Abstract/Summary

A new English language GCSE exam in England has put an increased focus on adolescents’ comprehension of unseen literary texts, from all three of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Since reading experience is a strong predictor of successful reading comprehension, it is important to know whether what adolescents read prepares them for this new exam. Any findings related to this particular exam could also have broader implications for other assessment jurisdictions and for theory. This PhD project focuses on: 1) the vocabulary challenge presented by the new exam texts; 2) the type of reading material that provides experience with this vocabulary; and 3) the actual reading experience of adolescents, including the vocabulary they encounter. First, a corpus of exam texts was created and analysed to examine typical vocabulary (Paper 1). Next, a survey reported respondents’ attainment in the English language GCSE exam and their reading experience (Paper 2). Finally, two further corpora, created from samples of students’ independent and curriculum reading materials, were analysed (Paper 3). The keywords in the exam texts were found to be typically low frequency and most likely to be encountered in older, literary texts. The reading survey showed that students who gained high grades also had more exposure to classic authors. The final corpus analysis showed that students’ independent reading for pleasure was a better match for the exam texts than their curriculum reading, although the vocabulary in the curriculum reading was more challenging. This study contributes new primary data in the three new corpora and in the data on adolescent reading habits from the survey. It shows that reading experience can be analysed and explored through the use of corpus linguistics and through a genre-specific ART. Finally, a potential influence of assessment content on curriculum choices and on reading practices is identified.