Understanding low vocabulary scores - Quick Guide for Teachers

Vocabulary is an integral part of learning. So understanding why a child might be scoring low in the vocabulary section of a baseline assessment gives teachers a solid foundation for focusing their lessons.

Research has shown that reasons for a low vocabulary score fall into 4 areas:

• Low general ability
• Low language ability
• Limited exposure to vocabulary in their home or social environment
• Limited exposure to vocabulary because English is an additional language

It’s important to note that reasons for low vocabulary may be a combination of these reasons.

This quick guide looks at each reason in more detail and gives examples of how they might present in the baseline assessment feedback reports.

The Quick Guides for Teachers collection have been curated by the research and development team at Cambridge CEM to share insight on how baseline assessments support a positive learning environment in the classroom.

Download the full guide