Abstract:

Lexical diversity (LD) represents one of the predictors determining the learners' general language proficiency and indicates the quality of their written and spoken performances. LD statistically measures the lexical richness of texts and thus aids in discriminating between different levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The expected proficiency level of the incoming university students of the study program Teaching English as a Foreign Language is B2, the achievement of which is assured by successful completion of the Maturita exam (School leaving exam) at this level. However, the pandemic caused the cancellation of Maturita exams in the academic year 2019/2020, and, therefore, the proficiency level of incoming students' is called into question.

The presented research explored for-and-against essays of the first-year students studying the single-major programs focused on Teaching English as a Foreign Language. The main focus of the analysis was to assess the range of vocabulary used in their written performances and assign the CEFR reference levels to the identified lexical items. For the purposes of our study, two online tools were employed: Compleat Lexical Tutor to measure the lexical diversity, and Text Inspector to match the lexical items to their reference levels. The analysis of the findings enabled us to verify the actual levels of proficiency achieved by the students.

Keywords:

Lexical diversity, lexical item, CEFR, reference level, language proficiency.