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ESL / EFL Abbreviations Explained

G - Z

By Kenneth Beare, About.com

GMAT - Graduate Management Admission Test. The GMAT measures general verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills.

GPA - Grade Point Average

GRE - Graduate Record Examination - an evaluation test for graduate admission to colleges and universities in the U.S.

IATEFL - International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language

IPA - International Phonetic Association

K12 - Kindergarten - 12th grade.

KET - Key English Test - The most elementary of Cambridge's series of exams

L1 - Language 1 - native language

L2 - Language 2 - the language you are learning

LEP - Limited English Proficien

LL - Language Learning

MT - Mother Tongue

NATECLA - National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults (UK)

NATESOL - National Association of Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages

NCTE - National Council of Teachers of English

NLP - Neurolinguistic Programming

NNEST - Non-Native English Speaking Teacher

NNL - Non-Native Language

MTELP - Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency

OE - Old English

OED - Oxford English Dictionary

PET - Preliminary English Test - The second of Cambridge's series of exams.

RP - Received Pronunciation - 'standard' British pronunciation

RSA/Cambridge C-TEFLA - Certificate of Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults. A professional qualification for prospective EFL teachers.

RSA/Cambridge D-TEFLA - Diploma of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Advanced qualification for EFL teachers who have already completed the C-TEFLA.

SAE - Standard American English

SAT - Scholastic Assessment (Aptitude) Test - pre-university entrance exam in the USA

TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language

TEFLA - Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults

TEIL - Teaching English as an International Language

TESL - Teaching English as a Second Language

TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Langauges

TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language - the most common English proficiency exam for North American universities and colleges, also accepted by some British universities and employers as proof of English proficiency.

TOEIC - The TOEIC (pronounced "toe-ick") is a Test of English for International Communication.

VE - Vocational English

VESL - Vocational English as a Second Language

YLE - Young Learners English Tests - Cambridge Examinations for young learners

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