AS Course Outline
What Is Russian?
Russian will be suited to the candidates who are linguistically inclined or think about a
future career in languages. It will also be suited to those who wish to combine language
study with humanities, as well as to those who are keen to take up a foreign language in
combination with technical subjects. Students taking Russian at AS would benefit from
the prior learning of Russian (to an intermediate level), although no formal GCSE
experience is required.
The subject at A-level aims to advance the candidates’ main language skills – speaking,
reading, writing and listening and comprehension. But it’s far from being a pure language
study. At AS it is closely linked to the Russian culture, history and modern life, literature
and art. At A2 it takes on a more international dimension and includes the study of the
main international issues and events, customs, traditions, beliefs and religions.
Main Topic Areas Include:
At the end of the AS, the students will have two exams in which they will be required to
demonstrate their main language skills and the knowledge of the following areas:
- Youth culture and concerns;
- Lifestyle: health and fitness;
- The world around us: travel, tourism, environmental issues and the Russian speaking
world; and
- Education and employment.
What skills will the students develop when studying Russian?
In addition to the language skills described above, the new specification supports the
development of the following skills: communication, information and communication
technology, improving own learning and performance, and working with others. I’d like
to add presentation skills, research skills and essay writing.
| Russian (Edexcel) AS Specification |
|
Unit 1
8-10 min
30% of the AS
marks
15% of the GCE
marks
|
Spoken Expression and Response in Russian
Students converse in Russian on a general topic area that they have
chosen in advance.
The exam is divided into two sections:
1. the students respond to Edexcel-set questions on a stimulus
related to the student’s chosen topic area; and
2. the teacher engages the student in a further discussion
relating to the same general topic area.
|
|
Unit 2
2hrs 30 min
70% of the AS
marks
35% of the GCE
marks
|
Understanding and Written Response in Russian
Students understand and convey their understanding of Russian language
texts and recordings.
The exam is divided into three sections:
1. students listen to authentic Russian-language texts and
answer questions;
2. students read authentic printed materials and answer
questions; and
3. write a 150-165 words’ essay in Russian in response to a
Russian-language stimulus.
|
Structure of the Course
Usually, this course is taught for 3 hrs (2 lessons) a week but this will depend on an individual
candidate’s level. Homework is given after each lesson and should be done on time, to ensure
progress.
Recommended Reading
The specification recommends the following textbooks although, they say, they “are not directly
mapped to this specification”:
- Daphne West and Michael Ransome Tranzit: A Bridge to Advanced Russian Language
Studies (Bramcote Press, 1999)
- Daphne West and Michael Ransome Kompas: An Advanced Russian course for Schools
and Colleges (Bramcote Press, 2002)
- Olga Glazunova Davaite govorit po-russki, 3rd edition (russkii iazyk, 2005)
