DELTA Module One - Exam Know-How: P1 T1

In Paper 1, Task 1 of the DELTA Module1 exam, you will be given definitions of 6 SLA (Second Language Acquisition)/ ELT (English Language Teaching) terms, and you will need to come up with the respective term for each.

So, for example, one of the 6 definitions given may look like this:

- A way of looking at 'verb forms', not in relation to time ('tense'), but related to the view toward the event, whether it is brief or lengthy, ongoing or complete, repetitive or one-off, connected to the time of speaking or not

[Do you know the answer?!][1]

This probably is the easiest part of the test with a mere score of 6 -- 1 for each term you correctly mention.[2]

There are two popular ways to prepare and practice for this part of the examination:

1. One is to refer to ELT terminology resources (see below): plan reading, let us say 5 to 10 entries per day, until the day of the exam, and keep a personal record of the terms you encounter.

To keep a record, I'd recommend Anki: this is a mobile-phone/desktop app that uses the classic idea of flashcards, and turns it into a whole new way of learning through spaced repetition. You can key in the term on one side of the card, and the definition (or even a picture, an example, a video or a useful URL) on the flip side (You can also reverse the cards during practice phase, going from definition to the term). Then the app will automatically space your learning, giving you a ration of the cards you created on a daily basis through notifications on the screen. You can download ready-made decks of cards from the app's database, too.

Alternatively, you can create or use decks of cards on Quizlet that uses more or less the same idea.

Here are some well-known terminology resources to use:

Richards' & Schmidt's A Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics (2010, Pearson Longman) - perhaps the most reliable one, with concise entries, clear and professional language and useful examples/details for a variety of terms and their relevant fields.

Scott Thornbury's A to Z of ELT (2006, Macmillan) - the most important of its benefits being its wide coverage of cross-referenced terms from various areas of ELT. You can find some of the author’s earlier blog posts here as well: https://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/ 

If you are looking for a resource that has "grouped entries under their respective fields", then look no further than this TKT resource from the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, available for download from here

This is that same TKT resource arranged in alphabetical order (I like this one because of its concise definitions that can help a lot when doing some concept checking just before the exam) 

For phonetics & phonology terms in particular, see this glossary by P. Roach

2. Another, perhaps more efficient, way to go about learning terminology is to read widely (check out my ‘basic reading list’ with useful links here).

Instead of reading dictionary/encyclopedia entries which come in an incoherent, random (nonetheless alphabetical) fashion, take up a basic book in the field you would like to familiarize yourself with, read to learn the basics of the subject matter, and record the terms you come through on Anki or Quizlet as you go along. This will make the terms come alive and your recording and review of those terms authentic and contextualized. Later on, when you review the recorded terminology, you will also automatically be reminded of the contents you covered (Remember: you can always take snapshots of diagrams, charts or activity procedures from the document you’re reading, and save them along with the term on Anki).

Whatever you do, keep reading, and read wisely.

Good luck J

Written by: Huss Farsani

Please comment below if you have any questions, ideas, or other useful updates on the topic

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[1] The answer is “aspect” (notice the contrast with “tense”)

[2] There’s only one caveat: because it comes first in the exam (along with P1-T2), and perhaps because many teacher training centers begin exam practice with this task, many candidates begin with a focus on memorizing and recording terms to the neglect of practical reading and writing experience of ‘learning’ and ‘using’ the terms in context. See suggestion 2 in the text.