Acronyms for teachers Common
Terms
ESL = English as a Second Language
ELL = English Language Learner ELT =
English Language Teaching (Training)
EFL = English as a Foreign Language
ESOL = English to Speakers of Other
Languages
Teaching Certificates
TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign
Language TESL = Teaching English as a
Second Language
TESOL = Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages
CELTA = Certificate in English Language
Teaching to Adults
DELTA = Diploma in Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages
English Proficiency Exams for Non-
Native English Speakers
TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign
Language
IELTS = International English Language
Testing System TOEIC = Test of English for
International Communication
STT = Student Talking Time
TPR = Total Physical Response
TSE = Test of Spoken English
TTT = Teacher Talking Time
TWE = Test of Written English
NNS = Non-Native Speaker
NS = Native Speaker
Certification TEFL, TESOL,
CELTA, DELTA
TEFL (Teaching English as a
Foreign Language)
Probably the most common acronym, TEFL
refers to Teaching English as a Foreign
Language. In theory, a TEFL Certificate is
what you want in order to teach English in a
country where English is not the native
language (Thailand, for example.)
TESOL (Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages)
Another very common acronym, TESOL
refers to Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages. For example, if you are a
US citizen, and you want to teach English to
a student whose native language is not
English, this is a great certification to have.
TESOL and TEFL are used pretty much
interchangeably in the industry at this point.
The term TESL is used interchangeably by
some so do not get it confused.
CELTA (Certificate in English
Language Teaching to Adults)
Similar to TEFL and TESOL, it’s an English
language teaching qualification curriculum
developed by Cambridge English, which is
part of the University of Cambridge, which
gives you the essential knowledge and
training to teach English as a Second
Language (ESL).
CELTA is great for people who are new to
English teaching. For ones who are
interested in advancing the knowledge and
understanding of English language teaching,
then Cambridge English also has another
program, Delta (Diploma in Teaching
English to Speakers of Other Languages).

A-C
 AAAL: American Association
for Applied Linguistics
 ACTFL: American Council on
the Teaching of Foreign
Languages
 AE: American English
 BAAL: British Association of
Applied Linguistics
 BC: British Council
 BEC: Business English
Certificate, the Cambridge
business English exam
certificate
 BrE: British English
 BVT: Bilingual Vocational
Training
 CAE: Certificate in Advanced
English, the fourth Cambridge
Exam, the standard in English
examination throughout the
world outside of the U.S.,
where the TOEFL is preferred
 CALI: Computer-Assisted
Language Instruction
 CALL: Computer-Assisted
Language Learning
 CanE: Canadian English
 CAT: Computer Adaptive
Testing
 CBT: Computer-Based
Teaching
 CEELT: Cambridge
Examination in English for
Language Teachers, which
tests the English competency
of non-native English teachers
 CEIBT: Certificate in English
for International Business and
Trade for advanced levels
 CPE: Certificate of Proficiency
in English, the fifth and most
advanced of Cambridge's series
of exams, roughly comparable
to a score of 600 to 650 on the
TOEFL
 CELTA: Certificate in English
language teaching to adults,
the Cambridge/RSA Teaching
Certificate also known as C-
TEFLA
D-G
 DELTA: Diploma in English
language teaching in the
Cambridge/RSA Language
Teaching Scheme
 EAP: English for Academic
Purposes
 ECCE: Exam for the
Certificate of Competency in
English at low levels at
Michigan University
 ECPE: Exam for the
Certificate of Proficiency in
English at the higher level at
Michigan University
 EGP: English for general
purposes
 EIP: English as an
International Language
 ELICOS: English Language
Intensive Courses for Overseas
Students, Australian
government registered centers
teaching English to overseas
students
 ESOL: English for Speakers of
Other Languages
 ESP: English for Specific
Purposes (business, tourism,
etc.)
 ETS: Educational Testing
Service
 FCE: First Certificate in
English, the third of
Cambridge's series of exams,
which is comparable to a score
of 500 on the TOEFL and 5.7
on the IELTS
  GMAT: Graduate
Management Admission Test,
which measures general verbal,
mathematical, and analytical
writing skills
 GPA: Grade Point Average
 GRE: Graduate Record
Examination, an evaluation
test for graduate admission to
colleges and universities in the
U.S.
I-N
 IATEFL: International
Association of Teachers of
English as a Foreign Language
 IPA: International Phonetic
Association
 K12: Kindergarten through
12th grade
 KET: Key English Test, the
most elementary of
Cambridge's series of exams
 L1: Language 1 or native
language
 L2: Language 2 or the
language you are learning
 LEP: Limited English
Proficient
 LL: Language Learning
 MT: Mother Tongue
 MTELP: Michigan Test of
English Language Proficiency
 NATECLA: National
Association for Teaching
English and other Community
Languages to Adults (UK)
 NATESOL: National
Association of Teachers of
English for Speakers of Other
Languages
 NCTE: National Council of
Teachers of English
 NLP: Neurolinguistic
Programming
 NNEST: Non-Native English
Speaking Teacher
 NNL: Non-Native Language
O-Y
 OE: Old English
 OED: Oxford English
Dictionary
 PET: Preliminary English
Test, the second of
Cambridge's series of exams
 RP: Received Pronunciation,
the "standard" British
pronunciation
 RSA/Cambridge C-TEFLA:
Certificate of Teaching English
as a Foreign Language to
Adults, a professional
qualification for prospective
EFL teachers
 RSA/Cambridge D-TEFLA:
Diploma of Teaching English
as a Foreign Language, the
advanced qualification for EFL
teachers who have already
completed the C-TEFLA
 SAE: Standard American
English
 SAT: Scholastic Assessment
(Aptitude) Test, a pre-
university entrance exam in
the USA
 TEFL: Teaching English as a
Foreign Language
 TEFLA: Teaching English as a
Foreign Language to Adults
 TEIL: Teaching English as an
International Language
 TESL: Teaching English as a
Second Language
 TESOL: Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages
 TOEFL: Test of English as a
Foreign Language, the most
common English proficiency
exam for North American
universities and colleges, also
accepted by some British
 universities and employers as
proof of English proficiency
 TOEIC: Test of English for
International Communication,
pronounced "toe ick"
 VE: Vocational English
 VESL: Vocational English as a
Second Language
 YLE: Young Learners English
Tests, the Cambridge
Examinations for young
learners