Assessment of vocabulary in First Additional Languages: A focus on Siswati Grade 12 examination papers

Abstract Language assessment has, in recent decades, grown in scope and sophistication with various interdisciplinary approaches adopted to address assessment challenges in different languages. The vocabulary quality hypothesis indicates that comprehension depends on high-quality vocabulary representations, and anecdotal evidence suggests that vocabulary knowledge should play a significant role in a second language, as part of language assessment. This article reports on observations made when analysing whether the relative strength of vocabulary breadth and depth in First Additional Language (FAL) Siswati examination papers contributes toward quality and improved Grade 12 examination results. These observations lend weight to an argument on the importance of vocabulary knowledge and competence among learners, as shown in similar research studies in English as an additional language (EAL) that acknowledge a lack of vocabulary knowledge as having the potential to influence learners’ academic success in reading comprehension, which is a specific and important academic skill EAL learners have been shown to struggle with. These observations are within the scope of the current Grade 12 examinations in African languages with respect to their adherence to national standards prescribed by Umalusi as the quality assurance body for the Grade 12 examinations. Recommendations for quality enhancement are made for adaptation in future standards reviews, and further research opportunities are highlighted.