FAQ

Here are some possible approaches:

• Plan a variety of interaction activities that encourage cooperation and willingness to take risks. Our Guide - Oral Interaction offers many different strategies and suggestions.
• When introducing activities, show sample rubrics (click here to see an example for A01) and ask students to identify which criteria would be appropriate for the activity.
• Use different types of assessment methods (e.g., self-assessment, co-assessment, peer assessment). Rubrics can be generated using our AI Evaluation Prompt Generator
• Provide time for reflection after oral interaction activities. Questions that can guide reflection include:
  • Did you maintain eye contact with your partners?
  • Did you take others’ comments into account during the discussion?
  • Did you use gestures or facial expressions to show you understood what was being said?
  • Did you contribute new ideas?
  • Did you engage your peers by asking questions?
  • Did you encourage your partners to continue or rephrase what they were saying?
  • Did you ask for clarification or additional details?
• This kind of reflection after an exercise encourages deeper learning. For more, see our Guide - Experiential Learning.

In the new objectives, the emphasis is not only on the final text, but on the process students use to create and improve it. Writing is viewed as a gradual process that develops over time through reflection, feedback, and revision.

This process may include:

• brainstorming ideas
• organizing and planning content
• writing a first draft
• revising to clarify or enrich ideas and sentences
• correcting language and formatting
• rewriting after receiving feedback

Because students work through several stages and spend more time developing a single text, word count becomes less important than the quality of the process and the evolution of the writing. For more information on this, see our Guide - Writing Process.

Also, since process is emphasized over product, a student’s work may be observed, assessed, and evaluated at different moments throughout the journey, not only through the final version. For more on assessing and evaluating writing, see our Guide - Evaluation.

Reinvestment tasks begin with comprehension. Students first use strategies to understand, interpret, and process information accurately. They then use that understanding to create something meaningful or to complete a purposeful task.

Students may reinvest their understanding in different ways, such as:

• producing original texts
• organizing or participating in debates
• creating informative or creative projects
• presenting ideas to an audience
• collaborating to solve problems or complete tasks

Reinvestment tasks can also make it possible to combine several success indicators within the same activity. For example, a single project may allow teachers to observe and evaluate:

• information processing
• clarity of oral expression
• active and effective collaboration

This approach encourages students to mobilize and integrate different skills within meaningful and authentic contexts.

For more on reinvestment see our Guide - Reinvestment and for more on strategies, consult Guide - Strategies.

These success indicators support the achievement of the overall objective and are not tied to a single skill or activity. For example, self-regulated learning strategies and adapting discourse to the communicative context may be demonstrated through:

• oral interaction
• the writing process
• reinvestment tasks

While specific activities such as reflection journals or vocabulary and syntax exercises can help develop these abilities, they are most often observed during meaningful communication tasks. For more detailed information on a specific success indicator related to the overall objectives, consult the following:

• Guide - Autonomy & Self-Regulation
• Guide - Strategies
• Guide - Grammar in Context
• Guide - Openness & Curiosity

Several factors influence second-language acquisition, and there is wide variability within student groups. The success indicator related to self-regulation is meant to take into account each student’s unique profile.

Self-regulated learning strategies help students determine what they can improve and how they can do so. It is a reflective process that equips the student to become more autonomous in their learning.

Here are some examples of self-regulated learning strategies:

• Setting learning goals
• Taking notes on feedback received and choosing ways to make progress
• Producing reflective entries on rules to remember
• Establishing a schedule for regular practice
• Selecting the strategy best suited to the task

For more on this topic, consult Guide - Autonomy & Self-Regulation.

The success indicator “Demonstration of openness, respect, and curiosity toward other cultures” is associated with intercultural communicative competence and can be shown through:

• Knowledge (e.g., referring to historical or social contexts during discussions, explaining why certain expressions or idioms have no direct equivalent in another language, etc.)
• Skills (e.g., adjusting one’s register to the communicative context, nuancing one’s comments to account for the cultural context, etc.)
• Attitude (e.g., asking open-ended questions rather than making judgments, recognizing one’s own cultural biases, etc.)

Different learning activities can help students develop this success indicator. Interactive activities are particularly well suited to this purpose and can be combined, for example, with writing tasks or the production of media texts. For more on this, see Guide - Openness & Curiosity.

Progress in second-language learning is not always linear and may look different from one student to another. Evaluation should therefore focus on observable development over time rather than on a single performance.

Progress should be measured through observable behaviours within meaningful tasks, such as:

• using feedback more effectively
• communicating more clearly or accurately
• applying strategies more independently
• demonstrating greater control of the writing or interaction process

Progression may be evaluated:

• within a task or learning scenario, through revision, reflection, and improvement during the process
• across tasks or scenarios, by observing how students transfer feedback, strategies, and skills over time

Teachers may choose to evaluate either type of progression, or both, depending on the context and objectives. For more on this topic, see Guide - Progression.

In order for teachers to assess the use of strategies, students need several opportunities to apply them in class. They can then demonstrate their use of strategies by leaving traces of their process (e.g., editing steps, annotations, questions, diagrams) or by taking part in reflective activities (e.g., discussions, recordings, reflection journal entries).

Here is a process that supports the integration of strategies:

• Select strategies based on the tasks or learning activities.
• Present the strategies explicitly.
• Provide examples (model them).
• Give students the opportunity to practise: begin with guided practice, then move toward independent practice.
• Ask students to evaluate the strategies used and, where appropriate, choose the strategy that suits them best.

For more on this topic, consult Guide - Strategies or see Strategies for Self-Regulation for examples.

Cultural experiences refer to artistic, literary, and media works that reflect the values, perspectives, and realities of a culture or community. In the context of language teaching, this includes but is not limited to:

• Literature: novels, poetry, theatre, short stories
• Visual arts: paintings, photographs, graphic novels
• Media: films, documentaries, TV shows, podcasts
• Music: songs, musical works
• Digital arts: websites, social media, video games

Authentic communication opportunities reflect real interactions students might experience in English.

Here are some examples:

• Asking someone for information on the street or making a phone call to book an appointment
• Responding to a forum post to share an opinion on a social issue
• Taking part in an online public consultation on the use of AI, sustainable mobility, or access to Canadian digital cultural products
• Consulting an authentic document (e.g., an article, press release, or survey) and using that information to take a position in a debate

In current pedagogical approaches, active engagement is considered essential to the development of language competencies. The action-oriented approach views learners as social agents who use language to interact, collaborate, and contribute to shared understanding and collective action.

As Christian Puren (2024) explains, students develop as responsible citizens when they are given opportunities to participate meaningfully in the classroom community through collaboration and shared projects.

This perspective also recognizes that each student follows a unique learning path. Active participation, both inside and outside the classroom, plays an important role in supporting individual progress and language development.

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is an international reference framework used to support coherence and transparency in language teaching, learning, and evaluation across educational contexts. It is a flexible, non-prescriptive framework that can help institutions develop local plans-cadres and align learning outcomes.

Institutions refer to the CEFR because it:

• provides internationally recognized proficiency levels (A1 to C2)
• supports greater consistency across programs and institutions
• promotes an action-oriented approach centered on meaningful tasks
• emphasizes communicative competence and real-world language use
• integrates intercultural awareness into language learning
• includes detailed descriptors of language abilities at each level
• offers tools and reference scales to support evaluation
• encourages student reflection and self-assessment

For more on this topic, watch this interview with Danielle Hunter, one of seven international experts on the CEFR or consult the CEFR directly by clicking here.

Two main reasons explain why word counts were removed.

First, a word count does not reflect the complexity of the writing task. For example, a 200-word summary scientific article may require advanced writing skills.

Second, in the former objectives, the word counts were tied to a final product to be handed in, whereas the new objectives emphasize the process of writing, revising, and correcting, which can involve several stages. From this perspective, word count does not necessarily measure achievement of the writing process objective.

Key points to remember:

• Removing this benchmark makes evaluation easier and offers greater flexibility.
• In plans-cadres, departments may still make decisions about word counts.

For more on this topic, see Guide - Writing Process.

The devis recognizes the importance of digital tools and resources in language learning. Across all levels, students are expected to use print and digital resources appropriately for comprehension, production, revision, and editing.

AI may therefore be used as one tool among many to support learning when its use aligns with pedagogical goals and institutional guidelines. For example, AI tools may help students:

• generate or organize ideas
• receive feedback on language use
• explore alternative phrasing
• revise and edit texts
• reflect on their learning process

However, the devis continues to place communication, reflection, collaboration, and active engagement at the center of learning. Students are therefore expected to develop their own language abilities, critical thinking, and autonomy rather than relying passively on technology.

As with any digital resource, the key question is whether the tool meaningfully supports learning and student development. For more on the effective incorporation of AI, see Guide - AI.

A media text is a text that combines different modes of communication, such as words, images, sound, or video. Media texts can include things like advertisements, news reports, social media posts, or short videos that students may read, listen to, or produce.

Here are some examples of media texts:

• Blog post that combines text and images
• Interactive presentation (e.g., presentation with voice narration, presentation with clickable elements)
• Infographic (visual document that integrates text or audio)
• Short video
• Story map (e.g., a map enriched with text or audio links)
• Comic strip or graphic novel

Creative writing involves original and imaginative contributions that go beyond simply reproducing information. It can include:

• Inventiveness: proposing unusual, unexpected, or new perspectives
• Personal voice: demonstrating individuality, personality, or unique ways of expressing one’s thoughts
• Connections: combining ideas, experiences, or knowledge in an innovative way
• Exploration: asking questions, experimenting with style, or taking risks with content or structure
• Engagement: capturing the reader’s attention through the use of vivid details, humour, emotion, or insight

In short, creative writing allows students to invent, innovate, or express themselves in a personal way. It can be fictional or non-fictional. It may take the form of stories, letters, character portraits, essays, dialogues, poems, or scripts. Creative writing is associated with the writing process, but it can also be combined with other success indicators (interaction or oral expression, reinvestment of understanding) and integrated into productions that use media texts.

Yes! These practices remain fully relevant within the new devis. What matters is not the activity itself, but how it supports the development of the targeted competencies and success indicators.

For example:

• oral presentations can develop interaction, organization of ideas, and adaptation to audience and context
• grammar instruction can support clearer, more accurate communication and revision strategies
• literature and other cultural texts can foster interpretation, discussion, creativity, and intercultural awareness

In the new devis, these elements are most effective when they are integrated into meaningful communication tasks and contribute to purposeful language use.

Oral presentations remain fully compatible with the new devis. Although the oral communication objective now places greater emphasis on interaction, presentations can still support the development and evaluation of many important competencies.

For example, oral presentations can be used to assess:

• clear and coherent expression of ideas
• organization and structure of information
• pronunciation, fluency, and delivery
• adaptation to audience and communication context

Presentations can also be integrated into action-oriented tasks that combine both presentation and interaction. For example, students may present ideas, respond to audience questions, participate in discussions, justify their choices, or react to peer feedback. This back-and-forth between presenting and interacting reflects authentic communication more closely and allows students to mobilize multiple competencies at once, including comprehension, oral interaction, reinvestment, revision, and collaboration.

Explicit grammar teaching remains an important part of ESL instruction in the new devis. At every level, the success indicators include the understanding and use of grammatical forms and syntactic structures. Grammar can therefore be integrated into tasks and learning activities connected to all three specific objectives.

In the new devis, grammar is viewed as a tool for communication rather than an end in itself. This means that grammar instruction is most effective when it is connected to meaningful tasks and authentic language use.

For example, teachers may:

• teach a grammatical structure that students need to complete a speaking or writing task
• pause a communication activity briefly to address a recurring error or language need
• use targeted exercises to reinforce forms before students reinvest them in interaction, writing, or reinvestment tasks
• evaluate grammar through students’ ability to use language clearly and appropriately in context

Grammar activities and quizzes can still play an important role in learning. However, competency is best evaluated through students’ ability to apply grammatical knowledge meaningfully within communication tasks. For more on this topic, see Guide - Grammar in Context.

Literature continues to have an important place in the common courses (A block) of the new devis, which focus on topics of social and cultural relevance.

Literary texts can support the third specific objective, which involves reinvesting understanding of written and audio/audiovisual texts. For example, students may:

• analyze themes, characters, perspectives, or social issues
• react personally to a text
• compare interpretations
• create oral, written, or media productions inspired by a literary work

Literature can also support the development of important competencies and success indicators, including:

• accurate processing and interpretation of texts
• expression of analytical or creative ideas
• adaptation to audience and communication context
• openness, respect, and curiosity toward other cultures and perspectives

Because literature provides meaningful opportunities for reflection, discussion, creativity, and intercultural exploration, it remains highly compatible with communicative and action-oriented approaches.

The new devis place communication and meaningful language use at the center of learning and evaluation. As a result, assessment tasks should prioritize students’ ability to understand, interpret, process, and reinvest meaning rather than simply recall information or manipulate isolated structures.

Multiple-choice questions can still be useful in certain situations. For example, they may help assess:

• comprehension of specific details or main ideas
• understanding of vocabulary or language features in context
• listening or reading strategies
• preparation for more complex communication tasks

However, multiple-choice questions have limitations. On their own, they provide only partial evidence of competency because they do not allow students to demonstrate how they process, interpret, discuss, or reinvest information in meaningful communication.

For this reason, they are most effective when combined with richer tasks that require students to respond orally, in writing, or through interaction.