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| Syllabus | Description | Typical content |
| Structural | A 'traditional' syllabus, listing formal language items to be learned. The ordering of items usually depends on a judgement concerning their complexity rather than communicative utility. Simple forms are handled first, more complex ones later. | Such a syllabus will usually contain lists of grammar, structures, lexis and phonological features to be covered. For example, First conditional Gerunds after verbs going to for intentions/plans have got (possession) Imperatives let's + bare infinitive. Past simple vs. Past progressive Present perfect with for, since etc. Words to describe the appearance of people Schwa and other common weak forms |
| Skills-based | This kind of syllabus targets language abilities rather than the formal aspects of language. This is sometimes called a process syllabus and is often combined with (or mistaken for) a procedural or topic-based syllabus. | Usually a list of skills to be demonstrated and taught. For example, Delivering a short talk Writing a letter of complaint Understanding a lecture Reading an academic article Maintaining and giving up turns Backchannelling |
| Situational | This kind of syllabus will cover the settings in which learners will have to deploy appropriate language. A key distinction is made in such syllabuses between structural or functional words and content words (by, be, which etc. vs. house, table, gasp etc.) | Typical content will include items such as: At the doctor's In the post office Travelling by air, train, car Renting a flat |
| Topic-based | This is a syllabus organised around topic rather than language structure which has similarities to both a lexical and a situational syllabus (with both of which it is often combined). These sorts of syllabuses are often designed with a specific group (or age group) in mind or when teaching English for Special Purposes. | Typical topics in such a syllabus might include: Lifestyles Personal relationships School Technology Religion The weather Negotiating a contract TV quiz games Global heating |
| Lexical | This kind of syllabus focuses on lexical patterns and common ways to express meaning. It usually draws on corpus research to discover patterns and frequencies in the language. | Typical items would include: Collocational patterns: adjective + noun, adverb + verb etc. Delexicalised verb patterns with make and do by: expressing who, how, when, where would: expressing past habit, unlikelihood |
| Notional | A syllabus which focuses on learning the language to describe universal concepts, notions such as size, temperature, frequency, likelihood etc. | Typical content will cover lists such as: adequacy/inadequacy desirability/undesirability texture delay/earliness frequency speed |
| Functional / Communicative | A syllabus which focuses on learning the language to perform certain functions in the language such as asking for and giving information, apologising etc. Such a syllabus may subsume within it a notional approach but that is not common. It is common to find it combined with a Situational Syllabus, however. | Typical content will cover lists such as: Asking about/expressing likes and dislikes Greetings and introductions Offering/accepting/declining refreshment Expressing forgetfulness Expression political opinion Granting forgiveness Service encounters and politeness routines Asking for/offering help |
| Task-based / Procedural | This kind of syllabus focuses on using tasks to help learners deploy language communicatively. It is important that the tasks represent real-world language. This kind of syllabus is often combined with a skills-based or process syllabus. | Task types are usually listed and sometimes particularly tasks are prescribed. For example, Negotiation tasks: reaching a consensus Forward planning tasks: planning an excursion Judgement tasks: writing a review of a film Prioritisation tasks There is a guide to task-based approaches on this site linked in the list of related guides at the end. |
| Learner-generated | This relies on learners knowing what they need to do in English and what they need to learn to master the skills they need. The syllabus is then negotiated between the students and the teacher/institution. | Typically, these syllabuses end up as lists of concepts, topics, skills and structures such as: Using the present perfect Writing an email Interacting informally Giving a presentation at work |
| Mixed | This is possibly the most common type of syllabus and focuses on combining elements of all, or a range of, syllabus types so that each lesson or series of lessons focuses on different aspects of what is to be learnt. | Typical content will include items from any of the areas above. In many cases, a mixed syllabus will be a combination of a structural, functional and topic syllabus. Language will be set in a topic area, the structure will be presented and practised and then the learners will focus on using the language to communicate. Many coursebooks prescribe this type of syllabus for reasons explained below. |
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