The use of automatic marking diagnostic vocabulary tests to identify students' lexical mastery, direct deliberate learning, and as the foundation of in-class vocabulary activates

Author : Stuart McLean

Abstract :When learning a language, vocabulary knowledge is critical, as meta-analyses consistently report that vocabulary knowledge is the strongest predictor of proficiency. However, not all words are equally important, with the most frequent 2,000 words being essential for the four language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). Therefore, it is beneficial for both students and teachers to identify which high-frequency words remain unknown. This presentation introduces free-to-use, self-marking tests, including written meaning-recall tests (L2 to L1 translation), aural meaning-recall tests, and form-recall tests (L1 and L2 translation). These tests can be created using corpus-derived high-frequency English word lists, TOEIC vocabulary, and academic vocabulary lists. When learners answer incorrectly, they are provided with the correct target word and its meanings for meaning-recall and form-recall question formats, respectively. Both teachers and learners can download learner-typed responses, dichotomous markings (correct/incorrect), and data on time spent per question. Additionally, lexical profiles are generated to indicate which 500-word bands of high-frequency words learners have mastered or not. Finally, the presentation will describe how this site has been used alongside vocabulary notebooks as the foundation of speaking, listening, reading and spelling tasks, their optimal use, and the benefits they provide.

Keywords :Vocabulary, learning, testing, automatic marking, self-learning, diagnostic

Conference Name :International Conference on Foreign Language Learning and Language Acquisition (ICFLLLA-25)

Conference Place London, UK

Conference Date 1st Aug 2025