, specifying the exact time when it took
place or exactly how long ago it took place. The focus is one when something was done in the past. For
example, “I lived in Saudi Arabia in 2007.” OR “I ate a chocolate pie two weeks ago.” Simple past can also
specify where something was done, for example, “We saw The Lion King at the cinema.”
b) This shows that an event happened in the past or recent past, with the event usually continuing up to
the present time, without specifying the exact time when the event happened. The focus is on the
happening of the event, not on when. For example, “I have lived in Saudi Arabia.” OR “We have not seen
any movie this week.” (That is, from the beginning of the week until now.)
Teaching Idea:
Explain this with the help of examples from the daily lives of students and by asking questions. The
questions and answers can then be shown to the students on a slide or written on the board.
For instance, to explain the past simple, questions like these can be asked: “When did you visit your
grandmother?” OR “How many days ago did we start the project?” Answers will be similar to these: “I
visited my grandmother last year / two months ago / on Friday.” OR “We started the project seven days
ago / a week ago.”
And to explain the present perfect, questions like these can be asked: “Have you seen the latest movie of
Harry Potter?” OR “Has she written anything yet?” Answers will be similar to these: “Yes, I have seen the
latest movie of Harry Potter.” OR “No, she has not written anything yet.”
By showing several examples like these, the difference between the two tenses can be easily explained to
the students.
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Are these statements true or false?

a). conditionals are always used to refer to future time (false)

b). would is the polite form of will (true)

c). the present continuous is only used to describe present actions (false)

d). we use some for positive statements and any for negative statements (true) (but there are a few exceptions)

Task C

Learners often confuse words in English. Clarify the difference in meaning between the following pairs of words.

e.g. Hot/Warm Both words are used to talk about a higher than normal temperature.
However, the difference is in the degree/intensity when used to describe
temperatures.
Warm is not as high a temperature as hot. Both are subjective terms.

1. Cheap / economical Both words refer to something that is not expensive.

However, „cheap‟ has a negative connotation and can be used to show that an item costs
less or to show that it has little worth or value or is of low quality.
„Economical‟ has a positive connotation and is used when something is causing money or
resources to be saved.

2. Take an exam / give an exam In the US, when someone appears for an exam, it is said that he or she is “taking an exam”.
But in India and Pakistan, people mistakenly say “giving an exam” for someone who is sitting
for an exam (“sitting for an exam” is used in the UK). The correct usage is like this: When a
teacher is examining his or her students, she is “giving them an exam”, while the students
are “taking the exam”.

3. Expire / die Both words refer to an entity reaching the end of its life.
However, „expire‟ is usually used for non-living items that have reached the end of their
usability, for example, their expiry date has passed or they have turned bad.
The word „die‟ is usually used for living things, like plants, animals, human beings, etc. It
refers to one‟s life coming to an end.
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5. How would you get across to students the meaning of these words:
Word Teaching Idea
e.g. Disappear I can teach this through a video of a magician showing a trick in which an object disappears, pointing out explicitly when the
(v) object is there and then it is not there – hence it has „disappeared‟
a) I can teach this by writing a very simple mathematical sum or equation on the board, like 2 + 2 = 4, and tell the students
that this sum is very „simple‟ or easy for them to solve. I can also write a complex mathematical equation like
eiθ=cosθ+isinθ and tell them that it is not „simple‟.
Simple
To show another meaning of „simple‟, I can show pictures of two table cloths, one having a very simple pattern like dots or
(adj)
not having a pattern at all (just one plain color without any design), and one having a very complex pattern or design. Then I
can ask them which table cloth is simple and which is not. I can also point to the plain table cloth and tell the students that it
is „simple‟.
b) I can teach this by showing a short video clip of a person walking clumsily while carrying some objects. He or she is
Clumsy bumping into things and tripping over again and again; moreover, the objects are falling from their hands. I can ask the
(adj) students to notice the things that are happening and point them out. Then I can explain to them that the person in the video
is a „clumsy‟ person.
c) I can teach this by starting a discussion about the routine activities of students and then narrowing it to who goes out for
Outgoing entertainment, exercise, shopping, meeting friends, dining out, etc., and who likes to stay at home and doesn‟t go out that
(adj) much. Then I‟ll point out the students who love going out a lot or spend a considerable time outside their homes as
„outgoing‟.
d) I can teach this by showing at least two movie clips containing a few sarcastic remarks made by a character (for example,
Iron Man‟s sarcastic remarks in The Avengers). I can ask the students to discuss how the remarks made by that specific
character (who is sarcastic) are different from simple remarks made by other characters. Then I can add on to the students‟
comments and give a clear and final version of the meaning of „sarcastic‟.
Sarcastic
If I don‟t have enough time to show video clips, I can write a question on the board and ask two students to ask me that
(adj)
question. I will reply the first time (to the first student) in a simple way and the second time (to the second student) in a
sarcastic way and will then ask the students to notice the difference in my two replies. The sarcastic reply of the two will be
pointed out by its mocking tone and/or contemptuousness. Thus, the meaning of „sarcastic‟ will become clear to them by
demonstration. If one question seems insufficient, I will write another one and repeat the activity.
e) I can show them a picture of the animal „bear‟.
Alternatively, I can give the students hints to guess what animal I am going to mention or talk about. Hints can include “a
mammal or an animal that is big and furry / that can be brown, black or white / that has huge claws / that likes catching and
eating fish from streams / that loves eating honey, etc.” By giving them these hints, they would themselves quickly
Bear (n)
understand what animal I am referring to, so then, when I show them a picture of a bear and tell them what it is called, they
will learn and memorize more efficiently.
[If required, and if the level of students is such that they can come across the verb „bear‟, then I will make sure that they
understand the difference between the two, the noun „bear‟ and the verb „bear‟.]
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Task D: Error correction

All the sentences below contain errors commonly made by learners. Correct the errors.

1 She's having a brother. She has a brother.

2 He say me go to bed now. He told me, “Go to bed now.” OR He told me to go to bed then.

3 a) What does he look like? a) What does he look like?

b) He looks like friendly. b) He is a strong, heavily built man with a round, red face. (one possible answer)
OR
a) What is he like?
b) He looks like a friendly man. OR He looks friendly. OR He is a friendly man.

4 You like Delhi, isn't it? You like Delhi, don‟t you?

5 I live here since 2 years. I have lived here for 2 years. OR I have been living here for 2 years.

6 Do you have any informations? Do you have any information?

7 How many money have you got? How much money have you got? OR How much money do you have?

E. Word stress: Mark the syllable that carries the main stress in the following words.

Example: computer computer

1. pleasure (n) 3. record (v) 5. constituency (n) 7. television set (n)

OR television set

2. Germany (n) 4. monotonously (adv.) 6. gregarious (adj.) 8. increase (n)

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Task F – Professional Development

In your opinion, which of the following is required of an ELT Educator?

Please mark your priorities Not important A little Important Important Very Important Most Important

The pedagogy of educating teachers 

English language proficiency 
Knowledge of learners 
Practice based research 
ELT experience 
Educational research 
Context specific teaching knowledge 
English language awareness 
Leadership qualities 
Communication skills 
Giving constructive feedback to others 
Other(s) – Please specify

Total Number of Hours Experience as an ELT Educator per Less than or  Between 600 and 1200 More than 1200
year (if applicable) equal to 600
Rate your general priority of Professional Development provided by the following opportunities.
Please mark your priorities Not important A little Important Very Most Important
Important Important
Formal studies for advanced academic degrees 
Training courses by different institutions 
Domestic and international exchange programs 
Academic conferences/seminars/lectures 
Peer studies 
Mentoring 
Research 
Self-study 
Reflective Practice 
Other (specify) --- Professional experience 
gained by working in a very good educational
institute

On a scale of 0-5, how likely/often do you get the opportunity to avail PD from one of the following approaches? (0
means Not at all – 5 means very frequently)
Please mark your priorities Rate from 0-5

Formal studies for advanced academic degrees 3

Training courses by different institutions 4
Domestic and international exchange programs 3
Academic conferences/seminars/lectures 4
Peer studies 5
Mentoring 4
Research 4
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Self-study 3
Teaching reflection 5
Other (specify) --- Professional experience gained by working in a very good educational institute 4

Of all the Professional Development opportunities you have experienced, from the above (or others),
rate them in the order of their usefulness. Number 1 being the most useful. (Please do not include the
ones you do not have experience with)
1. Teaching reflection 2. Peer studies
3. Professional experience gained by working in a very 4. Training courses by different institutions
good educational institute
5. Research 6. Mentoring
7. Formal studies for advanced academic degrees 8. Academic conferences / seminars / lectures
9. Domestic and international exchange programs 10. Self-study

What challenges do you face with respect to your professional development (PD)?
Please mark your priorities A very big A big challenge Can’t say Somewhat a Not a challenge
challenge challenge at all

Lack of support from administration 

Lack of PD facilities 
Poor quality of the PD provided 
Lack of PD opportunities 
Expense of PD 
Reward for getting PD 
Other (Please mention)