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🇺🇸 United States · Teaching
TEFL/TESOL Certification Syllabus
Certifications qualifying individuals to teach English as a foreign/second language domestically and abroad.. The complete TEFL/TESOL Certification outline — 7 subjects, 31 chapters and 110 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
TEFL/TESOL Certification 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 · 16 topics · 26 sub-topics
English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology5 chapters · 20 topics · 21 sub-topics
Methodology and Approaches to ELT5 chapters · 18 topics · 23 sub-topics
Lesson Planning and Curriculum Design4 chapters · 14 topics · 8 sub-topics
Classroom Management and Teaching Skills4 chapters · 13 topics · 9 sub-topics
Teaching Specific Learners and Skills Areas5 chapters · 15 topics · 5 sub-topics
Materials, Technology, and Assessment4 chapters · 14 topics · 12 sub-topics
TEFL/TESOL Certification flashcard decks
385 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Foundations of TEFL/TESOL and Language Acquisition Theory — 59 cards
- English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology — 71 cards
- Methodology and Approaches to ELT — 50 cards
- Lesson Planning and Curriculum Design — 51 cards
- Classroom Management and Teaching Skills — 51 cards
- Teaching Specific Learners and Skills Areas — 51 cards
- Materials, Technology, and Assessment — 52 cards
How to work through the TEFL/TESOL Certification 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: English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology carries 20 topics while Classroom Management and Teaching Skills carries 13. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for TEFL/TESOL Certification.
The ~105 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 Certification syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the TEFL/TESOL Certification syllabus?
TEFL/TESOL Certification covers 7 subjects: Foundations of TEFL/TESOL and Language Acquisition Theory, English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology, Methodology and Approaches to ELT, Lesson Planning and Curriculum Design, Classroom Management and Teaching Skills, Teaching Specific Learners and Skills Areas and Materials, Technology, and Assessment. Together they contain 31 chapters and 110 named topics.
How many topics does the TEFL/TESOL Certification syllabus contain?
The full TEFL/TESOL Certification outline breaks down into 31 chapters, 110 topics and 104 sub-topics. English Language Systems: Grammar, Lexis, and Phonology is the largest single subject with 20 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole TEFL/TESOL Certification syllabus?
Roughly 105 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 Certification flashcards?
Yes — 385 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 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 Certification syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the TEFL/TESOL Certification syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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