TYPES OF ENGLISH SYLLABUS

There has been much confusion as to what types of syllabus are possible in language teaching
and to how different they are in the level of implementation. Knowing the syllabus types will
help us to decide and choose the one(s) that is appropriate with our teaching goals and our
situations and conditions.

There are two different types of syllabus: product-oriented and process-oriented.

Product-oriented syllabuses are those where the focus is on knowledge and skills which
learners should gain as a result of instruction. OR

Synthetic syllabuses, the content of instruction is organized in terms of the target language: grammar,
pronunciation, vocabulary, etc. The different parts of language are taught separately and step by step
so that acquisition is a process of gradual accumulation of parts until the whole structure of a language
is built up

Process-oriented syllabuses are those which focus on the learning experiences themselves.

OR Analytic syllabuses are organized in terms of the purposes for which people are learning a
language and the kind of language performance necessary to meet those purposes.

1. A grammar or structural syllabus. The content of the language teaching is a collection of

the forms and structures of the language being taught.
Steps:
a. We decide on a set of forms and structures that the students have to learn and arrange them in
increasing complexity, meaning from simple to complex forms and discourses.
b. We decide a set of vocabulary to be learned together with forms and structures.
c. We sequence the vocabulary, considering that concrete nouns and more common forms
should be taught.
Example:
Simple Present Tense
Present Continuous Tense
Pronouns
Subject and Object
Possessive Adjectives

The benefit of a grammar syllabus is that students move from simpler to more complex
structures and they may learn the structures more easily. Even though the materials seem to
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 consider grammar-based arrangement, activities in the book enforce students to learn English
through guided conversations. The disadvantage of this syllabus is that students are often
preoccupied with grammar when they are learning communicative activities, which may
block natural communicative process. This syllabus may be more useful in a context in which
the students do not have immediately communication needs.
2. A notional or functional syllabus. The content of the language teaching is a collection of
the functions or the notions that are performed when the language is used.
Steps:
a. We make a list of communication functions of the language that students expect to master.
b. We make a list of the semantic notions (meanings) based on the culture the speakers of the
language.
c. We group the functions and the notions together into learning tasks.
Example:
a. how to approach the person you are meeting
b. how to reply
c. How to introduce yourself
d. How to respond and reply to an introduction
e. Etc.

The benefit of a notional/functional syllabus is that students learn how to use the target
language to express their own ideas, notions and purposes. The disadvantage of this syllabus
is that different kinds of structures are often used to express the same functions so that it is
difficult to arrange the structure of the target language from simpler to more complex forms.
This syllabus may trigger language learners to use the target language to express their own
emotions, ideas or purposes.

3. A situational (topical) syllabus. The content of the language teaching is a collection of

imaginary situations where the language is used.
Steps:
a. We make a list of communications situations that students may face.
b. We make a list of topics, grammatical forms and vocabulary and sequence them.
c. We group the topics, forms and structures and fit them with communication situations.
The teaching units below are language materials that have been developed based on
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 situational syllabus.
Example:
Unit 1 At Post Office
Unit 2 At School
Unit 3 At the Airport
Unit 4 At Restaurant
Unit 5 Shopping
Unit 6 At Party

The benefit of a situational syllabus is that students learn how to use the target language in an
authentic communication. The advantage of this syllabus is that when unexpectable situations
happen in communication language learners are not accustomed to communicate in the
language spontaneously. This syllabus is good for language learners who are preparing to go
to a country where the language is being learned. This situational teaching has the goal of
teaching specific language content that occurs in situation.

4. A skill-based syllabus. The content of the language teaching is a collection of specific

skills in using the target language. Examples of skills in using the target language may
include reading for the main idea, writing good paragraphs, and listening for the main idea.
Steps:
a. We make a list of language skills that students need to acquire.
b. We make a list of topics, grammatical forms and vocabulary and sequence them.
c. We group the topics, forms and structures and fit them with the language skills.
Example:
1 What is a paragraph?
Paragraph Structure
The three parts of a paragraph
Two additional elements
Assignment format
How to write a title

The benefit of a skill-based syllabus is that students can specify their learning to reach their
communicative competence, such as using telephone, booking a hotel, and others. The
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 disadvantage of this syllabus is that it is harder to sequence the materials.This syllabus is good
for those who want to learn specific language skills, such as the writing skill as the example
above.

5. A task-based syllabus. The content of the language teaching includes a series of

purposeful tasks that language learners need to perform; tasks are defined as activities
that are needed when using the target language. Examples of a task-based syllabus may
include applying for a job, ordering food via the telephone and getting housing information
over the telephone. This syllabus is similar to a situational syllabus but it focuses on more
general linguistic competence that is less culturally loaded.
Steps:
a. We make a list of abilities or tasks that students need to acquire.
b. We make a list of topics, grammatical forms and vocabulary and sequences them.
c. We group the topics, forms and structures and fit them with the tasks.
Example:
1 Diagrams and formations
a. Naming parts of a diagram with numbers and letters of the alphabet, as instructed.
b. Placing numbers and letters of the alphabet in relation to one another, as instructed, to arrive
at particular formations.
c. Placing numbers and letters of the alphabet in given crossword formats;
constructing/completing such formats, as instructed.

The benefit of a task-based syllabus is that students learn to carry out activities using the
target language. Language teaching through task-based syllabus occurs only as the need arises
during the performance of a given task. The disadvantage is that students often learn to
perform tasks and language learning is less emphasized.

7. A content-based syllabus. A content-based syllabus in language teaching is actually not a

language syllabus. The primary purpose of instruction is to teach subject matter of the
content course or information using the target language.
Steps:
a. We make a list of topics from the content (subject).
b. We make a list of topics, grammatical forms and vocabulary and sequence them.
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c. We group the forms and structures and fit them with the topics.
Example:
Unit 1 Networks
Unit 2 Transmission
Unit 3 Switching
Unit 4 Computer communications
Unit 5 Radio communications

The benefit of a content-based syllabus is that students feel satisfied with the purpose of
learning the target language, namely acquiring information. The feeling of satisfaction will
promote their learning. The disadvantage of this syllabus is that the content of instruction is
not organized around the language teaching so that there is almost no teaching of the target
language even though the students will automatically learn the language. This syllabus is
often used in the immersion program, which has been addressed earlier.

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