ESL / EFL Abbreviations – Part I

There are a number of abbreviations connected with teaching English. Here are the most common abbreviations you need to know.

ELT – English Language Teaching
ESL – English as a Second Language
EFL – English as a Foreign Language

ESL is English taught to foreign learners living in an English speaking country. EFL is English taught to learners living in countries where English is not the first language.

There are also some abbreviations related to teaching, teaching certificates and English exams. Here is a rundown.

AAAL – American Association for Applied Linguistics

ACTFL – American Council on the teaching of Foreign Languages

AE – American English

BAAL – British Association of Applied Linguistics

BC – British Council

BVT – Bilingual Vocational Training

CAE – Certificate of Advanced English

CAE is the gold standard in English examination in countries outside of the USA. In USA TOEFL is the preferred examination.

CanE – Canadian English

CAT – Computer Adaptive Testing

CBT – Computer-Based Teaching

CEELT – Cambridge Examination in English for Language Teachers. This test assesses the English language competency of non-native teachers of English.

CEIBT – Certificate in English for International Business and Trade for advanced levels.

CPE – Certificate of Proficiency in English

This is the fifth and the most advanced of Cambridge’s series of English exams.

CELTA – Certificate in English language teaching to adults. This is also known as C-TEFLA.

DELTA – Diploma in English language teaching

EAP – English for Academic Purposes

ECCE – Exam for the Certificate of Competency in English. This is a lower level examination conducted by the Michigan University.

ECPE – Exam for the Certificate of Proficiency in English. This a higher level examination conducted by Michigan University

EFL – English as a Foreign Language

EGP – English for general purposes

EIP – English as an International Language

ELT – English Language Teaching