Lexical Cohesive Devices in IELTS Reading Exercises: A Corpus-Assisted Study

Abstract

This research aims to explore the types, frequency, and functions of lexical cohesive devices in IELTS reading passages according to Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) model of cohesion. The study focuses on identifying the lexical cohesive devices used in the reading passages, analyzing their frequency, and examining their functions in creating meaningful and unified texts. A descriptive mixed-method research design was employed to analyze selected IELTS reading passages from the Cambridge IELTS Academic Set 1 to 18. To manage the scope of the study, the researcher selected the first ten books and analyzed the first reading passage from each of the selected books. The data were initially identified and highlighted manually and were subsequently counted and analyzed with the help of AntConc software. The analysis focused on repetition, synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, meronymy, and collocation. The findings show that all the identified types of lexical cohesive devices were used in the selected IELTS reading passages. Across the ten samples, a total of 1,812 lexical cohesive devices were identified. Collocation was the most frequently used lexical cohesive device, with 1,016 instances (56.07%), followed by meronymy with 372 instances (20.53%). Repetition accounted for 115 instances (6.35%), synonymy 116 instances (6.40%), hyponymy 101 instances (5.57%), and antonymy 92 instances (5.08%). The findings further demonstrate that lexical cohesive devices perform different functions in the reading passages. Repetition reinforces key concepts, synonymy provides lexical variation, antonymy creates contrast, hyponymy provides category and conceptual clarity, meronymy establishes part-whole relationships, and collocation contributes to the natural flow and contextual appropriateness of the text. The study concludes that lexical cohesive devices play an important role in connecting ideas and maintaining unity and meaningfulness in IELTS reading passages. The findings may benefit teachers and second language learners by increasing their awareness of lexical cohesion and its functions in IELTS reading comprehension.