TKT: CLIL key terms

An approach in which a school subject is taught through a second or additional language, so learners develop subject knowledge and language competence together rather than studying the language separately.

The subject knowledge, skills and understanding learners are expected to develop in a CLIL lesson, taken from the subject curriculum rather than from a language syllabus.

The vocabulary, grammar and functions learners need to understand and talk about a particular topic, such as 'evaporate', 'heavier than' or 'the graph shows that'.

The expressions learners need to take part in lessons and manage their own work, for example asking for repetition, disagreeing politely, or checking what a task requires.

New language learners pick up while working with content - a word met in a reading text, or one they need when explaining a result - rather than language taught before the task.

Everyday conversational language used in familiar, well-supported situations. Learners usually develop it fairly quickly, but it is not enough on its own for demanding academic subject work.

The formal, abstract language needed to read, write and reason about school subjects. It develops more slowly than everyday talk and has to be taught explicitly in CLIL lessons.

A widely used CLIL planning framework with four elements: content (the subject), communication (the language), cognition (thinking skills) and culture (intercultural understanding).

Using two or more languages flexibly within a lesson, for example discussing a concept in the first language before writing about it in the target language, as a planned way of supporting learning.

The language a learner speaks at home and knows best. In CLIL lessons it can be used briefly to clarify meaning, compare with the target language, or discuss ideas.

What learners already know about a topic, including concepts, experiences and language from earlier lessons or their first language, which new teaching should build on.

A short statement of what learners should know or be able to do by the end of a lesson or unit, written so that progress can be checked.

A statement of the vocabulary, structures or language skills learners will need and practise in a lesson, planned alongside the subject objective.

The difficulties a teacher expects learners to meet with content, language or a task, together with planned solutions, noted during lesson planning.

One distinct part of a lesson, such as a lead-in, presentation, practice or plenary, each with its own aim, interaction pattern and timing.

The way talk is organised during an activity - whole class, pair, group or individual - chosen to suit the task and to give learners enough speaking practice.

Learning in which pupils work together in pairs or small groups on a shared task, using the target language to discuss, negotiate and produce a joint outcome.

The routine expressions teachers and learners use to run lessons, such as instructions, requests, praise and questions about meaning, which need to be taught and practised.

Moving between the first language and the target language inside a lesson or a single utterance, sometimes planned by the teacher to check understanding or explain a hard point.

Temporary support such as models, prompts, word banks or guided questions that a teacher provides and then gradually removes as learners become able to work alone.

Spoken or written language slightly beyond the learner's current level but made understandable through visuals, gestures, repetition and context, so new content and language can be taken in.

Showing learners what to do by demonstrating the task, giving an example answer or thinking aloud, so that expectations for content and language are clear.

Getting learners to produce ideas or language themselves through questions, prompts, pictures or mime, instead of giving the answer, so their existing knowledge is used.

Short questions asked to confirm that learners have understood a concept or piece of language, rather than simply asking 'Do you understand?'. Answers are usually yes/no or one word.

Questions asked straight after a task instruction to check learners know what to do, for example 'How many sentences do you write?', before the activity begins.

A diagram such as a table, timeline, flow chart or Venn diagram that shows how ideas are connected, helping learners understand content and organise their writing.

Partly completed sentences that learners fill in to express subject ideas in accurate language, for example 'The main cause was ... because ...'. Support is reduced as confidence grows.

A grid with columns of interchangeable words or phrases that learners combine to build correct sentences about the content, giving language support while keeping the focus on the subject.

A list of key subject words with short definitions, examples or translations, either provided by the teacher or built up by learners to support reading, writing and revision.

A list of key terms in the target language with their equivalents in the learners' first language, used to support understanding of difficult content vocabulary.

Changing published or authentic material - shortening it, adding visuals, simplifying instructions or adding a glossary - so the content stays challenging while the language becomes accessible.

Texts, recordings or objects made for real purposes rather than for language learners, such as a news article, a leaflet or a science diagram, often adapted for classroom use.

Ongoing checking of learning during a course, through observation, questioning, quizzes or drafts, used to give feedback and adjust teaching rather than to award a final grade.

Assessment at the end of a unit or course that measures what learners have achieved overall and usually leads to a grade, mark or report.

Clear statements of what a good piece of work should include, often shared with learners in advance so they can judge their own and others' work.

A scoring guide that lists criteria and describes levels of performance for a task, helping teachers mark consistently and learners see what to improve.

Learners judging their own work or a partner's against agreed criteria, which builds awareness of quality and gives practice in using subject language.

Information given to learners about how well they have done and what to do next. In CLIL it may focus on subject content, on language, or on both.