Formatting and Layout of ELT Materials

Headings help learners and trainers see the structure of a unit at a glance.

• Use consistent heading levels (e.g., H1 for unit titles, H2 for sections, H3 for tasks).
• Keep headings short and descriptive (e.g., Lead-in, Listening, Language at Work).
• Avoid using full sentences as headings.

Consistent numbering makes exercises easier to reference in trainer notes and answer keys.

• Use numbers (1, 2, 3, …) for exercise steps.
• Use lowercase letters (a, b, c, …) for sub-items within an exercise.
• If you are using slide numbers, separate exercise numbers are not necessary.

Spacing and indentation help learners see where one task ends and another begins.

• Leave one clear line space between exercises.
• Indent dialogues, role plays, and examples to make them stand out.

Dialogues should be easy to read and clearly show turn-taking.

• Each speaker’s line starts on a new line, with the speaker’s name in bold.
• Use a colon after the name.
• Do not use quotation marks for spoken text.

Use emphasis to guide attention without reducing readability.

• Use bold for instructions, key words, and speaker names.
• Avoid italics, as they can be difficult for learners with reading difficulties. Italics may be used sparingly to mark examples.
• Do not use underlining unless required for input fields like gapped text.

Visual structures help organise information and reduce cognitive load.

• Use boxes for useful vocabulary or language summaries.
• Use tables for fact files, notes, or structured information (not free text).
• Use bullet points only for unordered lists.
• Do not mix bullets and numbers in the same list.

Audio and video tasks must be clearly labelled so learners and trainers can find the correct track quickly.

• Clearly number tracks (e.g., 🔊 1.3 Listen and complete…).
• Keep track numbers consistent across student book, teacher’s book, and audio script.
• Consider using icons (🔊, 🎥) before the instruction line.

Learners need visible space to write or type answers.

• Always provide space for answers (lines, boxes, or blank areas).
• Use underscores for single-word answers (e.g., She’s ___ ).
• Use ruled lines for longer written answers.
• For matching tasks, show both lists clearly in columns.

Good page balance prevents overload and keeps the focus on the task at hand.

• Avoid overcrowding on pages.
• If you are using presentation slides: no more than one task per slide.
• Place visuals (photos, charts, diagrams) close to the exercise they support.
• Do not use clip art or low-quality images.
• Do not put text on top of images.
• Do not place the questions relating to a text on another slide.

A predictable structure helps learners and trainers know what to expect from each unit.

• Keep section order predictable (Warm up → Acquisition → Guided Application → Independent Application → Activation → Feedback).
• Do not introduce new layouts or formatting styles mid-course.