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TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) Syllabus
Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, the leading initial qualification for teaching English as a foreign language.. The complete TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) outline — 6 subjects, 26 chapters and 91 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
4 chapters · 15 topics · 37 sub-topics
Language Analysis and Awareness5 chapters · 18 topics · 48 sub-topics
Language Skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing5 chapters · 18 topics · 40 sub-topics
Planning and Resources for Teaching4 chapters · 15 topics · 32 sub-topics
Classroom Management and Teaching Skills5 chapters · 15 topics · 33 sub-topics
Professional Development and Written Assignments3 chapters · 10 topics · 24 sub-topics
TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) flashcard decks
309 question-and-answer cards across 6 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Learners, Teachers and the Teaching/Learning Context — 50 cards
- Language Analysis and Awareness — 56 cards
- Language Skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing — 51 cards
- Planning and Resources for Teaching — 50 cards
- Classroom Management and Teaching Skills — 51 cards
- Professional Development and Written Assignments — 51 cards
How to work through the TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Language Analysis and Awareness carries 18 topics while Professional Development and Written Assignments carries 10. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA).
The ~110 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) syllabus?
TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) covers 6 subjects: Learners, Teachers and the Teaching/Learning Context, Language Analysis and Awareness, Language Skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing, Planning and Resources for Teaching, Classroom Management and Teaching Skills and Professional Development and Written Assignments. Together they contain 26 chapters and 91 named topics.
How many topics does the TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) syllabus contain?
The full TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) outline breaks down into 26 chapters, 91 topics and 214 sub-topics. Language Analysis and Awareness is the largest single subject with 18 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) syllabus?
Roughly 110 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) flashcards?
Yes — 309 question-and-answer flashcards across 6 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the TEFL/TESOL Certificate (CELTA) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United Kingdom and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.