Estonian Basic-School Russian Language and Literature Exam study plan
Estonian Basic-School Russian Language and Literature Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Reading comprehension of Russian texts & Vocabulary and phraseology
Read one 400–500-word Russian informational text daily (news digest, school textbook excerpt, popular-science note) and mark every unknown word.
Build a personal vocabulary log of 80 high-frequency words and stable phrases drawn from those texts, grouped by topic (school, family, nature, city).
Answer 10 explicit-detail and main-idea questions per text in writing, in Russian, using full sentences.
Practise guessing meaning from context: for 20 unknown words per session, write a one-line Russian definition before checking a dictionary.
Your checkpoint
A dated reading log covering 6 texts: each entry contains the text's main idea in 2 Russian sentences, 5 comprehension questions with answers, and a 15-word vocabulary extract.
Reading comprehension of Russian texts & Vocabulary and phraseology
Read two longer Russian texts (600–800 words) and separate main ideas from supporting details in a two-column table.
Identify the function of 30 connective and reference words (однако, поэтому, к тому же, это, такой) and explain what each links in the text.
Convert 25 neutral words into their phraseological equivalents (e.g. очень быстро → сломя голову) and record the register difference.
Summarise each text in 5 Russian sentences without copying source wording.
Your checkpoint
Two written Russian summaries of 5 sentences each, plus a 30-item connective-and-phraseology table with the source sentence quoted for each entry.
Grammar and orthography & Vocabulary and phraseology
Drill the case system: produce 40 noun–adjective–pronoun phrases across all six cases, with and without prepositions.
Conjugate 30 verbs of the first and second conjugation in present and past tense, marking stress shifts.
Apply the core orthographic rules (unstressed vowels after ж, ш, ц; ь after sibilants; не with different parts of speech) to 60 gapped sentences.
Write 20 sentences that each require a deliberate choice between perfective and imperfective aspect, then justify each choice in one line.
Your checkpoint
A self-marked 60-item grammar-and-orthography test (cases, conjugation, spelling rules) with a written correction note for every error, scoring at least 80%.
Grammar and orthography & Reading comprehension of Russian texts
Parse and correct 30 complex sentences containing participles and gerunds (причастные и деепричастные обороты).
Complete 25 cloze passages where the missing item is a case ending or a preposition governing a case.
Time yourself on one full-length reading section (3 texts, mixed question types) in 45 minutes and review every wrong answer by locating the exact line that decides it.
Rewrite 10 of your own incorrect sentences into correct Russian and state the rule applied.
Your checkpoint
One timed reading mock scored and fully reviewed, with an error-cause list classifying each mistake as vocabulary, grammar, or misreading.
Writing: short functional texts and structured composition & Listening comprehension in Russian
Write six short functional texts in Russian (invitation, apology note, request to a teacher, announcement, short personal email, opinion paragraph of 80–100 words) following register and format conventions.
Listen to 15 minutes of graded Russian audio daily (dialogue, short report, announcement) and take notes on speaker, situation, and key facts.
Transcribe 10 short audio segments of 30–60 seconds and compare your transcription with the recording to find missed sounds and endings.
Use a self-editing checklist (case endings, verb aspect, word order, punctuation in complex sentences) on every text you write.
Your checkpoint
A portfolio of six edited functional texts, each with a first draft, a marked-up revision, and a 3-line note on what you changed and why.
Writing: short functional texts and structured composition & Listening comprehension in Russian
Plan and write one structured composition of 180–220 words (narrative or opinion) with a clear introduction, two developed body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Draft and revise that composition twice, cutting filler and replacing vague words with precise ones.
Complete two listening mocks (short dialogues plus a longer monologue) under exam timing and mark them against the transcript.
Practise predicting content from question stems before listening, and record three predictions per task to check afterwards.
Your checkpoint
One polished 200-word Russian composition with an outline, a first draft, and a final version, plus two scored listening mocks with transcripts annotated for missed cues.
Russian literature: knowledge of works, authors, genres and themes & Literary analysis and interpretation of a literary text
Map the required reading list by author, work, genre, and central theme, and state the plot of each work in five Russian sentences.
Identify and explain 15 key literary terms (тема, идея, конфликт, герой, пейзаж, портрет, антитеза) using examples from the works you have read.
Write a close-reading analysis of one short poem or excerpt: describe the speaker, the central image, the tone, and one device that supports the theme.
Compare two works on a shared theme and state one clear difference in how each treats it.
Your checkpoint
A one-page literature grid covering every required work (author, genre, theme, 5-sentence plot) plus a 250-word close-reading analysis with quoted evidence.
Literary analysis and interpretation of a literary text & Reading comprehension of Russian texts & Writing: short functional texts and structured composition
Write two timed analytical responses of 150–200 words on unseen literary excerpts, each citing at least two textual details as evidence.
Sit one full timed mock across reading, listening, grammar, and writing, and score each section separately.
Re-audit your personal error log from weeks 1–7 and re-do every item you previously got wrong.
Produce a final one-page exam-day strategy sheet covering time allocation per section, order of answering, and the three errors you most often make.
Your checkpoint
A complete scored mock exam with a section-by-section score table, a rewritten version of every failed item, and a one-page exam-day strategy sheet.
Milestones
Week 4: Score at least 80% on the 60-item grammar-and-orthography test and finish the timed reading mock within 45 minutes with at least 70% correct, with every error traced to a specific line or rule.
Week 6: Produce a 200-word composition that passes your own editing checklist with no more than three corrected errors in case endings or aspect, and score at least 70% on both listening mocks.
Week 8: Complete the full timed mock with at least 75% overall, at least 70% in every section, and a finished error log in which every previously wrong item has been redone correctly.