Abstract:

Measuring vocabulary range and assessing the suitability of lexical units have long been the focus of studies and discussions among researchers and teachers of English as a foreign language. Awareness of the receptive vocabulary allows the teachers to determine whether the students can comprehend various texts. In contrast, information about the productive vocabulary size indicates the extent of the learners' written or spoken production. The presented paper aims to explore the vocabulary range in the two coursebooks of Solutions series, used as the primary teaching resource in one of the local vocational secondary schools. Furthermore, the research intends to examine to what degree the identified vocabulary units are reflected in the written production of learners at the B1 CEF level of reference. For that purpose, 60 Maturita exam compositions will be examined. The results of the study reveal several problems and aid in strengthening vocabulary teaching in Slovak secondary vocational schools.

Keywords:

Written production, vocabulary, Maturita exam, CEF levels of reference.