Estonian Basic-School Estonian as a Second Language Exam study plan
Estonian Basic-School Estonian as a Second Language Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Reading comprehension & Language use: grammar and vocabulary
Diagnose current level by completing one full-length reading task and one grammar/vocabulary task under timed conditions, then tabulate error types by category (case endings, verb forms, word order, vocabulary gaps).
Build a personal vocabulary log of 120 high-frequency exam-register nouns, verbs and adjectives drawn from short B1-level Estonian news and textbook texts, recording each word with its genitive and partitive forms.
Review the 14 noun cases systematically, writing one original example sentence per case and marking which cases appear most in the reading texts you analysed.
Set up a spaced-repetition deck and schedule daily 15-minute review blocks so that week-1 vocabulary is revisited at least four times before week 2.
Your checkpoint
A written diagnostic report (one page) listing your top five recurring error categories with counts, plus a 120-entry vocabulary deck with genitive and partitive forms filled in.
Reading comprehension & Language use: grammar and vocabulary
Read four authentic short texts (300-400 words each: a news item, an informational brochure, a personal letter, a short literary excerpt) and answer self-written comprehension questions on main idea, specific detail and inference.
Practise scanning for specific information by locating dates, numbers and names in unseen texts within a two-minute limit per text, then verify accuracy.
Drill verb conjugation in the present and simple past, converting 40 sentences from one tense to the other and checking person and number agreement.
Identify and practise the object case rules (partitive vs total object, including the negative and imperative exceptions) by correcting 25 deliberately faulty sentences you write yourself.
Your checkpoint
A reading portfolio of four texts with your answers, a corrected error list, and a 40-sentence tense-conversion sheet scored for accuracy (target 85% correct).
Listening comprehension & Language use: grammar and vocabulary
Listen to 20 minutes of Estonian audio daily (podcasts, radio news, graded listening material), split into 5-minute segments with transcript checking after each segment.
Train bottom-up listening by transcribing 10 short utterances (10-15 words each) verbatim and comparing with the transcript to catalogue sound-spelling mismatches, especially vowel length and consonant gradation.
Practise recognising the three quantity degrees in listening by marking short vs long vs overlong sounds in 30 minimal pairs and confirming with audio.
Consolidate word-order rules (verb-second in main clauses, inverted order after fronted adverbials) by rewriting 30 sentences and reading them aloud.
Your checkpoint
A listening log covering seven days of audio with verbatim transcripts of 10 utterances and a written list of at least 15 sound-spelling patterns you now recognise reliably.
Listening comprehension & Reading comprehension
Complete two timed listening sets modelled on the exam format (short dialogues, announcements, monologues) and score them, tracking which question types lose the most marks.
Complete two timed reading sets and practise the strategy of reading questions first, then locating answers, reducing average time per text to the exam pace.
Shadow 15 minutes of audio daily, repeating aloud immediately after the speaker to improve decoding speed and intonation.
Summarise each listening passage in three spoken sentences within 60 seconds to link listening with production.
Your checkpoint
A mid-point score sheet showing listening and reading results for two timed sets each, with percentage scores and a written note on the two question types you will target in weeks 5-6.
Writing & Language use: grammar and vocabulary
Write five short functional texts (a note, an informal email, a short opinion paragraph, a description of a person, a description of a place) of 80-120 words each, using a checklist for case endings, verb agreement and connectors.
Self-edit each text twice: first for grammar using an error checklist, then for cohesion, adding at least three appropriate linking words per text.
Learn and actively use 20 formal and semi-formal connectors and phrases suited to exam writing, practising each in one original sentence.
Rewrite the weakest of your five texts into a polished final version, comparing drafts to identify what changed and why.
Your checkpoint
A writing folder of five texts with first drafts, marked-up corrections and one polished rewrite, plus a personal error checklist of at least 10 items derived from your own mistakes.
Writing & Reading comprehension
Write two longer texts (150-180 words) under a 30-minute time limit, one narrative and one opinion-based, then self-assess against a written rubric covering task completion, range, accuracy and cohesion.
Read two model-style texts you write yourself in different registers and identify which vocabulary and structures transfer to your own writing.
Practise paraphrasing: rewrite 15 sentences from your reading texts in your own words without changing meaning, focusing on synonyms and structural shifts.
Build a personal phrase bank of 30 sentence frames for opening, developing and closing a written response, and integrate at least 10 into timed practice.
Your checkpoint
Two timed essays written in 30 minutes each, scored against your rubric, plus a 30-item phrase bank you can recall without notes.
Speaking & Listening comprehension
Record yourself speaking for two minutes on eight exam-style prompts (self-introduction, daily routine, an opinion, describing a picture you describe from memory, a short narration) and review each recording against a checklist.
Practise a three-part speaking structure: respond to a question, add one reason, add one example, completing 20 such turns aloud.
Hold two 15-minute conversation sessions with a partner or language exchange, focusing on fluency over accuracy, and note recurring hesitation points afterwards.
Do 10 minutes of daily read-aloud from your reading texts to stabilise pronunciation, stress and rhythm, and re-record one early prompt in week 7 to compare.
Your checkpoint
A set of eight self-recordings with written self-assessments, plus a comparison note between your week-7 re-recording and the original version of the same prompt.
Listening comprehension & Reading comprehension & Language use: grammar and vocabulary & Writing & Speaking
Complete two full mock exams under strict timing across all five domains and score each section against the domain weightings.
Review every mock-exam error, classify it as knowledge, strategy or careless, and write a one-line fix for each.
Re-drill your weakest 40 vocabulary items and 10 grammar patterns using spaced repetition and targeted exercises.
Simulate exam-day conditions once more for the two heaviest domains (reading and writing), practising time allocation and checking procedures.
Write a short final self-assessment naming your three strongest and three weakest areas with evidence from mock scores.
Your checkpoint
Two scored full mock exams with a section-by-section score table, a classified error log, and a one-page final self-assessment with evidence-based strengths and weaknesses.
Milestones
Week 2: You can read a 300-word authentic text and answer main-idea, detail and inference questions with at least 70% accuracy, and you correctly convert 85% of present-to-past tense sentences.
Week 4: Timed listening and reading sets both score at least 65%, and you can name the two question types costing you the most marks with evidence from your score sheet.
Week 6: You complete a 150-180 word written response in 30 minutes that meets the task, uses at least 10 phrase-bank frames and contains no more than five self-identified grammar errors.
Week 8: Full mock exams show at least 70% in reading and writing and at least 65% in listening, grammar/vocabulary and speaking, with a written error log and self-assessment completed.