1.

Background
*The importance of materials evaluation in ELT
- Definition: "Materials evaluation is a procedure that involves measuring the value for potential value of a
set of learning materials"
(Developing materials for language teaching, Brian Tomlinson, 2013, p21)
- Why evaluate teaching materials:
+ Encourage teachers to be “reflective practitioners” (Schon 1983)
-> can actively reflect on what they need/want from materials and how materials are used.
- Assess the suitability of the course materials
-> to choose an appropriate coursebook for students. (Sheldon 1988)
- Identify materials’ strengths and weaknesses
-> to adpat them suitably for students (Sheldon 1988)
- Tomlinson (1996) regards material evaluation as a way to expand teacher’s understanding of materials,
thus contributing to their professional development.
*The evaluation framework of criteria

Author The evaluation framework Challenges

Grant 1987:119 Criteria for first-glance evaluation

Evaluative approach CATALYST
Communicative?
Aims?
Teachability?
Available add-ons?
Level?
Your impression?
Student interest?
Tried and tested?

Cunningsworth (1995) Pre-use evaluation is intended to

predict the potential performance
of a coursebook. In-use evaluation
is conducted while using a
coursebook “when a newly
 introduced coursebook is being
monitored or when a well-
established but ageing coursebook
is being assessed to see whether it
should be considered for
replacement” (Cunningsworth,
1995, p. 14). Post-use evaluation
provides retrospective assessment
of a coursebook and also serves to
decide whether to use the same
coursebook on future occasions

- Grant 1987:119
Evaluative approach CATALYST
Communicative?
Aims?
Teachability?
Available add-ons?
Level?
Your impression?
Student interest?
Tried and tested?
-> 2 criteria would be difficult to apply without close examination of the materials
- McDonough and Shaw (1993)
a two-stage model for a thorough evaluation of coursebooks.
+ First, a brief external evaluation should be conducted to have an overview of the coursebook.
(‘it asks questions about what the materials contain, what they aim to achieve and what they ask
learners to do’ (Littlejohn, 2011)
+ Then, it should be followed by a detailed internal evaluation “to see how far the materials in question
match up to what the author claims as well as to the aims and objectives of a given teaching program”
(McDonough & Shaw, 2013, p. 50)
 - The reasons why using it
+ Systematic & easy to follow
“In Mc Donough et al.'s (2013) list, criteria relating to the views of the authors, the use made of visuals, and
bias, for instance, all seem to belong more appropriately to a more systematic or in-depth evaluation”
+ Clear criteria in each stage
2. Teaching context
 The learners
- English proficiency
+ Pre-intermediate (A2)
+ Characteristics:
can communicate using frequently used expressions in everyday situations
(Based on CEFR framework)
+ Challenges:
Lack of real-life scenarios to practice English speaking outside the classroom
(Pham, 2019)
Lack of self-confidence
Time limitations to practise
(Phat Huu Nguyen, 2024)
- General background
+ Vietnamese male & female
+ adult students from 25-44
+ From various majors
-> The learners' needs/ goals: improve their English and 4 skills to progress in their careers and potentially
work in English-speaking countries
- Learning styles: various from visual to auditory, verbal learners & preference for collaborative
environment to practice communicative skills.
- Interests of preferences: overseas culture, sports (soccer, volleyball, martial arts, table tennis,...), food
(Chinese,…)
-> We assume that the materials providing practical vocabulary, real-life contexts and focusing on
communicative skills will be appropriate for these students.
- Teaching environment:
+ 18 students
+ 10 hours per week over 24 weeks
+ Teachers from Vietnam, India adn Pakistan
+ The teaching environment is student-centered with various tasks from group work to individual work
 The coursebook

+ Face2Face Upper Intermediate student’s book
+ Author: Chris Redston & Gillie Cunningham
+ 1st published in 2007
+ Publisher: Cambridge University Press
+ Adults and young adults who want to communicate quickly and effectively in today’s world at an upper-
intermediate level
+ Based on the communicative approach and current methodology
 + Objectives: to develop learners' communicative competence in various environments by enhancing all
four skills.
3. Critical Coursebook Evaluation
*Are the materials appropriate and relevant to the learners and their context?
*Include concrete examples from the coursebook (scan relevant sections)
 External (the features and the table of contents)
- The front cover


+ Visual: vibrant colors + a lot of pictures -> engage students
+ Intended audience: Upper intermediate students
-> Inappropriate – incomprehensive for A2 learners
-> Need more time to conduct lessons and pre-study a lot of vocabs and tasks at home to understand and
pre-study a lot of vocabs and tasks at home to understand and practice at class
+ Free CD-ROM/ Audio CD - invaluable resource (over 200 exercises, video, recording and playback
capability, my test and progress sections,...)

- The blurb, or the claims made on the cover

+ Time constraint: approximately 80 of core teaching material, and can be extended to 120 hours with the
photocopiable resources and extra ideas in the Teacher’s book
+ A wide range of approaches (interactive audio CD, …)
-> appropriate for various types of learners
+ Clear goals and focus of the book
-> Provide functional and social language & focus on 4 skills to enhance Ss’ communicative competence
-> appropriate
+ Visit the face2facewebsite www.cambridge.org/elt/face2face for downloadable activities, sample
materials and more information about how face2facecovers the language areas specified by the CEF
- Table of contents
+ 12 units, each with 4 lessons. Each lesson will take approximately 90 minutes
+ The units' topics are a blend of general English and English for specific purposes tailored to fields such as
business, law, traveling…
-> Appropriate for adult students wanting to enhance their skills for opportunities in English-speaking
countries.
However, some activities should be adapted to enhance their career advancement skills.
+ Clear key information or lesson objectives that Ss can gain and will be exposed to in different topics.
+ There are reviews after each unit and a progress portfolio which allows Ss to reflect on what they have
learned after each unit.
-> useful
 Internal (4 skills + grammar + vocab + exercises + test )
- vocab & grammar
+ Higher level of vocabulary & grammar such as phrasal verbs and idioms; past perfect and simple perfect,
conditional sentences, sentence stress and rhythm,…
=> Difficult for A2 students

- reading & listening (listening scripts)

=> Various and not-biased real-life context

Each reading part highlights new grammar structure or vocabulary in each lesson

=> Help with listening box gives further explanation and details about how Ss can listen more effectively

Various types of listening activities -> check Ss’ understanding of gist and specific ideas

- Writing & speaking

+ Writing tasks are considered as a further skill, are integrated in a small part of the lesson

Students will do writing tasks in Workbook

=> Writing is not as focused as other skills on the class

=> Hard to evaluate students’ writing skills

+ As opposed, speaking is focused and integrated in every part of lessons, as the book is based on the
communicative approach

=> Ss can enhance their communicative competency to work in English-speaking countries.

- Review
+ Review after each unit
+ A quick review at every beginning of each unit
=> A variety of questions check both vocabualry and grammars

+ Progress portfolio -> self-reflect after each unit

-> Students can check their progress by themselves.
However this kind of checking is not reliable. It will be better if students can write down what they have
learned by themselves rather than tick in those boxes.
 Overall
4. Conclusion

*Conclude which materials are appropriate and inappropriate. Some suggestions to adapt the materials ->
make a table
*Conclude whether the material is worth using or not?
5. Reference
Council of Europe. Council for Cultural Co-operation. Education Committee. Modern Languages
Division. (2001). Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching,
assessment. Cambridge University Press.
McDonough, J., Shaw, C., & Masuhara, H. (2013). Materials and methods in ELT: A teacher's
guide (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons.
McGrath, I. (2016). Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinburgh University
Press.
Mishan, F. (2015). Materials development for TESOL. Edinburgh University Press.
Nguyen, P. H. (2024). Challenges Vietnamese EFL Students Faced When Learning and Meeting
the Requirements of B1 English Language Proficiency. Journal of Language Teaching and
Research, 15(3), 893-901.
Sheldon, L. E. (1988). Evaluating ELT textbooks and materials. ELT journal, 42(4), 237-246.
Tomlinson, B. (Ed.). (2011). Materials development in language teaching. Cambridge
University Press.

Tomlinson, B., & Masuhara, H. (2017). The complete guide to the theory and practice of materials
development for language learning. John Wiley & Sons.