Delta Module One: Just an exam or is there more to it?

Delta Module One: Just an exam or is there more to it?

Cambridge Delta is one of the most prestigious and the most aspired qualifications in the world of ELT which is a must for those teachers who want to become teacher trainers or academic managers. So today we decided to tell you what is tested in the Delta Module One exam and what makes the preparation for this exam so valuable for any experienced teacher. Here is what you can expect.

There are two papers which contain eight tasks and we’ll look at them separately.

Paper One Tasks One and Two

Tests your knowledge of ELT terminology in the following areas:

• Language Systems
• Language Skills
• Methodology and approaches
• Assessment

In the first task you need to come up with the term based on the definition given while in the second one you need to provide a definition for the terms given.

This tasks normally scare candidates, but while preparing for the other parts, most of the terminology is revised and, therefore, they stop looking daunting.

Paper One Task Three

In this task you’ll be asked to analyze a speaking or writing activity from a published ELT coursebook or exam and identify three features of language necessary to be able to complete the tasks.

This task helps teachers to develop a more critical perspective on the tasks in coursebooks and exams and have a clearer idea of what grammar, vocabulary and functional language need to be taught for the learners to complete the tasks.

Paper One Task Four

In this task you’re given a piece of students’ writing or a spoken text produced by a student and you’re asked to identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the student.

This is a very useful tasks for teachers as it helps them to focus not only on the mistakes the students make, but also on successful language use. It also encourages teachers to think about such things as range, complexity of grammar and vocabulary used and other language features the students might need help with, e.g. pronunciation, organization, or cohesion which are often neglected by less experienced teachers.

Paper One Task Five

This is one of the most challenging task in the exam which contains an authentic text and requires the candidates to identify and explain the meaning, use and form of language items.

This task will help to be better prepared to anticipate problems that learners might have with language they encounter in authentic texts and to brush up on:

• genres and their features
• grammar
• phonology and connected speech in particular

Paper Two Task One

In this task the candidate is provided with a test and a learner profile and asked to evaluate the test and its relevance for the learner.

 In order to do well in this part of the exam, it is necessary to analyze the learner needs and be familiar with key assessment concepts. This task will be particularly useful for senior teachers and academic managers as it helps to make sure that the tests we give to our students will really assess what we want to assess and whether what we want to teach them actually meets their needs.

As assessment is one of the areas a lot of teachers don’t often have time to delve in, preparing for this task will provide them with much needed knowledge of assessment terminology and concepts.

Paper Two Task Two

In Paper Two Task Two you are provided with an extract from published coursebook material and are asked to critically reflect on this material.

It helps a teacher to develop a more critical view of the material they often use in the classroom, think about the methodology behind this and have a better understanding of how to use it for the learners to benefit from lessons more. It also helps to learn about or brush up on the most pertinent principles of ELT.

Paper Two Task Three

This task is the most unpredictable part of the exam and will be a bonus for most adventurous teachers who are not afraid to share their knowledge and experience.

In Paper Two Task Three you are provided with ELT-related input, e.g. one or two extracts from material for teachers or from a methodology/resource book, a lesson plan extract, a transcript of teachers discussing a lesson, an extract from tutor feedback etc.

In this task you have to answer specific questions about the material and share your views on how the materials or perspectives relate to classroom practices. This can deal with historical and current perspectives on approaches and methodologies, theories of language acquisition, resources, learner and teacher roles.

We hope that now you have a better understanding of what to expect from this exam and are enthusiastic about taking this professional development step to learn more about teaching and language acquisition.