As mentioned earlier, the vocabulary lists have been updated as part of the YLE revision programme. This has involved the addition of some words at each level and the movement of selected words from one level to another.
These decisions were made as a result of a research and consultation exercise which entailed a comprehensive study of primary ELT coursebooks used around the world as well as a study of the Cambridge YLE spoken corpus which revealed which words candidates actually use during their YLE Speaking Tests.
The main reasons for the addition and moving of words were:
- to extend an existing lexical set, e.g. the words sand and shell have been added at Starters; puppy and kitten are new words at Movers and fire engine has been added at Flyers. Doctor and nurse have moved from Flyers to Movers as other words in the lexical set of health such as hospital, cough and What's the matter? already appear at Movers
- to reflect the level that words are normally introduced in coursebooks, e.g. make has moved from Flyers to Starters as this word is frequently used in Starters level coursebooks. Similarly, shop, park and playground have moved from Movers to Starters and closed from Flyers to Starters
- to update the vocabulary lists to ensure they are relevant for children today by including words that have entered common usage, e.g. great at Starters, DVD at Movers and fun at Flyers
The revised wordlists for each level are included in the YLE Handbook and are arranged alphabetically, thematically and grammatically. This means that teachers are able to fully prepare their candidates for the YLE Tests.