Aug 2026· International Journal of TESOL & Education· 0 citations· 51 references
Abstract
Lexical and syntactic complexity are important indicators of second language writing proficiency, particularly in assessment-oriented contexts such as IELTS Writing Task 2. However, limited attention has examined whether selected complexity measures can distinguish closely related IELTS band levels. A small-scale learner corpus of 30 essays, with 10 essays per band level, was analyzed quantitatively. Lexical diversity was measured using the Measure of Textual Lexical Diversity (MTLD), lexical sophistication was operationalized as the percentage of Academic Word List (AWL) items, and syntactic complexity was assessed through mean sentence length (MSL). One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in lexical diversity, whereas AWL percentage and MSL showed non-significant upward trends. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that the significant MTLD difference occurred between Bands 6 and 8 rather than between immediately adjacent bands. Because the corpus consists of band-labeled instructional essays, the findings should be interpreted as exploratory rather than generalizable evidence of IELTS band distinctions.
Background and Purpose: Critical academic reading skills demand learners to engage in higher-order reading skills which require advanced lexical knowledge. The two dimensions of lexical knowledge, namely lexical diversity and vocabulary variety, however, are mostly assessed in isolation using unstable measurement instr...
Anealka Aziz, Tuan Sarifah Aini Syed Ahmad, Suryani Awang et al.· Journal of Nusantara Studies...· 0 citations
This longitudinal classroom-based study examined how linguistic complexity developed in a Japanese university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course that integrated task repetition with embedded focus on form. While previous research has emphasised grouplevel trends in complexity development, few studies have explo...
S. Toyoshima· Australian Journal of Applie...· 0 citations
Sentence writing provides insight into young EFL learners’ developing control of grammar, vocabulary, syntax, and writing conventions. This study investigated recurring sentence-writing patterns and linguistic challenges among Grade Six EFL learners in one Indonesian primary school. Using a qualitative descriptive docu...
Muh. Al Fachrizah Fitra, Achmad Fajar Muhammad, Sultan Baa et al.· Jurnal IPTEK Bagi Masyarakat· 0 citations
This study investigates changes in productive vocabulary knowledge among pre-intermediate L1 Japanese learners of English using the Self-Reflection Writing Task (SRWT). Unlike established tasks such as the Lexical Frequency Profile (LFP; Laufer & Nation, 1995), Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (Laufer & Nation, 1999;...
Although lexical richness is an important feature of L2 writing quality, research on its predictive ability in university entrance tests, particularly in the Thai EFL context, is limited. Following Read’s (2000) framework, this study analyzes the relationship between lexical richness and academic writing performance in...
Zi-Xuan Hu, Chawin Srisawat, K. Poonpon· Journal of Studies in the En...· 0 citations
Lexical bundles play an important role in language production, improving individuals’ language proficiency (Hyland, 2008). While most previous studies have explored lexical bundles used in written discourse, little attention has been paid to analyzing lexical bundles employed in oral presentations. The present study ai...
