Effect Of Candidates' Vocabulary Knowledge On Their Writing Quality

Writing, as an important component of language testing, is included in a variety of language standardized tests such as the CET test, TOFEL and IELTS. The candidates'performances on writing can be affected by various factors, one of which is candidates'use of vocabulary knowledge. The paper is an empirical study based on CET4 writing test with its focus on the relationship between the depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge and writing quality. The author assesses the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and writing quality by collecting and analyzing the data driven from 220 writings of the CET4 test which was administered in January 2006. The result shows that there exists a high correlation between the depth and breadth of the testees'vocabulary knowledge and writing quality.The thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 gives a brief introduction of the study, including the rational and aims of the research as well as the organization of the thesis. Chapter 2 reviews the literature of theoretical and empirical researches on vocabulary assessment, vocabulary knowledge. The relationship between vocabulary knowledge and writing quality is also included in this chapter. Chapter 3 and chapter 4 are the main bodies of the thesis, exploring the relationship from two aspects: vocabulary breadth and vocabulary depth through analyzing CET4 writings. The results of the experiment show that candidates'vocabulary knowledge has a great effect on their writing quality and there exists a significant correlation. The final chapter draws conclusions and makes recommendations for further study and second language teaching and learning.Based on the research, the author suggests that candidates'vocabulary...