Which vocabulary do my students need to know at each level?

Today a friend of mine sighed and told me with a sad face: “I wish there was a list of vocabulary items that my students need to know at each level.”

And I decided to make this post. Because, actually, there is a tool that does just this. It is called English Vocabulary Profile. And it is absolutely free for the time being.

English Vocabulary Profile (EVP) is a joint project of Cambridge English, Cambridge University Press, British Council, University of Cambridge, University of Bedforshire and EnglishUK (talk about an authoritative tool).

The name of the project speaks for itself – it is a list of vocabulary items that learners at each level  know and it covers all six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).)

Without registration you can navigate only through a part of the database (only several letters) . But for the time being you can get a free acceess to the complete database by just filling in a short form. You will recieve an email with the password to access the full database.

You can get a list of vocabulary a student acquires at each particular level separately or you can choose to see a list of all vocabulary items a learner at level B2 knows (for example, option A1-B2).

If you choose  the second option, next to each word you will see a level to which it corresponds.

You can also click on each word to see real leaner examples.

You can also search by topics, such as Body, Travelling, Health and so on. You can alo search by separate words to identify at which level learners should know this or that particular vocabulary item.

What I really love is that EVP not only lists the words but also the meanings and uses of each word that students need to know at different levels. For example, the noun “activity” meaning “an event” should be familiar to an A2 student, but “activity” meaning “movement” is listed in B2 level. This can help teachers in guiding their students as to which meaning of each word their students need to learn at each level.

I am definately in love with EVP a brilliant idea, a brilliant project. A huge thank you to all who have been putting their hearts and minds to give it life.

If you ask me it is the best thing after sliced bread, one of the greatest tools for teachers, examiners, researchers and learners.

And here is a short video about the EVP.