MATSEC IM Greek study plan
MATSEC IM Greek · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Listening and Reading Comprehension & Grammar and Vocabulary
Read one 250-word unseen Greek informational text daily and mark main idea plus two supporting details without a dictionary on first pass
Build a personal vocabulary log of 120 high-frequency Greek words (top 60 nouns, 30 verbs, 30 adjectives/adverbs) with article, genitive form and one example sentence each
Listen to one 2-minute Greek audio passage (news or dialogue) three times per session and write down five key facts from memory
Identify and correct your own top five recurring grammar errors by reviewing a written sample against a checklist of articles, cases and verb endings
Your checkpoint
A dated vocabulary log of 120 entries plus a one-page error profile listing your five most frequent mistakes with corrected examples
Listening and Reading Comprehension & Grammar and Vocabulary
Complete two timed reading sets per week (20 minutes each) covering narrative and expository Greek texts, scoring comprehension questions and recording accuracy
Conjugate 40 common Greek verbs in present and simple past (active voice) in writing, checking person and accent placement
Summarise each listening passage in three Greek sentences, then compare against the transcript and note missed words
Classify 60 new words by gender and declension pattern and test yourself on them from memory the following day
Your checkpoint
A scored reading log for four timed sets with percentage accuracy and a corrected list of every missed comprehension item
Grammar and Vocabulary & Translation (Greek–English / English–Greek)
Drill noun and adjective agreement across nominative, accusative and genitive for 50 noun phrases in writing
Translate 15 short Greek sentences (10-15 words) into English, marking every case ending that determined your choice
Translate 15 short English sentences into Greek, then self-correct against a grammar checklist for articles, verb endings and word order
Memorise 20 fixed Greek expressions and connectors (e.g. discourse markers, prepositions with set cases) and use each in a written sentence
Your checkpoint
A translation portfolio of 30 sentence pairs (15 Greek-to-English, 15 English-to-Greek) with a corrections column showing what you changed and why
Translation (Greek–English / English–Greek) & Listening and Reading Comprehension
Translate two 100-word Greek passages into fluent English within 25 minutes each, prioritising natural English syntax over literal rendering
Translate two 100-word English passages into Greek, checking case government of prepositions and agreement of adjectives
Complete a full timed listening-and-reading mock under exam conditions and record section scores
Review every translation error and tag it as vocabulary, grammar or style, then prioritise the largest tag category for week 5
Your checkpoint
One full timed mock of Domain 1 with section scores plus a tagged error tally across all four translation passages
Translation (Greek–English / English–Greek) & Written Production and Cultural Background
Produce two 150-word Greek compositions (one argumentative, one descriptive) using a plan-outline-write-revise cycle
Self-edit each composition twice: once for grammar and case agreement, once for register and cohesion
Translate a 150-word English cultural or historical text into Greek, maintaining formal register and correct terminology
Draft a one-page summary in Greek of a key cultural topic (e.g. modern Greek history, literature or everyday customs) using at least eight new domain-specific terms
Your checkpoint
Two revised 150-word Greek compositions with a tracked-changes version showing at least five self-corrections per text
Written Production and Cultural Background & Grammar and Vocabulary
Write three timed 200-word Greek essays (35 minutes each) on cultural and social prompts, planning for two minutes before writing
Use at least six advanced grammatical structures per essay (subjunctive, conditional, passive, relative clauses) and underline them for review
Compile a 40-term cultural glossary in Greek with English glosses covering history, geography, arts and institutions
Read one short Greek literary or journalistic extract daily and note five stylistic features you could reuse in your own writing
Your checkpoint
Three timed 200-word essays with a self-assessment grid scoring task completion, grammar accuracy and range of structures
Listening and Reading Comprehension & Translation (Greek–English / English–Greek) & Written Production and Cultural Background
Sit two full timed mock exams covering all four domains and record scores per section
Re-translate the weakest five passages from weeks 3-6 and compare against your earlier versions to measure improvement
Write one 250-word Greek essay under full exam timing and mark it against a rubric you build from the syllabus criteria
Review all vocabulary logs and retire 80 words you now know cold while adding 40 replacement items
Your checkpoint
Two complete mock exam score sheets with per-domain percentages and a shortlist of the three weakest skills to target in week 8
Listening and Reading Comprehension & Grammar and Vocabulary & Translation (Greek–English / English–Greek) & Written Production and Cultural Background
Run three timed mini-mocks (one domain per day) to rebuild speed and stamina under exam conditions
Rehearse the 15 most frequent grammar traps from your error profile until each is produced correctly three times in a row
Complete a final full mock and compare section scores against week 7 to confirm upward movement
Consolidate a one-page exam-day strategy sheet covering timing per section, checking routines and common pitfalls
Your checkpoint
A final full mock with all four section scores plus a one-page personalised exam-day strategy sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 60% on timed reading comprehension sets and recall 100 of the 120 logged week-1 vocabulary items from memory
Week 4: Achieve at least 65% on the full Domain 1 mock and submit 30 corrected translation sentence pairs with fewer than five uncorrected case-ending errors
Week 6: Produce three 200-word Greek essays within time limits, each scoring at least 60% on your self-assessment grid and containing six or more advanced structures
Week 8: Score at least 70% in every domain on the final mock and show improvement over week 7 in at least three of the four sections