VOCABULARY SIZE OF ESL IGCSE STUDENTS

Vocabulary is axiomatic to be acquired by learners in learning a second language. Possessing a wide size of vocabulary is regarded as a key to understand a text or a conversation, highlighting the core of being proficient in the language is through acquiring extensive vocabulary. With the increasing number of international exams offered by the local secondary schools in Malaysia, the urgency to improve students? vocabulary size becomes a concern to ensure students? performance in the exam. This study examines the size of vocabulary of Malaysian students who were enrolled in an international examination, Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) English as a Second Language examination. 109 students participated in the study. The results were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics.