CTEAP - Certificate in Teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP)
Overview
Stepping into the world of English for Academic Purposes means stepping into the heart of university learning where language, critical thinking and academic culture meet. Our Certificate in Teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) equips teachers with the specialist knowledge, practical strategies and confidence needed to help international students thrive in tertiary education. This course gives teachers the tools to design impactful lessons, support diverse learners and navigate the unique demands of academic communication. Whether you are new to EAP or looking to deepen your expertise, this programme opens the door to a rewarding, intellectually rich area of teaching.
Course Type
This is a self-directed distance learning course that you complete at your own pace. You have one year from the start of the course in which to complete all units and the final assignment. You can start the course at any time.
Learning Hours
The course will take around 24 hours including study, end-of-unit tasks and assignment completion.
Course Structure
The course is composed of 12 units, each with an end-of-unit task to complete; you will receive written feedback from a learning mentor for each end-of-unit task. The units are:
1. Understanding EAP
2. Academic Writing and Academic Style
3. Vocabulary in EAP
4. Paraphrasing, Referencing and Academic Integrity
5. Essay Writing
6. Writing Up Research
7. Listening in EAP
8. Speaking in EAP
9. Reading in EAP
10. Critical Thinking
11. Teaching Argument
12. Teaching Contexts and Professional Development
Course Objectives
1. To define the scope, purpose and contexts of EAP, distinguish it from Academic IELTS, and explain the differences between EGAP and ESAP.
2. To analyse the key features of academic writing and teach students how to produce clear, formal, evidence-based and well-structured academic texts.
3. To develop teachers’ ability to teach academic vocabulary, including AWL items, academic verbs, nominalisations and discipline appropriate lexis.
4. To teach strategies for paraphrasing, summarising, quoting and referencing accurately while avoiding plagiarism and maintaining academic integrity.
5. To design and deliver lessons on key academic genres such as essays, reports, literature reviews and research write ups, including structure, cohesion and argumentation.
6. To introduce students to primary and secondary research methods, data collection tools and the language needed to describe methodology and evaluate sources.
7. To teach strategies for critical reading, source evaluation, synthesising information and engaging with academic texts across disciplines.
8. To develop teachers’ ability to teach lecture comprehension, note taking strategies and critical engagement with extended academic listening texts.
9. To prepare students for academic speaking contexts including seminars, tutorials, presentations and oral examinations, with a focus on interactional competence.
10. To teach students how to evaluate evidence, identify fallacies, construct arguments and use frameworks such as Toulmin, Rogerian argument and rhetorical appeals.
11. To teach key linguistic features of academic discourse including hedging, demonstratives, Latin terms, metaphor, idiom and the appropriate use of passive voice.
12. To prepare teachers for real EAP teaching contexts, materials adaptation and assessment practices.
Who Should Study the Certificate in Teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP)?
The course will appeal to:
• Any teacher wishing to move into EAP teaching
• Teachers working on pre-sessional EAP or ESAP courses or looking to apply for these roles
• Teachers moving into university-level English language teaching or working on in-sessional EAP support programmes
• Teachers wishing to demonstrate and prove their competences in EAP teaching
Course Content
The course has the following content:
• About EAP, EAP contexts and the purpose and philosophy of EAP
• The EAP learner profile and the role of the EAP teacher
• EAP as socialisation into academic culture
• Contrasting Academic IELTS and EAP
• Genre, academic writing and style
• Teaching nominalisation in EAP, tenses in EAP and use of the passive voice
• Latin terms in academic writing
• Use of “I” in academic writing
• Editing and proofreading academic work
• Academic vocabulary and verbs
• Using the Academic Word List (AWL) in EAP teaching
• Definitions and demonstratives in EAP
• Using corpora in EAP teaching
• Teaching paraphrasing, quoting, referencing and summarising
• Understanding and preventing academic misconduct
• Plagiarism, Plagiarism Detection and Plagiarism Avoidance
• AI in EAP
• Teaching essay writing, paragraphing and linking ideas in paragraphs
• Teaching research write-ups and hypothesis and thesis statement writing
• Teaching listening in EAP, listening to lectures and effective note-taking
• Teaching the metaphors and idioms of EAP
• Teaching speaking skills for seminars, tutorials and vivas
• Teaching reading in EAP
• Teaching how to write a literature review and test the credibility of sources
• Teaching case study analysis in EAP and ESAP
• Developing critical thinking in EAP and overcoming logical fallacies
• Teaching hedging and academic caution
• Developing skills in academic argument
• Teaching on ore-sessional courses
• Handling and adapting prescribed materials
• Teaching on ESAP courses
• Assessment in EAP
• Intercultural competencies for EAP teachers
• BALEAP and professional associations
What You Will Receive
For the course, you will receive:
• A course overview with objectives
• Pre-course tasks to get you engaged in and thinking about the subject
• Course study notes made up of 12 modules plus post-course tasks
• Post-course assignment options
• Assessment criteria
You are also entitled to a live virtual tutorial with a course learning mentor.
Assessment
The course is assessed by a 3000 to 4000 word assignment focusing on one of four options each involving an aspect of EAP teaching.
Fees
£229 (GBP) / €269 (EUR) including course materials, assessment and certification.
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