Why 51?
Well... We counted, so that you don't have to...
Multiple exam boards, different awarding bodies and constant curriculum changes can confuse and complicate the classroom process for even the most experienced of practitioners, but ‘English language’ precedes and exceeds the ever-growing number of private companies that seek to assess and award its application.
On a mission to make English language teaching and learning easier for everyone, everywhere, forever, we began by taking a copy of every single UK and international English language specification [ELS] that has been produced in the last 25 years.
We created three skills-lists: one for reading; one for writing and one for speaking and listening.
If an ELS required a candidate to demonstrate proficiency in a particular skill, one that had not already been identified and extracted, it was recorded on the appropriate list.
Regardless of exam board, curriculum type, text-choice or written task, there are only 51 universal and permanent skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening within English language.
No one will be adding an 89th key to the piano any time soon…