KET Vocabulary List © UCLES 2012 VOCABULARY LIST Key English Test (KET) Key English Test for Schools (KETfS) © UCLES 2012 Page 2 of 29 KET Vocabulary List Introduction to the KET Vocabulary List The KET Vocabulary List gives teachers a guide to the vocabulary needed when preparing students for the KET and KET for Schools examinations. Background to the list The KET Vocabulary List was originally developed by Cambridge ESOL in consultation with external consultants to guide item writers who produce materials for the KET examination. It drew on vocabulary from the Council of Europe’s Waystage (1990) specification and other vocabulary which corpus evidence shows is high frequency. The list covers vocabulary appropriate to the A2 level on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and includes receptive vocabulary (words that the candidate is expected to understand but which is not the focus of a question) and productive vocabulary (words that the candidate needs to know in order to answer a question). The list does not provide an exhaustive list of all words which appear on the KET and KET for Schools question papers and candidates should not confine their study of vocabulary to the list alone. How the list is updated The vocabulary of English changes over time, with words being added and other words falling into disuse. In order to maintain its currency, the KET Vocabulary List is updated on an annual basis, with the decision to add or remove words being informed by reference to the Cambridge Learner Corpus and English Vocabulary Profile. The Cambridge Learner Corpus is a collection of over 44 million words of English, based upon evidence of language use by learners from all over...
