COMPARING THE LEXICAL LOAD IN THE ESL TEXTBOOKS FOR GRADE SEVEN: A CORPUS-BASED STUDY

Abstract

This study investigates the lexical load of two Grade Seven English as a Second Language (ESL) textbooks widely used in Pakistan, one published by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) for public schools and the other by Oxford University Press (OUP) for private institutions. The research aims to provide a comparative lexical profile of the two textbooks, focusing on frequency distribution of word types and tokens, the balance between content and function words, and the alignment of vocabulary with established frequency lists such as the General Service List (GSL), the Academic Word List (AWL), and the British National Corpus–Corpus of Contemporary American English (BNC–COCA) 25 frequency levels. The study employed corpus-based methods to analyze the vocabulary load, coverage, and lexical diversity across both textbooks. Findings reveal significant variation in lexical frequency distribution and the extent to which the vocabulary in each textbook supports learners’ academic and communicative competence. The results highlight the implications for material selection, curriculum design, and vocabulary teaching in the Pakistani ESL context, pointing to the need for greater standardization and evidence-based textbook development.