About the C.I.T.E Exams: Exams for Teachers of English
C.I.T.E. is Anglia Examinations' Certificate for International Teachers of English. These exams provide teacher certification for English teachers, who may or may not have any other English teaching qualifications, and gives them an opportunity to obtain recognition for their English language teaching skills, knowledge and experience. Our C.I.T.E. exams work on the same principle as any other test of English for special purposes. In this case the special purpose is teaching English. The tests are mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and our C.I.T.E certificate provides evidence of English teaching ability.
Who is C.I.T.E. for?
There are no entry qualifications for the C.I.T.E. test. Although you may well have previous qualifications in English, none are compulsory requirements. The C.I.T.E. test is not in itself a teaching qualification, but recognition of your competence in the relevant English language skills needed for teaching. It can, therefore, equally be taken by teachers who are currently teaching English, or students who are planning to, and have gained knowledge of classroom language and practice through study. It may, for example, be taken by High School mathematics teachers who find themselves timetabled with two lessons of English a week, by Primary school teachers who have been co-opted into teaching English under a government initiative, or English teachers whose original qualification concentrated on 19th Century literature and who want to have a focus for updating their practical, classroom-language skills.
The C.I.T.E. tests recognise that teaching young learners and teaching higher-level, older, learners may require different language levels, theory and practice. For this reason, candidates are offered three versions of the test:
C.I.T.E.
C.I.T.E. (Young Learners)
C.I.T.E. (Very Young Learners).
Referring to a sample paper should help a candidate or their representative decide which level is the most appropriate. Primary school teachers are not obliged to take either of the Young Learner versions, but the opportunity is available.
What level of English do you need?
You need the level of English required to be a competent teacher. If you think you have this, it is likely that you are at the right level for the C.I.T.E. test.
For the C.I.T.E. it is likely that your level of English will be C1 on the CEFR. For the C.I.T.E. (YL) your level of English should be at least B2 on the CEFR. For the C.I.T.E. (VYL) your level of English should be at least A2 on the CEFR.
It isn't easy to relate the level required to any general English test. However, the English required in the C.I.T.E. tests is related to knowledge of grammatical terms and functions in English included in the main-suite syllabus, together with classroom language in English.
What preparation is necessary for the examination?
To a certain extent you must make your own judgement on this by looking at the overview of the test, test specifications and sample papers. Although your representative may be able to indicate where you can find a suitable local course or study group, there is no set course either in English or in teaching which leads to the C.I.T.E. test.
What preparation is necessary for the examination?
To a certain extent you must make your own judgement on this by looking at the overview of the test, test specifications and sample papers. Although your representative may be able to indicate where you can find a suitable local course or study group, there is no set course either in English or in teaching which leads to the C.I.T.E. test.
However, below is a list of books which would help you to prepare for the test and which, if you do not know them already, we recommend you read for your own professional development as an English teacher.
- Brown, H. Douglas. 2000. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Prentice Hall Regents.
- Brown, Douglas H. 2001. Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Prentice Hall Regents.
- Harmer, Jeremy. 1983. The Practice of English Language Teaching. Harlow: Longman.
- Hewings, Martin. 2005. Advanced Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Ioannou-Georgiou, Sophie and Pavlos Pavlou. 2003. Assessing Young Learners. Oxford: Oxford University.
- Slattery, Mary and Jane Willis. 2001. English for Primary Teachers. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Vale, D. and A. Feunteun. 1995. Teaching Children English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
When and how can you take the C.I.T.E test?
If you are interested in taking a C.I.T.E. test then go to the Anglia Worldwide section. There you can find details of your local representative who will tell you how to register, and give you the time and place of the next test session most local to you. If you don't know who your local representative is, or do not have one, or would like to find out more information about CITE contact Anglia Examinations via the online enquiry form, click here.