Introduction

With a plethora of language teaching material available on the market, each with a different methodology and syllabus, choosing the best textbook for a particular teaching situation can be a very demanding enterprise. Unless the teachers develop materials for their own classes, choosing the “right” textbook is one of the most important decisions the teachers or school authorities can make. In this way, while almost all claim to offer a communicative approach, some may take a more traditional approach with an emphasis on structure and grammar, others may provide meaningful tasks that are goal-oriented, some may focus on vocabulary using a lexical approach, and still others may claim to use only authentic language of native speakers in real situations.
Thus, in formal educational setting, especially for language teaching, the necessity of course books leads the way to the exploration of the course book evaluation by teachers.

The aim of this paper is to make a detailed evaluation of a common EFL course book ‘Cambridge English for Schools’ which is taught in a popular Iranian language school, Simin Educational Association, according to certain general principles, based on good language-teaching practice.

Course Description
Cambridge English for Schools is a course in English for young students aged 10/11 and upwards consisting of five levels, Beginner, False beginner, Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate. The Starter level provides around 40-60 hours of class work while levels 1-4 have 32 units and 80+ hours each. The reason the author has chosen this book for evaluation is twofold-his long familiarity with the course as a result of teaching it at different levels for some time and its claim to benefit from a new approach to English, designed especially for young students and adolescents, namely communicative, task-based approach to English. In order to examine some overall characteristics of the course, Cambridge English for Schools 3 was selected as a point of reference.

For the especial purpose of this study, the third level of the course book that is intermediate has been selected for a

The use of course books in ELT has been more fashionable than ever before, especially after innumerable ELT preparatory classes have been tailored for a large number of teachers wishing to experience such a breath-taking enterprise namely teaching task. In this regard, the schools authorities as well as board of English teachers are prone to use pre-planned teaching materials such as course books. Therefore, the course books have gradually become the most pervasive tool for language instruction. As Richards and Rodgers (2001) assert, course books are an inevitable component of the curriculum because they specify content and define coverage for syllabus items.

In formal educational settings, especially for language teaching, the necessity of course books leads the way to the exploration of the course book evaluation by teachers.

With this respect, this study focuses on the teachers’ views on the course book evaluation they use in furtherance of an awareness to be a spur for a state of undifferentiated consciousness and professional development.

Moreover, the school administrations and circles of English teachers prefer ready-made coursebooks because they possibly provide ready-made syllabi to be followed by teachers. Thus, the coursebooks have gradually become the most pervasive tool for language instruction.
As Richards and Rodgers (2001) state, coursebooks are an unavoidable element of the curriculum because they specify content and define coverage for syllabus items.

Course description

The course book selected for the purpose of designing a sample test for term project is Cambridge English for Schools 3. The reason the designer has chosen this book is that it benefits from communicative, task-based approach to English. The book is the third book of a four-level course aimed at secondary age students. At the heart of the course is the aim of developing the students’ abilities to use and understand English within unique opportunities built up on social concerns. The course, (CES3), contains six themes each consisting of an introductory section and five units. The part selected as a source of test construction is theme A which is normally covered through less than one educational semester. The theme opens with an AROUND THE THEME section that introduces the topic (a world of Mystery) and stimulates the students’ knowledge. The first two units of the theme are TOPIC AND LANGUAGE units that focus on different aspects of the theme (Language, Vocabulary areas, pronunciation). The first Topic and language unit in each theme has an extra section called All about that develops reading skills, fluency and the students ability to plan their own work. The third unit is a CULTURE MATTERS unit which focuses on life in English-speaking countries. Each theme also includes an OUT AND ABOUT unit which shows English in social situations. Students can learn language functions and expressions through a ‘problem’ which students should discuss. The last unit is REVISION AND EVALUATION. Here the students can asses themselves and revise the language they have covered.
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Cambridge English for Schools offers an exciting approach to English for students from eleven to sixteen years old. This five-level course for young students has won worldwide praise for its innovative approach that really works. It was the first course to be fully based on CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) principles. Cambridge English for Schools features a communicative, task-based approach where the content and concepts reflect students' own lives and interests. There is a clearly-structured, active approach to grammar with regular revision and evaluation. This course is effective with mixed-ability classes and emphasises learner choice, decision-making and autonomy.

Level 3 contains 32 units and 80+ hours of class work.

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Cambridge English for Schools consists of four levels, plus a Starter level for learners with no previous knowledge of English.
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Cambridge English for Schools is a course in English for students aged 10/11 and upwards. It is based on educational principles and features cross-curricular topics, learner-choice and decision-making with a clearly-structured, active approach to grammar and vocabulary learning. The course was piloted with over 5000 students.

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Cambridge English for Schools

Andrew Littlejohn and Diana Hicks
Beginner, False beginner, Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate
Cambridge English for Schools offers an exciting approach to English for students from eleven to sixteen years old.

This five-level course for young students has won worldwide praise for its innovative approach that really works. It was the first course to be fully based on CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) principles. Cambridge English for Schools features a communicative, task-based approach where the content and concepts reflect students' own lives and interests. There is a clearly-structured, active approach to grammar with regular revision and evaluation. This course is effective with mixed-ability classes and emphasises learner choice, decision-making and autonomy.

The Starter level provides around 40-60 hours of class work while levels 1-4 have 32 units and 80+ hours each.

Key Features

• Enjoyable activities encourage all students to take part, whatever their level. • A wide variety of topics provides cross-curricular interest. • The clear structure and active approach get students using new grammar quickly. • The popular 'Parcel of English' scheme puts classes from different countries in touch with each other. • The clear and comprehensive Teacher's Book with its 'A-Z of Methodology', and provides plenty of support, while the Tests help measure progress. • Videos, available for all levels of the course, are a fun and flexible class resource. • Audio is available in both British English and American Voices.
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Origins of the course

'I believe that any successful course, and any progressive course, builds on the best of what is already done in class, but it adds some things which teachers might not have thought of doing before.'
We spoke to Peter Donovan, ELT Publishing Director, responsible for commissioning the course, about how Cambridge English for Schools developed from the earliest stages into the innovative course it is today.

How and when was the original idea for the course conceived?

At the end of the 1980s we recognised a gap in our ELT list. Up until then we had published very successfully for adults and the fourteen-plus age group, but could offer no material for younger learners. In 1990, discussions opened with Andrew Littlejohn and Diana Hicks, and this ultimately led to the publication of Cambridge English for Schools.

What form did the market research take?

Andrew, Diana and I visited classrooms and talked to teachers in a wide number of countries. We were surprised to find a great deal of similarity between the teachers, their classes, and their needs in countries as apparently diverse as Italy and Brazil. We also looked very closely at the syllabuses, requirements of ministries and formal requirements for teaching and learning in different countries, and found that, for example, the Spanish Reforma, then at a late stage of development, tied in very well with the authors' thinking on the directions they wanted the new material to take.

The course is often described as content-based and task-based. Could you tell us a little more about this, please?

By content-based we mean using content which relates to students' own knowledge and experience, and to other subjects in the curriculum, including Science, Social Studies, History, Geography: the basic core elements of any school curriculum, no matter where you are.
By task-based we mean that students are given tasks and activities which involve the use of English for real communication. Instructions for the tasks are always absolutely clear and explicit, with plenty of examples, so that students and teachers know exactly what is expected of them.

Teachers who are used to teaching in a more traditional way may want to know what guidance they are given for using the course.

The Teacher's Book contains an introduction to the material, a rationale explaining the background to the course, and an A to Z of Methodology, which gives teachers explanations of key terms and help with potential problem areas such as teaching mixed-ability classes. Also, the clarity of instructions throughout the course makes it easy for teachers to use.

The innovative and the familiar appear to be successfully blended in the course. How was this achieved?

We didn't want teachers to look at the material and think that everything is new and that they would have difficulties doing it. Therefore a lot of the individual exercises and tasks look familiar, particularly in the Language Focus units. 'Innovative' work often does not take a form which is totally unfamiliar to teachers and students – for example, they may be asked to study a table showing how many hours a day different animals sleep – a format they are already familiar with from information books and encyclopedias. It is really just a question of breaking down barriers between the different disciplines.

Student choice is another important feature of the course. What is the justification for this, and how does it work in practice?

There are two main reasons for introducing the level of student choice that we have. One is purely to give learners experience in making choices, and the other is to cater for the mixed abilities of students within the class. The course recognises that all classes are mixed ability, particularly at this level. The choice of activities gives students the opportunity to select the activity which is appropriate to their interests, and the 'Time to spare?' sections provide more able students with extension material to work on if they finish before the rest of the class.

When dealing with the age range in a five-level course, there is obviously a significant difference in development between learners at the beginning and end of the five levels. How does the course take account of this?

By the time many students reach Level 3 of the course, they not only have all the language from the early levels of the course, but are also able to think on a somewhat different level – they are more able to link ideas, analyse, contrast, express cause and effect. The level of the material in the course develops to provide more challenging material in terms of both language and concepts.

Can Cambridge English for Schools be regarded as a trend-setting course, and if so why?

I believe that it can, although I would emphasise that a successful, progressive course is not completely revolutionary. It enables teachers to incorporate into their teaching approaches which might not otherwise have been available to them. The main areas which Cambridge English for Schools opens up to teachers are effective use of content- and task-based approaches, the opportunity to offer choices and deal more effectively with mixed-ability classes, all of which provide opportunities for students to achieve real communication in English.

And what is the way forward for Cambridge University Press in publishing for young students?

Without a doubt Cambridge is here to stay in this sector of education. We shall continue to produce material which supports the course and develops it in different ways. It will continue to have vitality for those who are using it now, and those who will be using it in the future.
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Reviews

"Cambridge English for Schools is the course that motivates both teachers and students. I particularly like the cross-cultural and cross-curricular focus because it challenges the learners' own ideas and results in involvement and learner decision-making."
Christ Kochuyt. Hoger Pedagogisch Instituut