Do I need a CELTA or equivalent qualification before taking Delta Modules?
No, you don’t, but it’s highly recommended, since it helps you to get into the Cambridge English way of doing things and gives you the opportunity to compare your teaching beliefs and skills with other teachers across a range of contexts.
What is the difference between CELTA and DELTA?
CELTA is a pre-service course, which prepares candidates with little or no teaching experience to teach English in the classroom. It gives them a foundation to teach successfully and continue to develop as they gain experience teaching.
Around the world, over 60% of candidates who take CELTA are already practising teachers, but they still get a huge amount out of the course and improve themselves greatly. We recommend in the majority of cases that teachers consider the CELTA before Delta Modules, even if they have a teaching degree and many years experience.
A CELTA also allows you the opportunity to be able to work worldwide as it is acknowledged all around the world and the vast majority of English teachers teaching in foreign countries only hold the CELTA. The Delta Modules are a much more intense and higher level of qualification that demand experience and a depth of knowledge far beyond CELTA.
Should I take CELTA or DELTA?
Generally speaking, teachers with a narrow range of experience (i.e. working in one place for a long time or with a certain type of student (particularly young learners)) , tend to benefit from taking the CELTA first, in order to widen their range of techniques and methodology and get used to Cambridge English’s prescriptive way of doing things, before considering doing the Delta Modules.
What level of English do I need in order to take Delta Modules?
All candidates need to prove they have a C2 level of English and are completely comfortable reading and writing academic texts quickly and efficiently.
How much teaching experience do I need in order to take the Delta Modules?
The key to knowing whether you are experienced enough to take on the Delta Modules is quality not quantity. A CELTA-qualified teacher with two year’s full-time experience at different schools teaching different levels and types of student, supported by an experienced and knowledgeable Academic Manager providing regular observation and professional development sessions, is much more likely to succeed at the Delta Modules than someone who has taught the same age of students using the same course book in the same school for fifteen years, with minimal support, observation and development opportunities.
How do the three Delta Modules differ?
The three modules each have a different focus and are assessed in different ways.
Delta Module One aims to extend and develop candidates’ knowledge and understanding of:
- theoretical perspectives on language acquisition and language teaching
- different approaches and methodologies including current developments
- language systems and learners’ linguistic problems
- language skills and learner problems
- resources, materials and reference sources for language learning
- key concepts and terminology related to assessment.
It is assessed through a three-hour written exam.
Delta Module Two aims to develop candidates’ ability in the following areas:
- working with language learners in a variety of learning contexts
- preparation for teaching learners of English
- evaluation, selection and use of resources and materials for teaching purposes
- managing and supporting learning
- evaluation of lesson preparation and teaching
- observation and evaluation of other teachers’ lessons
- professionalism and professional development.
It is assessed through four Language Skills/Systems Assignments (each consisting of a Background Essay, Lesson Plan, Observed Lesson and Lesson Reflection), as well as a Professional Development Assignment (consisting of Reflection and Action and Experimental Practice).
Delta Module Three aims to develop candidates’ knowledge of and competence in:
- a chosen specialism
- approaches to needs analysis
- curriculum and syllabus design principles
- different types of syllabus
- course design and evaluation
- assessment of learners.
It is assessed through a 4500 word extended assignment.
Once you have completed all three modules you can apply for an over-arching Delta Certificate. Now you have ‘done the Delta’!
Does it matter what order I take the Delta Modules in?
The Modules have been designed to be taken in any order and independently of each other. However, the clearest logic and the most common course of action is to either take them together at the same time or do them in ’chronological’ order, i.e. Module One first as it gives you the methodological grounding you need for the practical classroom experience of Module Two, followed by the course design assignment of Module Three.
What courses does IH Buenos Aires offer to help me take the Delta Modules?
If you complete our Combined Delta Modules Extensive course in 2024, you will complete Delta Two in its entirety during the course. You will also be fully prepared to take the Delta One exam, but will have to wait until the first Wednesday of June or December in order to sit the exam (at the centre of your choice anywhere in the world). The course also covers all of the methodological input needed to start writing your Module Three assignment, but again, you won’t be able to submit this until June or, more likely, December. This is submitted online, so you can enrol for this through us if you wish, even if you are elsewhere in the world.
During the course we also provide access to support wikis for both Modules One and Three as part of the extensive course fee. Module Three support tutorials are also available, but these are paid for separately since different candidates require different numbers of them.
Our Delta Module One Online Preparation Course is a fully asynchronous online course that provides all of the methodological input and exam technique necessary to fully prepare yourself to take the Delta Module One exam. Please be aware that while other centres offer exam practice courses, which focus solely on exam technique, our courses also include coverage of the complete methodology syllabus tested in the exam. And as it’s asynchronous and online, you can do the course from anywhere in the world and at times convenient to you, as long as you have access to a reliable internet connection.
International House Buenos Aires offers full preparation for writing your Delta Module Three assignment through our individual Delta Module Three online tutorial support packages. Working through email and Skype, course candidates and tutors meet online for each tutorial to discuss comprehensive written feedback provided for Delta Module Three drafts and give advice about future planning of assignments at various stages of the writing process.
Can I do the Delta online?
Yes and no. Modules One and Three can be prepared for online and Module Three is also submitted online.
We offer an asynchronous online preparation course for Delta Module One, but you need to take the exam at a Delta Exam centre face to face. The exam is held on the first Wednesday of each June and December.
We also offer online Tutorial Support Packages for candidates preparing their Delta Module Three extended assignments, which are also submitted online.
Delta Module Two can now be done completely online. Our input sessions on Friday mornings are held online in a Zoom classroom, but the assessed observations for Module Two can be done Face2Face, remotely or online.
Can the school help me with accommodation in Buenos Aires?
If you are doing a Face2Face course we give you access to our accommodation blog which is full of recommendations from past candidates of flats, homesteads etc in the local neighbourhood. There is a wealth of short-term accommodation available close to the school and most candidates arrange their accommodation through Air B’n’B so that’s a very good place to start to get an idea of costs and availability.
Can I do the Combined Extensive course, even if I already have either Modules One or Three?
Yes, you can. Many of our candidates have already done either Module One or Three before doing the Combined Extensive course, often focusing solely on Module Two.
If I do a course with IH Buenos Aires, do I have to do the Delta Module One exam in Buenos Aires?
No, you don’t. Both our Online Module One course and our Combined Modules Intensive course prepare you fully to take the Module One exam. However, you need to enrol for the exam separately and can do so at any Delta exam centre around the world. For this reason the Delta Module One Cambridge English enrolment fee is not included in the course costs.
If I took Module One at a different centre, am I still eligible for the 10% discount on the IH Buenos Aires Combined Modules Intensive course?
Yes, you are. The discount reflects that you won’t need to attend the specific Module One exam practice sessions on the course (about 15 hours), which will free up more time for your Module Two study.
Can I take the Delta Module One exam without doing a preparation course first?
Yes, you can. It is not necessary to take a preparation course before taking the Delta Module One exam.
However, we advise strongly against this course of action, since the exam is a very practical exam and requires not just an in-depth knowledge of teaching methodology but also an in-depth knowledge of the exam itself and the way to answer each question. A lot of people fail Delta One each semester and the vast majority of those who enter independently are among them. You wouldn’t recommend your students take FCE without doing a preparation course, would you?
We also don’t recommend anyone embarking on any of the Delta Modules without at least a couple of years full-time experience across a range of levels and contexts with a strong teacher development support network.
If I do support tutorials for Module Three, do I have to submit my assignment through IH Buenos Aires?
No, you don’t. The tutorials are separate to the enrolment process. You need to enrol for Module Three separately and while you are welcome to do so with IH Buenos Aires you can do so at any Delta exam centre around the world. For this reason the Delta Module Three Cambridge English enrolment fee is not included in the course costs.
What are the payment methods? and can I pay in separate installments?
Payment is normally done by bank transfer. Your place on the course is reserved once you pay a deposit of USD700. The rest needs to be paid before the course begins. There is an early bird discount of 10% if you pay the full course fee more than ten weeks ahead of the start date.
Do I need to get a study or work visa in order to enter Argentina to do the course?
No, you are entitled to study the number of hours involved in the course on a three month tourist visa. We are also pleased that the reciprocity fees previously paid by US, Canadian and Australian citizens no longer apply.
Do I need to have a university degree in order to study for and take Delta Modules?
No, you don’t. It is not a prerequisite that you hold a university degree in order to take the course, although the course is highly academic so you will need to prove by doing the application tasks and at the interview stage that you will be able to cope with the academic demands of the course.