Lexical skills formation among high school seniors and undergraduates at non- linguistic colleges

The article deals with peculiarities of lexical skills formation among students at schools and non-linguistic colleges. Analysis of the Russian State Exam papers reveals a number of problems with the acquisition of lexical skills. Roots of lexical inaccuracies are examined, as well as possible ways of eliminating them. Practical solutions are recommended for overcoming difficulties while teaching lexis, particularly building up both productive and non-productive vocabularies.