Clarification details
Updated December 2019. This document addresses issues that have arisen from moderation.
Dictionary use (Guidance Information 7)
Learners may use a bilingual and/or a monolingual English dictionary, but not electronic devices, to help them read and understand the written texts. Monolingual dictionaries should be those designed for English language learners at level 4.
Vocabulary levels (Guidance Information 10 (vii))
The vocabulary of the text must be guided by the first 2500 words of the New General Service List (NGSL).
This means that most of the words will be within the first 2500 high frequency words. However, it is expected that texts will also include specialised vocabulary and academic words, such as those the New Academic Word List (NAWL).
Assessors may find the NGSL Vocabulary Profiler or English Profile Text Inspector tools useful for analysing the vocabulary level of texts to confirm suitability.