Productive vocabulary is widely recognized as an essential component of second language proficiency, yet it remains one of the most challenging aspects of lexical development. This study investigated whether continuation writing could enhance learners’ productive vocabulary knowledge. In a longitudinal experiment, 75 Chinese EFL learners were assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group completed a continuation writing practice every 2 weeks, followed by a free writing post-test 1 week later; the control group completed independent writing practices and took the same post-tests. A total of 525 essays were collected. Indices of lexical density, diversity, and sophistication were extracted using TAALED and TAALES, and analyzed through linear mixed-effects models and repeated-measures correlation analyses. Results showed that while both task types improved learners’ lexical density and diversity, continuation writing had distinct advantages in promoting lexical sophistication. Compared with the control group, learners in the experimental group used more advanced words, with significant gains observed across successive practice sessions. Moreover, repeated-measures correlation analyses revealed stronger interrelations among the lexical measures in the experimental group. Overall, continuation writing, as a novel reading-to-write task, proved effective in fostering rapid and coordinated growth across multiple dimensions of productive vocabulary.
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