A Critical Study of the Alignment between English Communicative Competency and Example Sentences in the 2022 Revised Korean English Curriculum

This study investigates the extent to which the 2022 Revised Korean English Curriculum’s reconceptualization of English communicative competency is instantiated in the example sentences for communicative functions. While the curriculum posits this competency as a meta-competency integrating the six core competencies, the examples privilege grammatical accuracy and formulaic expressions, giving scant attention to sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic dimensions. This misalignment undercuts the curriculum’s aim of cultivating integrated, future-oriented competency. Because Annex 2 serves as guidance for teachers, textbook writers, and test developers, its reductionism risks entrenching a structuralist orientation. The analysis also examines design problems traceable to the Seventh Curriculum, notably limited developmental progression and weak contextual appropriateness. Accordingly, the study recommends a redesign to strengthen the linkage between curricular goals and classroom practice.