A guide to
Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language
Introduction
Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language empowers learners to communicate confidently and effectively. It helps them develop the critical skills needed to respond to a range of information, media and texts. It also promotes active learning, develops thinking skills and encourages intellectual engagement.
This curriculum is designed for learners who speak a language other than English at home. It develops a solid foundation for further study of English as a Second Language, and for study through the medium of English. It can be used in any cultural context. Learners do not need any experience of English before starting Stage 1 of Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language.
In Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language, learners:
- develop a curiosity about other languages and cultures and how these shape our perceptions of the world
- see themselves as successful language learners
- are able to communicate effectively through the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening
- become confident in and enjoy reading a range of texts
- develop a solid foundation in the skills required for continued study of English as a Second Language and for study through the medium of English.
Teaching Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language
We provide a wide range of practical resources, detailed guidance, innovative training and professional development so that you can give your learners the best possible experience of Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language.
We believe that for teaching and learning to be effective, there should be alignment between curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. We have designed Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language around this principle:
Curriculum – taken from Primary English as a Second Language Curriculum Framework
5Ld.04 Understand specific information and detail of short talk.
Pedagogy – activity taken from the Stage 5 Scheme of Work
Ask learners how they think people will travel in 50 years’ time.
Learners create a table with two columns (or you could provide a worksheet). They label the columns yes and no. Give learners some ideas about the future of transport, for example,
- Cars won’t have drivers, they’ll be driverless.
- People will have vehicles that fly.
- Planes will be solar powered.
- There won’t be any private transport (cars), people will only use public transport.
Learners reflect on whether they think this will happen (yes) or won’t happen (no) and write a note about the idea in the appropriate column. Learners compare their answers with their partner.
Read the listening text (or play the audio) which gives an opinion on the same topic. Learners listen to see which opinions are the same as their own. They tick the ideas in their table which match those of the audio (or listening text). Repeat the text as necessary, but no more than three times in total.
Elicit from the class how many and which opinions they agreed with. Remind them that there is not a correct answer for this!
Resources: listening text or audio which gives an opinion on the future of transport. Some ideas should be controversial; worksheet for prediction task (optional).
Assessment – question assessing 5Ld.04 taken from a Stage 5 Progression Test
Questions 16–20: You will hear a man telling a group of school students about a poetry competition. For each question, fill in the missing information in the numbered space.
Curriculum Framework
The Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language Curriculum Framework is available to download on the English as a Second Language (0057) page of the Cambridge Primary support site. It provides a comprehensive set of learning objectives that give a structure for teaching and learning and can be used to assess learners’ attainment and skills development.
The learning objectives are based on the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This is used widely both within and beyond Europe to map learners’ progression in English. The CEFR provides an international standard that is widely recognised for describing language ability. Alignment to the CEFR makes it easy for schools and parents to understand the level of the English as a Second Language programme.
Learner progression in each strand within the Curriculum Framework is mapped to the levels in the CEFR. The CEFR describes language ability on a six-point scale, from A1 for beginners, up to C2 for those who have mastered a language. The alignment of Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary English as a Second Language to the CEFR is illustrated below.
We have divided the learning objectives into five main areas called ‘strands’ which run through every stage:
These five strands work together to support the development of knowledge, skills and understanding. The Use of English strand provides learners with the linguistic features they need to engage with the language receptively (Reading and Listening) and productively (Writing and Speaking).
Each strand is further subdivided into ‘sub-strands’. The names for the sub-strands for the Reading and Listening strands are similar. This is to help you to identify links between Reading and Listening skills, and to reflect these in your teaching. The sub-strands for the Writing and Speaking strands have two similar sub-strands and one distinct sub-strand.
| Strand | Sub-strand |
|---|---|
| Listening | Listening for global meaning Listening for detail Listening for opinion |
| Speaking | Communication Express opinion Organisation |
| Writing | Communicative achievement Organisation Content |
| Reading | Reading for global meaning Reading for detail Reading for opinion |
| Use of English | Grammatical forms Vocabulary Sentence structure |
We have designed the learning objectives so learners progress from Stage 1 to Stage 6 and onwards into Cambridge Lower Secondary. You can download a Progression Grid, that outlines the progression for all learning objectives across all stages, from the English as a Second Language (0057) page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
Find information from the Progression Grid
Find information from the Progression Grid
In the Progression Grid, identify the stage that you will be teaching, and the prior knowledge that learners are expected to have. It is important to ensure that this prior knowledge is secure before moving on to new skills and knowledge.
Below is an example of how knowledge, understanding and skills progress across the stages:
Curriculum Framework
The Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language Curriculum Framework is available to download on the English as a Second Language (0057) page of the Cambridge Primary support site. It provides a comprehensive set of learning objectives that give a structure for teaching and learning and can be used to assess learners’ attainment and skills development.
The learning objectives are based on the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This is used widely both within and beyond Europe to map learners’ progression in English. The CEFR provides an international standard that is widely recognised for describing language ability. Alignment to the CEFR makes it easy for schools and parents to understand the level of the English as a Second Language programme.
Learner progression in each strand within the Curriculum Framework is mapped to the levels in the CEFR. The CEFR describes language ability on a six-point scale, from A1 for beginners, up to C2 for those who have mastered a language. The alignment of Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary English as a Second Language to the CEFR is illustrated below.
We have divided the learning objectives into five main areas called ‘strands’ which run through every stage:
These five strands work together to support the development of knowledge, skills and understanding. The Use of English strand provides learners with the linguistic features they need to engage with the language receptively (Reading and Listening) and productively (Writing and Speaking).
Each strand is further subdivided into ‘sub-strands’. The names for the sub-strands for the Reading and Listening strands are similar. This is to help you to identify links between Reading and Listening skills, and to reflect these in your teaching. The sub-strands for the Writing and Speaking strands have two similar sub-strands and one distinct sub-strand.
| Strand | Sub-strand |
|---|---|
| Listening | Listening for global meaning Listening for detail Listening for opinion |
| Speaking | Communication Express opinion Organisation |
| Writing | Communicative achievement Organisation Content |
| Reading | Reading for global meaning Reading for detail Reading for opinion |
| Use of English | Grammatical forms Vocabulary Sentence structure |
We have designed the learning objectives so learners progress from Stage 1 to Stage 6 and onwards into Cambridge Lower Secondary. You can download a Progression Grid, that outlines the progression for all learning objectives across all stages, from the English as a Second Language (0057) page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
Find information from the Progression Grid
Find information from the Progression Grid
In the Progression Grid, identify the stage that you will be teaching, and the prior knowledge that learners are expected to have. It is important to ensure that this prior knowledge is secure before moving on to new skills and knowledge.
Below is an example of how knowledge, understanding and skills progress across the stages:
| Learning objective samples | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strand | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | Stage 6 |
| Reading | Begin to deduce the meaning of a limited range of simple, familiar words, with support, by linking them to pictures. | Deduce the meaning of an increasing range of simple, familiar words, with support, by linking them to pictures. | Deduce meaning from context, with support, in short, simple, illustrated texts. | Deduce meaning from context, with little or no support, in short, simple texts. | Deduce meaning from context in short texts. | Deduce meaning from context, with support, in short and extended texts. |
| Writing | Write familiar words. | Plan and write phrases and short sentences, with support. | Plan, write and check sentences, with support. | Plan, write, edit and proofread a short sequence of sentences in a paragraph, with support. | Plan, write, edit and proofread short texts, with support. | Plan, write, edit and proofread short texts, with little or no support. |
| Use of English | Use familiar question words and structures. | Use question words and structures to ask basic questions. | Use question words and structures to ask questions. | Begin to use tag questions to seek agreement or clarify. | Use tag questions to seek agreement or clarify. | Use a limited range of verb forms to ask questions to develop ideas and extend understanding. |
| Listening | Understand, with support, a limited range of short, simple questions which ask for simple information. | Understand, with support, a limited range of short questions which ask for simple information. | Understand, with little or no support, a limited range of questions which ask for information. | Understand, with support, an increasing range of questions which ask for information. | Understand a range of questions which ask for information. | Understand a range of questions which ask for detailed information. |
| Speaking | Describe people, places and objects, and routine actions and events, using simple words and phrases. | Describe people, places and objects, and routine actions and events, using phrases and short sentences. | Describe people, places and objects, and routine actions and events, using sentences. | Describe people, places and objects, and routine past and present actions and events, using a short sequence of sentences. | Describe people, places and objects, and routine past and present actions and events, using a sequence of sentences. | Describe people, places and objects, and routine past and present actions and events. |
Pedagogy
The Curriculum Framework gives you a list of learning objectives for each stage. Our support materials then give you guidance on:
- the order in which to teach the objectives
- ways of grouping them
- how to split the objectives into smaller steps, and how to differentiate to make the work easier or harder
- suitable activities through which to teach
- ideas for active learning.
Our support materials include:
- Progression Grid
- Schemes of Work
- Teacher Guide
- Endorsed resources
- Training
Find and access these support materials, on the English as a Second Language (0057) page of the Cambridge Primary support site. You can find more general information about these support materials on the About Cambridge Primary page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
The learning objectives in the Curriculum Framework support an integrated approach to planning and teaching English as a Second Language. Each lesson and unit need to provide opportunities for learners to practise all four skills and focus on one or more learning objectives from the Use of English strand. The Use of English strand provides the linguistic features learners need to engage with the language in the Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking strands.
In Stage 1, for example, learners are introduced to basic connectives such as and in the Use of English Strand (1Us.04). Learners use these basic connectives to link words and phrases while developing their speaking skills. At Stage 2, this understanding is extended to include a wider range of connectives. Learners begin to use them in their own writing to link words, phrases and short sentences (2Wor.02).
Integrating Use of English and the four skills:
- enhances learners’ all-round development of communicative competence
- allows teachers to build a lesson around a theme or a topic relevant to the learners
- motivates learners to learn by building more variety into the lesson
- works at the level of realistic communication, where language tasks involve more than one skill
- exposes learners to authentic language
- challenges learners to interact naturally.
This integrated approach should be implemented from the start of Stage 1. As learners move through the stages, language they have studied previously should be reviewed, extended and integrated into different practice tasks.
Find information from the Scheme of Work
Find information from the Scheme of Work
Choose a Use of English learning objective from the stage you will be teaching. Look at the Scheme of Work for that stage. Find an example activity for your chosen learning objective. Identify examples of how the activity supports learners to understand and use the particular feature of language when reading, writing, speaking or listening.
For more information on the approaches to teaching and learning in Cambridge Primary English as a Second Language, refer to Section 3.4 of the Teacher Guide.
Assessment
We offer a range of optional assessments to help you prove and improve learning:
- Cambridge Primary Progression Tests can be used to check learners’ progress in Stages 3, 4, 5 and 6. They are updated annually and marked in school.
- Cambridge Primary Checkpoint can be used to monitor individual and group performance at the end of the primary programme. See how your learners are performing in comparison to the rest of their class and against an international benchmark. The tests are marked by Cambridge International.
Cambridge Primary Progression Tests (teacher marked)
Cambridge Primary Progression Tests help you to check your learners' progress. They provide detailed information about the performance of each learner for Stages 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the curriculum. The tests help teachers to compare the strengths and weaknesses of individuals and groups and share feedback with learners and parents. They are marked by teachers in your school and come with access to a unique reporting and analysis tool.
You can find more general information about Cambridge Primary Progression Tests on the About Cambridge Primary page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
You can download sample Progression tests on the English as a Second Language (0057) page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint (marked by Cambridge examiners)
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint tests skills, knowledge and understanding at the end of Stage 6 and helps you to measure achievement at the end of Cambridge Primary. The tests are marked by Cambridge International to provide an international benchmark of learner performance. Feedback reports show how a learner has performed in relation to the curriculum, their learning group, the whole school, and against all learners who have taken tests in that series around the world.
You can find more general information about Cambridge Primary Checkpoint on the About Cambridge Primary page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
There are two Cambridge Primary Checkpoint exam series every year. To enter learners for the tests, your school exams officer needs to go to the Making entries area on Cambridge International Direct.
Speaking is not assessed by either test, but our support materials provide guidance on teaching and assessing speaking within the classroom.
Assessment
We offer a range of optional assessments to help you prove and improve learning:
- Cambridge Primary Progression Tests can be used to check learners’ progress in Stages 3, 4, 5 and 6. They are updated annually and marked in school.
- Cambridge Primary Checkpoint can be used to monitor individual and group performance at the end of the primary programme. See how your learners are performing in comparison to the rest of their class and against an international benchmark. The tests are marked by Cambridge International.
Cambridge Primary Progression Tests (teacher marked)
Cambridge Primary Progression Tests help you to check your learners' progress. They provide detailed information about the performance of each learner for Stages 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the curriculum. The tests help teachers to compare the strengths and weaknesses of individuals and groups and share feedback with learners and parents. They are marked by teachers in your school and come with access to a unique reporting and analysis tool.
You can find more general information about Cambridge Primary Progression Tests on the About Cambridge Primary page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
You can download sample Progression tests on the English as a Second Language (0057) page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint (marked by Cambridge examiners)
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint tests skills, knowledge and understanding at the end of Stage 6 and helps you to measure achievement at the end of Cambridge Primary. The tests are marked by Cambridge International to provide an international benchmark of learner performance. Feedback reports show how a learner has performed in relation to the curriculum, their learning group, the whole school, and against all learners who have taken tests in that series around the world.
You can find more general information about Cambridge Primary Checkpoint on the About Cambridge Primary page of the Cambridge Primary support site.
There are two Cambridge Primary Checkpoint exam series every year. To enter learners for the tests, your school exams officer needs to go to the Making entries area on Cambridge International Direct.
Speaking is not assessed by either test, but our support materials provide guidance on teaching and assessing speaking within the classroom.
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