RUSSIAN (PEARSON)

AS Level Course Outline

Why choose Edexcel AS Level Russian?

Languages should appeal to all students, and the new Edexcel AS Level in Russian has been developed to inspire all students who have an appreciation of the language, literature, film and culture of the Russian-speaking world. Edexcel has designed a motivating course of study that will enable students to develop an advanced level knowledge and understanding of the Russian language, the culture of Russia and other neighbouring countries, as well as practical and valuable language and transferable study skills. This specification will help to prepare students for higher education and enhance their employability profile.

Inspiring and engaging themes: The qualification features familiar and popular themes as well as some new content that provides clear links to some of the most fundamental and interesting aspects of the culture of the target language country and communities.

Popular literary texts and films: A rich choice of literary texts and films that includes contemporary and more classical titles, together with authentic source materials from Russia and the wider Russian-speaking world.

Rewards creativity: The assessments place an emphasis on spontaneity and grammar, as well as providing plenty of opportunities for students to apply their knowledge independently and creatively. Clear mark schemes encourage students to develop ideas and use language to persuade and analyse and give critical responses in their writing and speaking.

Clear and coherent structure: The qualification has a straightforward structure with two engaging themes - Changes in Russian Society and Political and Artistic Culture in Russian-Speaking Communities. The two themes are studied alongside either one literary text or one film and assessed through two externally-examined papers and one teacher-examiner conducted speaking assessment (oral).

Manageable content: Content is manageable and appropriate, so that students can be confident that they have enough time to cover what they need to at the appropriate depth.

Continuous progression: The exam content builds on the understanding developed at Key Stage 4 and AS Level and gives students the opportunity to learn and apply important transferable skills in critical thinking and analysis, enabling them to make a smooth transition to the next level of study.

RUSSIAN (EDX)
AS Internal Assessment

Paper 1: Listening, reading and translation (Paper code: 8RU0/01) Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes 40% of the qualification 64 marks This paper draws on vocabulary and structures across both themes. Students are not permitted access to a dictionary during the examination.	Section A: Listening (24 marks) A listening assessment based on a recording of Russian speakers. Students will respond to comprehension questions based on a variety of contexts and sources. Section B: Reading (28 marks) A reading assessment based on a variety of text-types and genres where students will have to respond to comprehension questions. Section C: Translation into English (12 marks) An unseen passage to be translated from Russian to English.
Paper 2: Written response to works and translation (Paper code: 8RU0/02) Written examination: 1 hour 40 minutes 30% of the qualification 60 marks This paper includes a translation exercise and an extended response on either one literary text or one film Text/Film Used in 2019 "The Queen of Spades" by Pushkin "A week like any other" by N. Baranskaya	Section A: Translation (20 marks) Students translate an unseen passage from English into Russian. Section B: Written response to works (literary texts) (40 marks) Students select one question from a choice of two for their chosen literary text. If a student answers a question in this section then they do not complete Section C. Section C: Written response to works (films) (40 marks) Students select one question from a choice of two for their chosen film. If a student answers a question in this section then they do not complete Section B.
Paper 3: Speaking (Paper code: 8RU0/03) Internally conducted and externally assessed Total assessment time: 27 - 30 minutes, which includes a single period of 15 minutes' formal preparation time 30% of the qualification 72 marks	Task 1 (responding to written language and discussion based on Theme 1) Students are provided with two texts and respond to questions on them, followed by a wider discussion on the sub-theme. Task 2 (discussion on Theme 2) Students will choose to discuss one sub-theme from a choice of two sub-themes.

Introductory Reading:
"Nedelia Kak Nedelia" by Natalia Baranskaya (novel)

Further Reading:
"Pickovaya Dama" by A.S.Pushkin (novel)
“Cherry Orchard (Vishneviy Sad)” by Anton Chekhov (play)
“Wings (Krylia)” by Larissa Shepitko (film)