From 11th-15th March Rachael Roberts is running the third version of her incredibly useful (and free!) Festival of Freelancing, and I’m very happy to say I’ll be presenting at it. [Note: unfortunately I had to cancel as I lost my voice. However, there are still so many other useful talks there that I want to leave the link here for others to find it later!]
While spreadsheets might not seem like the world’s most exciting topic, I think they’re one of the single most useful things you can use to help you manage your business. In the session, I’ll show you various ways I use spreadsheets and you’ll have the chance to try them out as we go along.
In February 2024, I saw a post in the DELTA & DipTESOL Candidates and Survivors facebook group from Ha Truong. She shared how she had prepared for the DELTA Module 1 exam in 3 months and managed to achieve a Distinction. I asked her to write it up as a guest post for my blog to share her tips with the wider world and save them for posterity. Well done to Ha for your Distinction, and thanks for sharing how you got there!
Note that I have a page of Useful links for DELTA if you would like more advice / help.
Over to Ha…
In December 2023, I achieved a distinction in the DELTA Module 1 exam after dedicating almost three months to preparation. While the Distance DELTA M1 prep course undeniably played a significant role, I want to highlight that there’s more to my journey than meets the eye. This is a brief account, framed around the structure of a receptive skills lesson.
PHASE 1: PRE-PREPPING
1. Start with “Why”
Before diving into DELTA, I made sure to do my homework, talked to people who’d been through it, and even had a lengthy coffee chat with Zach Pinson, a local DELTA tutor and a kind ex-colleague. He cleared all of my doubts and gave me the courage to jump in. When things got crazy tough during DELTA, I’d flashback to that Starbucks chat, reminding myself why I signed up in the first place. It’s been a wild ride, but that initial “Why” is what keeps me going.
2. Decide on “How”
After committing to DELTA, I toyed with the idea of self-preparing for M1. I’ve got a background in ELT and over ten years of teaching under my belt. But I wasn’t sure if that would cut it. After doing some snooping on the DELTA Facebook group, asking around, and checking out Cambridge’s reading list, it turned out that going at this crazy tough exam alone would be a risky move and eat up a ton of my time. So many people with stronger backgrounds than me have failed this exam, even after completing a prep course. So I went for the safer bet and started digging around to see what options were available.
3. Find out “Who”
Considering only online courses, I narrowed down my choices based on format (synchronous or asynchronous), timing, and costs. I then created a quick Google Sheet, weighed the options, and went for the Distance DELTA with my Module 1. While preparing for M1, I was teaching about 10 hours a week and promoting my book, so I needed a course with flexible timing. When choosing your DELTA path, think about your situation: Are you in a full-time job, part-time, or on a break? What about your time zone? Are you into reading or more of a lectures person? Do you have a budget constraint? Prefer a certain class size? Need a hands-on tutor? Making an informed choice at this stage ensures your learning aligns with expectations and increases your odds of success.
PHASE 2: WHILE-PREPPING
4. Read and take notes strategically
During the first month of prep, I felt swamped with new info every week. Even in the second month, it felt like I was just going through the motions without really retaining anything. To tackle this, I read Distance DELTA’s concise and well-written input readings, then condensed 20-50 pages into 1-3 PPT slides. Before the exam, I skipped the readings and focused on reviewing my summary slides. A week before the test, I reinforced my learning by creating mind maps on A3 paper. Writing things down with my own hands helped lock in the info. [You can see some of Ha’s mind maps here.]
5. Make the most of peer learning
Out of 45 trainees in my class, around 5 of us hopped on Zoom to go over mock tests as often as we could. In the end, 3 of us got a Distinction. Group study was super helpful for me because we filled in each other’s knowledge gaps and gave each other a confidence boost. Explaining concepts to peers clarifies your understanding and highlights areas for fine-tuning. On exam day, especially P1T1 & 2, about half the questions I nailed were from what I learned (and remembered) from my friends, not just reading.
6. Familiarize yourself with the test format
To ace DELTA M1, you’ve got to nail two things: ELT knowledge and exam techniques, both equally vital. A solid knowledge base won’t cut it; you need to master exam strategies too. After reading and summarizing input, I focused on past papers to get a feel for the test. This helps you understand examiner expectations, your strengths & weaknesses, and develop a suitable test-taking strategy. My order, for reference, is P1: T1, T5, T4, T3, T2; P2: T3, T1, T2 – high-mark, faster, easier tasks first. Timing-wise, I followed Sandy’s rule of thumb: about 1 minute per mark.
7. Figure out your aces
After a couple of mock tests, I realized I aced P1T5, P2T1, & P1T3 (thanks to my IELTS Writing & Speaking teaching experience), but struggled with other high-scoring tasks like P2 T2 (since I rarely used a ready-made coursebook) & P2 T3 (because I hadn’t ever delved deep into these topics). The common advice for M1 candidates is often “Do Scott Thornbury’s About Language book and you’ll be fine”, but I found that somewhat misleading. About Language was handy for P1T5, but not for me since I was already strong in that area. To boost my weaker tasks, I took a different approach.
For P2T3, I explored Scott Thornbury’s blog and his ebook Big Questions in ELT [Amazon affiliate link / Smashwords affiliate link], listened to the Teacher Talking Time podcast, and brainstormed ideas for common topics from previous papers. For P2T2, I browsed coursebooks in a local bookstore, analyzing them P2T2 style (purposes, assumptions, linking). Despite initially hating this task, the more I practiced, the more I enjoyed it. In the end, it not only improved my wording but also enhanced my ability to sequence a lesson plan, especially for M2.
8. Don’t spend too much time studying terminology
DELTA M1 quizlets can be a thousand terms long. Memorizing all of them seemed impossible to me, especially when P1T1 is only worth 2.5% of the total marks. So I decided to focus on a more manageable set of 200+ key terms isntead. I also opted not to invest too much time in P1T2 (writing definitions) because the allocated marks didn’t seem worth the effort. Also, to me it seems to be the least practical task in M1. Anyway, the 200+ key terms were enough for me to tackle T2 on test day, relying on my understanding rather than rote learning.
9. Practice handwriting at speed
If, like me, you’ve gone digital for as long as you can remember, you might not realize the physical strain of handwriting for three hours during the DELTA exam. There’s no time to ponder; you’ve got to spill out as many words as possible and hope it’s enough to get you through. Many fail because they can’t finish tasks within the time limit. Personally, this aspect of the exam terrified me, so I intentionally did most of my prep work by hand in those three months.
I took notes and wrote mock tests with a black pen on A4 papers, using every tip and trick I could find (bullet points, starting on a new page, phrases over sentences, concise writing except in P2T3), mimicking the real test as much as possible. While prepping for P2T2 at the bookstore, I even bought a couple of comfortable black pens to ease the physical strain of speedy writing. On test day, I wrote like crazy, leaving 5 minutes at the end of each paper to revisit my answers.
PHASE 3: POST-PREPPING
10. Prep yourself to maximize performance on exam day
With the exam center 18km from my place in Vietnam and an 8:30 am start, I opted to stay in a hotel the night before. Being just 200 meters from the venue, I could stick to my usual routine, enjoy a relaxed breakfast, and even review my notes before the exam. I dressed in my most comfortable and weather-appropriate attire, and packed a bottle of water and snacks for the 30-minute break between papers. Fifteen minutes before the exam, I was still in my hotel room giving my notes a final glance, trying to cram in a few more terms, and desperately avoiding sneezing or coughing, fearing an unexpected knowledge purge. To ease nerves, I practiced some breathwork and repeated to myself, “Trust the process. Trust yourself. You’ve got this.”
So there you have it, my top 10 tips for earning a Distinction on Module 1. To candidates reading this post: Trust the process. Trust yourself. You’ve got this!
Ha Truong, an English teacher based in Vietnam, holds a CELTA qualification and has recently achieved Distinction in DELTA M1. She is working towards obtaining a full DELTA qualification, documenting her journey on her blog https://truonghaiha.wordpress.com/. With over a decade of teaching experience, Ha has primarily focused on adult learners in exam preparation and Business English courses. She holds a bachelor’s degree in ELT, graduating as valedictorian, and a second B.A. in Law. Notably, Ha previously scored an overall 9.0 in the IELTS and has authored a book on IELTS Writing Task 2 published in Vietnam (here’s the link, though it’s only available in Vietnam!) She also holds an international certification in Human Resources Management (SHRM-CP) and has a keen interest in expanding her expertise to teaching ESP.
On 9th February 2024, I presented a plenary at the Educast online conference. It was called Introducing a competency framework for language learning materials writing and was a 45-minute version of the talk I did in January at the IH AMT, sharing the framework I put together as part of my NILE MA. This was the abstract:
A competency framework sets out the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to do a job successfully. Frameworks exist for ELT teachers, trainers and managers, but not for materials writing. Inspired by Denise Santos’ IATEFL 2022 talk, I created one for my MA dissertation. I will share what it is, how I created it, and how you can use it.
These are the slides from the presentation (as a link at the moment as the embed function isn’t working!):
You can download the full framework and see the research behind it in my dissertation by following this link.
I’ll add the recorded version of the presentation when the link is available. There will also be a full write-up of the presentation when I can find the time!
IATEFLTDSIG is the Teacher Development Special Interest Group. They have an excellent podcast called Developod (find more podcasts for ELT teachers here). I was very happy to be invited to chat to Christian Ludwig about the future of Teacher Development from my perspective, especially focusing on the power of blogs and social media. You can listen to the 36-minute episode here or by clicking on the link below.
Join us for a special celebration of 50 episodes of Developod! In this episode, we look back on our recent future of teacher development episodes, introduce our new host Helen Slee and say farewell to the man who's been there since day one, Christian Tiplady. James quizzes them on their knowledge about podcasts, and Helen interviews Christian about his time with TDSIG.
This is part of a series of posts showing you all the different ways you can approach the Cambridge DELTA. They are designed to help you find out more about the course and what it involves, as well as helping you to choose the right way to do it for you, your lifestyle and the time you have available. If you’ve done the DELTA (or any other similar higher-level teaching course, including a Masters), and you’d like to join in, let me know by leaving me a comment or contacting me via LinkedIn. If you’re interested in doing DELTA yourself, I run Take Your Time DELTA Module 1 and Module 3 courses.
This is Zhiwen’s summary of his experience:
I hold CELTA, DELTA, Train the Trainer, IH COLT Independent English language teacher (mainly teaching online) Teacher trainer (e.g. CELT-P/S trainer) at a Cambridge English Assessment centre in China
How did you do your Delta? How did you arrange the modules? (i.e. in what order and did you do them in different places?)
I did my DELTA part-time through International House Distance DELTA and International House Bangkok. During that time, I deliberately chose to teach in different institutions, schools and universities to help my DELTA study. I started my DELTA journey by taking IH Distance DELTA 3 course starting in September 2017. After achieving DELTA Module 3, I took a break and did my DELTA Module 1 course through IH Distance DELTA starting in March 2019. Right after passing DELTA Module 3, I soon took the full-time face-to-face DELTA Module 2 at IH Chiang Mai campus in Thailand.
Why did you choose to do it that way?
To be honest, I had no other choice at that time. After I heard of DELTA , I soon started to find relevant information, but only found that no DELTA course was provided in China. Then I browsed DELTA centres through the official website to find appropriate course providers in nearby regions or countries. Then I found IH Distance DELTA and decided to take DELTA through it because of the flexibility and professionalism. Through IH Distance DELTA courses, I did not have to resign from my job and travel to other countries for DELTA learning. Additionally, I could learn at my own pace via distance learning, allowing me to make a good balance between my teaching and DELTA study.
I planned to do DELTA Module 2 online through IH Distance DELTA. However, a local tutor was required to sit in to monitor and assess my teaching practice at that time. (This could be done online after the outbreak of COVID-19.) As I could not find a local tutor for IH Distance DELTA online DELTA Module 2, I searched for others and found a face-to-face one in Chiang Mai. This turned out to be a wise choice, because Barry, Giac and Adam, my DELTA trainers, were excellent and professional.
In terms of the order of doing DELTA, I did not follow the recommended or normal order of it, which is DELTA Modules 1, 2 & 3, but did Module 3 first because of my working experience. Before doing DELTA Module 3, I was often required to design a brief curriculum by my supervisor to get approval for teaching the courses. That is why after reading the official DELTA handbook, I decided to do Module 3 first. If I selected to do Module 1 first, I definitely would not pass it right after the DELTA Module 1 course because the DELTA Module 3 learning helped me a lot in understanding some theories and concepts tested in DELTA Module 1.
Therefore, this choice is appropriate for me or candidates who have similar working experience. I normally recommend those who want to do DELTA by following the 1, 2 and 3 order.
What do you think you gained from doing the Delta?
I gained tremendously from DELTA and a part of what I gained is beyond the outcomes that DELTA is supposed to bring.
DELTA Module 3
I learned a lot from my tutors and peers on the online discussion form. Through this course, I learned how to design an appropriate questionnaire and had a more in-depth understanding of diagnostic tests. The questionnaire and diagnostic test I used and adapted before taking DELTA M3 were appropriate for designing IELTS and EAP courses, but after the course, I know why these questionnaires and diagnostic tests were appropriate, their weaknesses and how to improve them. Additionally, I learned how to become a self-reflective teacher, which indirectly helped me to initiate my CPD and guide other teachers to plan their self-directed Continuous Professional Development in the future.
DELTA Module 1
Chinese English language teachers are normally considered to be grammar nerds and masters in phonology and phonetics. However, I did not follow the typical path to become an English language teacher in China so those areas were my weaknesses. I gradually picked up knowledge in those fields through my teaching but never had an opportunity to systematically study and explore them in detail.
DELTA Module 2
This is the most challenging course I have ever met and I learned so much from other DELTA Module 2 candidates and my tutors. Completing background essays, lesson plans (especially comment section), observations and post-lesson reflection in a semi-academic style indirectly guided me to have a more in-depth understanding of theories, assumptions, and other knowledge in ELT I learned by connecting them to my real teaching. This is probably why I heard that many DELTA survivors say DELTA Module 2 is the essence of DELTA.
Beyond the DELTA
Through the DELTA study, I experienced online education or distance learning for the first time. This experience taught me how to teach or tutor fully online, helping me to smoothly adapt to the sudden shift from face-to-face teaching to online teaching after the outbreak of Covid-19.
What were the downsides of the method you chose?
The only downside I think is that I should not have rushed to DELTA Module 2 after I passed Module 1 and chose the full-time face-to-face DELTA Module 2. I should have waited for a longer time to find the local tutor or the fully online mode of DELTA Module 2 to emerge. When the British Council China emailed me that they found an available local tutor who was close to where I lived, I had already paid the tuition fee for the full-time face-to-face DELTA Module 2.
The full-time face-to-face DELTA Module 2 was super intensive. Due to the high level of intensity, in some cases, I was overwhelmed, so I was able to only quickly browse a few reading materials and just seemingly understood the reading materials and trainers’ lectures and guidance. It took me a long time to review and absorb what I learned during the DELTA Module 2 study.
What were the benefits of the method you chose?
The major benefit of taking DELTA via distance learning or online is its flexibility. I could learn at my own pace. This means after a day’s work when I felt exhausted, I did not have to attend the input session on time and learn less effectively, but could choose to learn in my best mood or status as pre-recorded lectures are provided and when there are theories or ELT knowledge I do not understand, I could contact my trainers on the online discussion forum. Without this learning method, I definitely could not make a balance between my work and study and could not study well because I prefer and learn best through ”learning by doing it” approach.
What tips would you give other people doing the Delta?
Right after doing DELTA comes to your mind, you would do well to embark on reading books and papers from the official reading list. When reading, try to relate ELT knowledge, especially those arcane one, to your previous teaching or ask other teachers for help if you have no teaching experience in contexts or environments mentioned in the books.
Then analyse your situation by referring to, for example, SWOT analytical method. This will help you choose what method to take DELTA and better make an appropriate study plan.
For DELTA Module 3 ELT path, I would suggest choosing a specialism that you are familiar with. Do not try to explore a totally new specialism, for example, that you are interested in or will teach in this context in the future.
In retrospect
Apart from choosing fully online DELTA Module 2 via IH Distance DELTA rather than full-time face-to-face DELTA Module 2 via IH Bangkok, I do not think I would do it differently if I could travel back in time. However, I might choose to not take DELTA Module 1 right after I completed the online course because I never thought that I could pass it on my first attempt. As I did not major in ELT-relevant fields, much ELT knowledge in Module 1 was totally new for me so if I spent more time digesting and absorbing after the course, I might get a good grade in Module 1. I might also change my specialism for Module 3 as I didn’t know what all of the specialisms meant, and some of them are closer to what I actually do in my teaching than the one I chose.
Sandy Millin 