A level Russian :)

I will be starting A level Russian in September (providing I get the right GCSE results). I was wondering if anyone already studies it, and if they have any tips... are there things I should try to learn to before I start to make it easier?

Reply 1

xmarilynx

I know someone who has...

MarinaM

:surprise:

Reply 2

username330427

YO.

In my opinion, AS Russian isn't a massive step up from GCSE - I just recommend you revise your cases, and start to learn around the vocabulary, if you want to get up. I believe the AS topics are health and fitness, youth and culture, work and education, and the environment - possibly? You can double check the specification on the Edexcel website, but as I've done the whole A-Level now, I have long since forgotten what I did at AS. That, and my teacher's methods were a little different to most, especially as I have a native background to my advantage. :colondollar:

Edit: YOU'VE NOT DONE IT BEFORE? In which case, I'd take a totally different tack, and suggest you learn the alphabet first, and then maybe a few grammar basics like pronouns and how verbs are declined, along with some basic vocabulary with which you can practise the rules. Ahaha, it's late, I apologise. :colondollar:

Reply 3

littleshambles

Haha.

I just tried an AS Level Russian reading and writing paper after doing it ab initio at university for a year. [I'm assuming that A Level Fast Track (which I had never heard of!) is going to be more like that than doing a usual A Level.]. It doesn't seem very difficult now. But I would suggest these things:

- Learn the alphabet (obviously)

- Get some listening practice in to learn your vocabulary with - www.livemocha.com are REALLY good for this. They have lessons which give you words with the sounds pronounced by a native speaker. That way you can learn listening, vocab and pronunciation at the same time.

- You can try to learn some grammar, or also just read about the grammar of the language so that nothing is a real shock when it comes to learning it. Get a good comprehensive (but not too comprehensive!) grammar. I use the Oxford one and it's very good, but I'm not sure if a less complicated one would have been better when I was just starting out, as I didn't use it at all (also the seven million rules it makes up for forming the perfective fail to mask the fact that THERE AREN'T ANY MAN!).

- Listen to Russian music :russia:

That actually only helps a limited amount but uhhhh it's fun.

Reply 4

Banoffeepie16

Thanks everyone that's really useful. Yes, i've never done it before- it's basically a 2-year course like most A-levels but a lot of the first year is learning up to GCSE standard so it's quite fast-paced. Probably explains why you have to have at least a B in a language to do it :yep: