Teaching IELTS is a 10-day professional development programme, designed by International House Almaty for English language teachers. The course bridges the gap between teaching General English and specialised exam preparation. Rather than just ‘’doing tests”, you will learn the methodology behind developing the core skills-Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking-specifically for the IELTS format.

Entry Requirements

• B2+/C1 CEFR

Who the Course is Aimed at?

• Teachers of General English, planning to retrain to teach Exam Classes, especially IELTS.
• Teachers after a general training course (e.g. CELTA) who want to extend their competencies in Teaching IELTS.

Course Duration

• Intensive 10 days, Monday-Friday, three 60 min hours
• Part-time Saturdays and Sundays, 5 weeks, three 60 min hours  

Course Objectives

• To provide teachers with tools, tips and techniques for creating effective IELTS lessons.

Course Content

• 10 sessions

Session 1 General English vs Exam classes: 

• Course overview & requirements
• Similarities and differences between GE & EX classes
• Learner profiles and learner needs
• Qualities of a successful Exam teacher 
• Aims, structure and the administration of the IELTS test

Session 2 Course Outline:

• Managing learners’ expectations 
• Needs analysis
• Diagnostic Testing
• Teaching 1^st IELTS lesson

Session 3 IELTS Reading:

• what makes a good reading lesson 
• reading test overview
• task types
• problems with reading
• designing reading tasks
• reflection on teaching reading

Session 4 IELTS Speaking:

• Speaking Test overview
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Analysing fluency, coherence, and lexical resource through the lens of official descriptors
• Telling the facts from the myths

Session 5 Skills Integration: Speaking & Reading:

• A demo lesson on integrating Speaking and Reading Skills for Upper-Int learners  
• Lesson analysis & reflection
• Extra ideas on teaching Speaking

Session 6 Teaching Listening:

• Listening test overview
• Listening strategies and subskills
• Problems learners (and teachers) might come across while listening
• Designing and modifying listening tasks

Session 7 Teaching Writing:

• Overview of the Writing Test
• Writing Task 1
• Teaching the analysis of visual data, including bar charts, line graphs, process diagrams, and maps.
• Coherence and cohesion
• Lexical resource and grammatical accuracy
• Assessing writing 
• Designing a writing lesson

Session 8 Teaching Writing:

• Writing Task 2
• Types of essays
• Planning and writing the intro
• Developing Language and Content
• Assessing and correcting writing
• Demo lesson: integrating skills

Session 9 Microteaching:

• Practical session where participants micro-teach and share versatile activities for the IELS classroom.

Session 10 Teaching in different contexts:

• Teaching one-to-one
• Teaching low levels
• Teaching mixed ability classes
• Teaching IELTS online
• Dealing with anxiety

Course Evaluation
To complete the teacher training course, participants must:
• Attend all sessions and participate actively.
• Complete a reflective assignment by Day 8.
• Demonstrate a chosen activity on Day 9.
What You Will Achieve
By the end of the Teaching IELTS course, you will be able to 

1. Navigate the structure and administration of both Academic and General Training Modules with confidence.
2. Use diagnostic data to plan lessons that target your students’ specific weaknesses and needs.
3. Apply a wide range of teaching ideas, from Dictogloss to ‘hot air balloon’ debates, to keep exam classes meaningful, challenging and engaging at the same time.
4. Design high-quality materials and activities tailored to the IELTS criteria.

Certificate
The Certificate is issued by IH Almaty Training Centre

Get ready to step confidently into your CELTA journey!
This practical and engaging course focuses on the key areas that will help you feel well-prepared and confident with the main concepts and principles of CELTA:

• Understanding the Learner
• Effective Classroom Management
• Language Awareness and Analysis
• Frameworks for Teaching Language and Skills
• Lesson Planning Principles
• Being a Reflective Teacher

By the end of the course, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what to expect on CELTA and the essential tools to succeed.

You’ve been teaching for a while now and are ready for a change? Module 1 is designed to extend and further develop your knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning English in a range of contexts. As it is assessed by a written exam, a lot of emphasis in this course is placed on exam preparation and strategies. 
In this course, you will
• Further develop your awareness of theoretical perspectives on language acquisition and language teaching
• Deepen your expertise regarding ELT teaching approaches and methodologies, including current developments
• Consider language systems and skills in their contexts of use and relevant teaching methodology choices
• Identify learners’ problems in developing language and skills proficiency
• Critically evaluate teaching and materials and resources in a range of ELT contexts
• Understand and apply assessment principles
How does the course work? 
The course is 10 weeks long, we will look into a different topic each week, and you will be:
• researching the topics
• discussing your findings with groupmates on discussion forums 
• creating a collaborative glossary of terminology
• taking part in live interactive sessions/workshops on Zoom
• completing exam tasks and two mock exams, followed by personalized feedback and support from the tutor
• analysing past papers
• There’s an opportunity to book a 1x1 consultation with the tutor if you feel you need more support