Women have better linguistic abilities than men, according to data released Sunday by the Korean Language and Culture Foundation.

According to a test result analysis of the Test of Korea Language or ToKL between 2007 and 2013, women showed average scores about 4 points higher then men.

The report also showed that the older examinees were, the better their vocabulary was.

While the vocabulary achievement of teenagers reached 61.7 percent, those in their 20s and 40s came at 66.9 percent and 70.9 percent respectively, the foundation said.

The writing skills of the test-takers gradually improved by 11.53 percent points over the seven-year period, reaching 71.73 percent this year.

In terms of regions, Seoul examinees marked the highest with 130.81 out of 200 points, followed by those in Jeju, Daegu and Gangwon.

Test takers in Daejeon and Incheon, on the other hand, showed the lowest average grade with 123. 92 and 125.95 respectively. The national average was 128.84.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)