Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT)
Knowledge About Language
available from October 2008, with entries at approved centres beginning mid August
TKT: Knowledge About Language is a new optional module of the Cambridge ESOL Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT).
English teachers need to be both linguistically aware and able to understand the difficulties students may encounter in the language learning process. To help meet this need, TKT: Knowledge About Language tests a candidate’s knowledge of the language systems needed by teachers for planning and teaching their lessons.
What does TKT: Knowledge About Language test?
TKT: Knowledge About Language tests a candidate’s knowledge of the language systems needed by teachers for planning and teaching their lessons. It tests knowledge of how the different features of English work from a teaching perspective. TKT: Knowledge About Language also focuses on the teacher’s awareness of the language needs of learners, and the difficulties involved in learning a second language.
The exam format
TKT: Knowledge About Language is an optional module of TKT and follows that exam’s format. It consists of a single paper lasting 1 hour and 20 minutes and containing 80 questions.
The exam is divided into four parts, testing the candidate's knowledge of the lexical, phonological, grammatical, and discoursal features of English from a teaching perspective. The four sections of the exam also test the candidate's awareness of the needs of language learners (e.g. understanding of concepts, meaning and forms; working with interlanguage; errors and other linguistic difficulties).
Part Title Areas of language knowledge
1 Lexis
- Different types of meaning
- Lexico-grammatical items
- Sense relations
- Register
- Word formation
- Terminology relating to lexis
- Lexical phrases
2 Phonology
- Segmental features
- The role of phonology in conveying meaning
- Suprasegmental features
- The importance of phonology in discourse
- Terminology relating to phonology
3 Grammar
- The relationship of language to context
- Language analysis - parts of speech and their function in context; form and use of structural
- patterns
- Terminology for analysing the form and meaning of language
- Word classes and the functional role of word(s) in a sentence
- Morphology: common morphemes and their function; affixation and word building
- Grammatical roles performed by words in a sentence
- The significance of context in determining meaning
- Form, meaning and appropriacy
4 Discourse
- Coherence
- Cohesion
- Register
- Distinctive features of common written and spoken genres
- The differences between pragmatic and semantic meaning
- Functions
Who is it for?
TKT: Knowledge About Language is suitable for pre or in service teachers and for international candidates teaching across all sectors of education: primary, secondary and tertiary.
There are no formal entry requirements. However, anyone wishing to take TKT: Knowledge About Language is strongly advised to have at least an upper intermediate level of English — Level B2 of the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) — e.g. FCE.
How to register
TKT: Knowledge About Language is available through the Cambridge ESOL world-wide centre network. Find your nearest centre.
More information and downloads
- TKT: Knowledge About Language Test sample paper (PDF 136Kb)
- TKT: Knowledge About Language Test sample answer key (PDF 8Kb)
Coming soon:
TKT: Knowledge About Language handbook for teachers
