Nov 24
Can you fail CELTA? Advice from a CELTA Tutor
Video timeline
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Why is the pass rate high?
02:24 Failing on assignments
03:23 Failing on teaching practice
04:36 What will happen if I'm failing?
________________________________________
Video transcript
CELTA is a tough course. Everyone will tell you this- Google it (show images of thumbnails saying how tough it is etc). It’s not cheap and it’s a lot of work. But can you fail it?
The short answer to this is YES but if you want a bit more information, keep watching.
I’m Jo Gakonga and if this is the first time we’re meeting, I’ve been a CELTA tutor and assessor for 25 years and I’ve got a website at ELT-Training.com where I make support material for English language teachers from pre-CELTA to much further down the road. Check it out and don’t forget to like and subscribe- it really helps me to reach more teachers and I make a new video every week, so it’ll hopefully be useful for you, too!
So- can you fail CELTA- as I said before, yes, you can. But don’t be put off- the pass rate is very high - around 95% so take the information I’m going to give you as thoughts about what to be careful about- not to get worried about – and stay with me to the end for a bit of information that I hope will give you some more reassurance!
You might think the high pass rate means CELTA’s not that hard but the main reason for it is that Cambridge, who accredit the course, mandate that centres only take on candidates who they think can pass. Before the course, you’ve got to fill in a pretty extensive application task and then have an interview. If you’ve got through that and been accepted, the tutors think that you stand a good chance of passing. If you want to know more about the process, there’s a free resource on my site to walk you through it. The link’s just below.
Applying for CELTA
OK- you’ve been accepted. Happy days. Does this mean an automatic pass, though? No. I’m afraid not. There are two ways to fail the course. The first one is actually the least likely although it’s the one people often worry about. There are four written assignments and if you fail two of them, you automatically fail the course. This does happen but I can’t stress enough that it’s very rare- I’ve been teaching on CELTA courses for 25 years and it’s only happened to one trainee I’ve taught in all of that time. If you want to know more about this, I made another video about it here so check that out.
Can you fail CELTA on assignments?
The most common reason people fail the course, or withdraw from it before the end, is because they’re struggling in the classroom and don’t get ‘to standard’ grades on their teaching practice. There’s a lot of new information to take on board and although your tutors will support you, some people find this is just a bit too much.
You’ll usually teach 8 or 9 assessed lessons during the course (the total has to be 6 hours) and failing one lesson doesn’t mean you’ve failed the course (I made a video about this, too- here) But if you get a few ‘below std’ or weak lessons, if you’re having trouble planning and teaching effectively, your tutors will definitely talk to you about your progress and whether this is for you.
There’s no formula of ‘if you fail 3 lessons you fail the course’. Lessons at the end of the course carry more weight than the earlier ones and it’s judged on a case by case basis. BUT- and this is important, so listen up…
If you are in any danger of not passing the course, this will NOT come as a big surprise when you open the email that contains your result after you’ve finished. There’s a very standardised procedure for what HAS to happen if anyone is in danger of failing. Your tutors will talk to you about what SPECIFICALLY you need to do to pass – not just ‘get better’. They’ll tell you which of the 42 criteria you haven’t shown you can do. They’ll give you this in writing and they’ll help you to do what you need to do. So, while not everyone passes, you’ll be given every chance to develop, because ultimately it’s a course to teach you to be a teacher.
I hope all of that helps and maybe allays any fears you have before the course. Just do your best, listen to what your tutors tell you in feedback and don’t be afraid to ask if you’re not sure of anything.
Getting prepared before the course will also help enormously, so check out my materials at ELT-Training and I’ll see you on the inside!
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Why is the pass rate high?
02:24 Failing on assignments
03:23 Failing on teaching practice
04:36 What will happen if I'm failing?
________________________________________
Video transcript
CELTA is a tough course. Everyone will tell you this- Google it (show images of thumbnails saying how tough it is etc). It’s not cheap and it’s a lot of work. But can you fail it?
The short answer to this is YES but if you want a bit more information, keep watching.
I’m Jo Gakonga and if this is the first time we’re meeting, I’ve been a CELTA tutor and assessor for 25 years and I’ve got a website at ELT-Training.com where I make support material for English language teachers from pre-CELTA to much further down the road. Check it out and don’t forget to like and subscribe- it really helps me to reach more teachers and I make a new video every week, so it’ll hopefully be useful for you, too!
So- can you fail CELTA- as I said before, yes, you can. But don’t be put off- the pass rate is very high - around 95% so take the information I’m going to give you as thoughts about what to be careful about- not to get worried about – and stay with me to the end for a bit of information that I hope will give you some more reassurance!
You might think the high pass rate means CELTA’s not that hard but the main reason for it is that Cambridge, who accredit the course, mandate that centres only take on candidates who they think can pass. Before the course, you’ve got to fill in a pretty extensive application task and then have an interview. If you’ve got through that and been accepted, the tutors think that you stand a good chance of passing. If you want to know more about the process, there’s a free resource on my site to walk you through it. The link’s just below.
Applying for CELTA
OK- you’ve been accepted. Happy days. Does this mean an automatic pass, though? No. I’m afraid not. There are two ways to fail the course. The first one is actually the least likely although it’s the one people often worry about. There are four written assignments and if you fail two of them, you automatically fail the course. This does happen but I can’t stress enough that it’s very rare- I’ve been teaching on CELTA courses for 25 years and it’s only happened to one trainee I’ve taught in all of that time. If you want to know more about this, I made another video about it here so check that out.
Can you fail CELTA on assignments?
The most common reason people fail the course, or withdraw from it before the end, is because they’re struggling in the classroom and don’t get ‘to standard’ grades on their teaching practice. There’s a lot of new information to take on board and although your tutors will support you, some people find this is just a bit too much.
You’ll usually teach 8 or 9 assessed lessons during the course (the total has to be 6 hours) and failing one lesson doesn’t mean you’ve failed the course (I made a video about this, too- here) But if you get a few ‘below std’ or weak lessons, if you’re having trouble planning and teaching effectively, your tutors will definitely talk to you about your progress and whether this is for you.
There’s no formula of ‘if you fail 3 lessons you fail the course’. Lessons at the end of the course carry more weight than the earlier ones and it’s judged on a case by case basis. BUT- and this is important, so listen up…
If you are in any danger of not passing the course, this will NOT come as a big surprise when you open the email that contains your result after you’ve finished. There’s a very standardised procedure for what HAS to happen if anyone is in danger of failing. Your tutors will talk to you about what SPECIFICALLY you need to do to pass – not just ‘get better’. They’ll tell you which of the 42 criteria you haven’t shown you can do. They’ll give you this in writing and they’ll help you to do what you need to do. So, while not everyone passes, you’ll be given every chance to develop, because ultimately it’s a course to teach you to be a teacher.
I hope all of that helps and maybe allays any fears you have before the course. Just do your best, listen to what your tutors tell you in feedback and don’t be afraid to ask if you’re not sure of anything.
Getting prepared before the course will also help enormously, so check out my materials at ELT-Training and I’ll see you on the inside!
Write your awesome label here.
THANK YOU!
Your download has been sent to your email inbox.
If you don't see it, please check your Junk or Promotion folders and add jo.gakonga@elt-training.com to your contacts.
If you don't see it, please check your Junk or Promotion folders and add jo.gakonga@elt-training.com to your contacts.
Write your awesome label here.
THANK YOU!
Your download has been sent to your email inbox.
If you don't see it, please check your Junk or Promotion folders and add jo.gakonga@elt-training.com to your contacts.
If you don't see it, please check your Junk or Promotion folders and add jo.gakonga@elt-training.com to your contacts.
Created with
