Grading and Sequencing

How content items are ordered within a syllabus. Grading = grouping items by difficulty level. Sequencing = deciding the order of presentation.

Criteria for Grading

• Frequency — more frequent items first (corpus-informed; e.g., BNC COCA Headword Lists (2K 3K 4K))
• Complexity — structurally simpler before complex (e.g., present simple before present perfect continuous)
• Learnability — what learners are developmentally ready for (Pienemann's Teachability Hypothesis, 1985)
• Communicative need — what learners need most urgently for real-world use
• Contrastive difficulty — L1–L2 distance affects acquisition order

Sequencing Patterns

• Linear — each item taught once, then the syllabus moves on. Risk: insufficient recycling.
• Cyclical / Spiral — items revisited at increasing depth (Bruner's spiral curriculum). Better for language learning where mastery requires repeated exposure.
• Modular — self-contained units that can be reordered to suit learner needs.

Practical Implications

• No single criterion is sufficient — grading decisions involve trade-offs
• Natural acquisition orders (e.g., morpheme studies) may conflict with pedagogic grading
• Sequencing interacts with Needs Analysis — high-priority needs may override complexity-based ordering
• Effective recycling (spacing, interleaving) is as important as initial sequencing