Levels of Competence in Russian as a Foreign Language

Education in Russia for Foreigners

1. get acquainted with somebody;
2. name his/her profession and occupation;
3. inquire and give biographical information about himself/herself and third person;
4. inquire and inform about the hobbies, interests;
5. say holiday greetings (public, national or family holiday);
6. thank, reply to the greetings; express a desire;
7. give/accept a present; invite for the holiday, for a visit; accept an invitation/refuse an invitation, explain the reason of refusal;
8. agree upon time and place of meeting;
9. find out and give address, phone number;
10. find out /give information about the locations; how to get there; whether it is far or close to go there; what is the fare, how to pay the fare; know how to use transport schedule, signs at the streets, stations, airport;
11. tell how the excursion went off, give an appraisal of it;
12. suggest/ accept the offer to have breakfast/ lunch/dinner/supper at the restaurant, café; re-fuse the offer, explain the reason of refusal; agree upon place and time of meeting; read the menu; order foods and drinks; find out/ give in-formation about favorite dishes, one's choice; pay for the lunch/dinner.

Official requirements: skills and competences you should have at the basic level in Russian as foreign language:

1. be able to read short simple texts from different sources (name of magazines and newspapers, signboards, direction signs, notices etc.); understand the basic and additional information from the adapted cross-cultural, journalistic and social texts;
2. be able to write a short letter, a memo, a greeting card etc., to present the main content of the source text with the help of the questions;
3. understand the main information (theme, reference to place, time, cause etc.) presented in single dialogues and monologues on everyday and sociocultural topics;
4. be able to initiate a dialogue in simple standard situations; maintain the dialogue about yourself, your friends, family, study, job, learning of foreign language, working day, free time, hometown, health or weather and formulate your own statement based on the text you've read;
5. use grammar and lexical skills to formulate statements about your plans in a limited number of situations.

However, the basic competence in Russian as a foreign language is not enough to study at the Russian educational institutions, except for preparatory faculties (programs or courses) for foreigners where future students receive a one-year special language training.

Official requirements: В1:

Official requirements: В1:
1. be able to read short texts from newspapers, magazines and books; understand the main content of the texts, single details and the author's evaluations;
2. be able to write a text of 20 sentences on one of the given topics: yourself, your family, study, learning a foreign language, working day, free time, hometown, health or weather; write a short summery of a text you read or heard on a given topic;
3. understand short dialogues and extract factual information (theme, time, relations, characteristics of the objects, purposes, causes); understand expanded dialogues and express your own judgment about the statements and actions of the speakers, understand spoken announcements, news, sociocultural information;
4. be able to participate in dialogues in a significantly wide range of everyday situations, initiate, maintain and end a dialogue; speak on different topics (about yourself, your job, profession, interests, country, city, culture etc.); formulate an own statement based on the sociocultural text you've read before;
5. use grammar and lexical skills for formulating statements related to the needs arising in simple standard situations.

The minimum vocabulary should reach 2300 items already.

The first level of competence in Russian as a foreign language is enough to enter Russian education institutions, in particular higher education institutions, i.e. universities, institutes and academies. As a rule, this level is achieved by students who have completed the preparatory programs (faculties or courses) for foreigners after one-year special language training.

Official requirements: В2:

1. be able to read various journalistic and literary descriptive or narrative texts with elements of argumentation and combined sorts of texts with a clearly expressed author's position.
2. be able to write plans, thesis or synopsis based on the texts you've read or heard; write own informative texts in form a of private or business letter, as well as official texts (such as applications, requests etc.).
3. understand dialogues from everyday communication with clearly expressed positions of the speakers; radio news, advertising; dialogues from feature films and TV programs with clearly expressed relations between the speakers;
4. be able to maintain dialogue by implementing the given communication strategy; act as initiator of an interrogation dialogue; speak about what you've seen and express your own view and evaluation, analyze a topic in a free speech situation;
5. be able to perceive and use lexical and grammatical language means in an adequate way to ensure the correct linguistic form of the phrase.

The vocabulary minimum should reach 10 000 items.

The second level of competence in Russian as a foreign language is a prerequisite for receiving bachelor's or master's degrees at the Russian higher education institutions (except for bachelor's or master's degree in philology).

Official requirements: C1:

1. understand and adequately interpret texts related to the sociocultural and official areas of communication and be able to read Russian literature. Here, it is implied that sociocultural texts should contain a relatively high amount of familiar information. Official texts mean legal acts and official statements.
2. be able to write a synopsis, summary, formal/ informal letter or a paper on a problematic issue on the basis of a written or spoken text showing the ability to analyze and evaluate the given information; be able to write an own text on a problematic issue (article, essay, letter).
3. understand an audio-text as a whole, understand details, show the ability to evaluate spoken speech (radio and TV programs, films extracts, recorded public speeches etc.) and judge about the relation of the speaker to the subject matter;
4. be able to maintain a dialogue using various linguistic means to achieve different goals and implement various speaking strategies; act as initiator of the conversation dialogue aimed at resolution of a conflict situation in the process of communication; perform an argumentative monologue on moral issues; promote and give arguments in favor of the own opinion in a free speech situation;
5. be able to show knowledge of the language system by using linguistic units and structural relations needed for understanding and formulation of single phrases and phrases being part of original texts or their extracts.

The minimum vocabulary should reach 12 000 items, 7 000 of them in active vocabulary.

This Certificate is a prerequisite for receiving a bachelor's degree in philology at the Russian higher education institutions.

Official requirements: C2 :

1. understand and adequately interpret original texts from all subject areas: abstract philosophical, professionally-related, journalistic and literary texts having a hidden or a conceptual meaning;
2. be able to write own texts reflecting personal view on the subject matter as well as appellative texts;
3. have a maximum understanding of radio and TV programs, extracts from films, teleplays, radio plays, recorded public speeches etc., perceive sociocultural and emotional peculiarities of the speaker's manner in an adequate way and interpret popular quotations and hidden meaning.
4. be able to achieve any communication goals in a prepared and non-prepared dialogue conversation, including public communication, showing the ability to implement the speaking strategy typical of the dialogue initiator who seeks to influence the listener;
5. show knowledge of the linguistic system demonstrating understanding and ability to use linguistic units and structural relations needed for understanding and formulating of single phrases and phrases being part of original texts or their extracts in view of their stylistically marked use.

The minimum vocabulary should reach 20 000 items, 8 000 of them in active vocabulary.

This certificate is a prerequisite for receiving a master's degree in philology at the Russian higher education institutions that entitles to every kind of teaching or scientific activities in the area of the Russian language.