MATSEC SEC Latin study plan

MATSEC SEC Latin · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Latin language and literature (SEC syllabus)

Build a one-page reference of the five noun declensions and conjugate the present, imperfect and future indicative active of regular verbs in all four conjugations from memory
Parse and translate 40 noun phrases from unseen short sentences, labelling case, number, gender and function each time
Memorise the six infinitives and the present imperative forms active and passive for all conjugations
Read one prepared passage of adapted prose aloud daily, marking every subordinate clause

A handwritten grammar card set (declensions plus four conjugation tables) self-tested with zero errors on a blank-page rewrite

Week 2

Drill the perfect, pluperfect and future perfect active stems and endings across all conjugations, including the irregular verbs esse, posse, ferre, ire and velle
Translate 30 short sentences from Latin into English, underlining every verb and stating its tense, mood, voice, person and number
Compose 15 original Latin sentences of six words or more using at least three cases and two tenses
Identify and correct deliberately faulty verb forms in a list of 20 sentences

A marked translation exercise of 30 sentences with written parsing notes for every verb, checked against a grammar reference

Week 3

Master the passive voice in all tenses and the ablative of agent construction
Drill deponent and semi-deponent verbs to the point of automatic recognition
Translate 25 sentences containing passives and deponents, distinguishing true passive from deponent meaning
Convert 15 active sentences into passive Latin and back again, keeping tense consistent

A two-way transformation worksheet (active to passive and passive to active) of 30 sentences with a corrections log

Week 4

Master all five subjunctive tenses active and passive, plus the sequence of tenses rules
Classify and translate 40 subordinate clauses, naming each type: purpose, result, cum-clauses, indirect command, indirect question, fear clause
Identify all uses of the cases beyond the basic ones: partitive, ablative absolute, predicative dative, genitive of value
Translate one continuous adapted narrative of about 150 words without dictionary help

A clause-identification table covering 40 clauses with type, tense, mood and translation, plus a full translation of one 150-word passage

Week 5

Master irregular and defective nouns, pronouns including is, ille, hic, ipse and the relative pronoun, across all cases
Drill comparison of adjectives and adverbs, plus the ablative of comparison and quam constructions
Drill numerals, time expressions and the main prepositions with the cases they govern
Translate 30 sentences dense in pronouns and comparatives, resolving every ambiguous reference

A pronoun and comparison reference sheet plus a 30-sentence translation set with all pronoun antecedents explicitly identified

Week 6

Translate two unseen prose passages of 120 to 150 words each in 45 minutes under timed conditions
Scan each unseen passage first for verbs, then subjects, then cases, applying a fixed four-step reading routine
Build a personal error log from the timed passages, grouping mistakes by grammar category
Memorise 60 high-frequency vocabulary items drawn from your own error log, testing recall both directions

Two timed unseen translations with a written error log and a revised 60-item vocabulary list with self-test scores

Week 7

Read one prescribed verse text closely, scanning the metre and marking elision and caesura in at least 30 lines
Translate 30 lines of verse into clear English, then write a short commentary on imagery, word order and sound effects
Compare two translations of the same passage and justify which renders the Latin more faithfully
Revise the set cultural and literary background topics the syllabus requires, making a dated timeline

A scansion-and-commentary booklet on 30 lines of verse with a dated timeline of the relevant historical and literary period

Week 8

Sit two full mock papers under exam timing, one prose and one verse, without notes
Mark each mock against a mark scheme, recording raw scores per question type
Re-teach the three weakest grammar areas identified by the mocks, using fresh exercises
Recite from memory the declension and conjugation tables, the subjunctive sequence rules and 100 vocabulary items

Two completed timed mock papers with scored mark-scheme breakdowns and a one-page final revision sheet of your three weakest areas

Week 2: Can parse and translate any regular verb form in all indicative tenses, active and passive, with no reference sheet

Week 4: Can identify and correctly translate every common subordinate clause type in an unseen 150-word passage

Week 6: Completes an unseen 120-word prose passage in 45 minutes with a defensible translation of every sentence

Week 8: Scores at or above your target grade on both timed mocks and can list the three areas still needing work