Test of Russian as a Foreign Language

The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL) (Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

: Тест по русскому языку как иностранному or ТРКИ) is a standardised test supervised by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science

Russian Ministry of Education

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation oversees scientific institutions, education and school accreditation in the Russian Federation...

.
The test has six levels, conforming to schema of the Association of Language Testers in Europe

Association of Language Testers in Europe

The Association of Language Testers in Europe is an association of language exam providers.The ALTE "Can Do" project developed a simplified set of 400+ descriptors for language examinations which relate to the Common Reference Levels...

, and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated as CEFR, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly, in other countries...

Origins

The test was designed as part of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It began in 1992 and has now become the standard test of Russian as a Foreign Language. Since 1998 it is obligatory to enter Russian universities.

Levels

In 2009 the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation introduced the new federal state requirements for Russian as a foreign language. According to them there are 5 level: basic, first, second, third and forth level.

Level	Competencies	Enables holder to	Minimum vocabulary (words)
Elementary (part of the Basic level)	Successful performance in the Elementary Test represents a standard of initial competence in Russian which enables a candidate to satisfy his elementary communicative needs in a limited number of everyday situations.		750
Basic	Successful performance in the Preliminary Test represents a standard of competence in Russian which enables a candidate to satisfy basic communicative needs in a limited number of situations in everyday and cultural spheres.	This level is required to obtain a Russian citizenship by naturalization. Not enough to study at the Russian educational institutions, except for preparatory faculties (programs or courses) for foreigners.	1300
Level 1 (Intermediate)	Successful performance in the First Level Certificate indicates an intermediate level of competence, which enables a candidate to satisfy his main communicative needs in everyday, cultural, educational and professional spheres in line with the State Standard of Competence in Russian as a Foreign Language.	Enter Russian higher educational institutions, with obligatory further studies of the Russian language. The level is usually achieved after the one-year preparatory course.	2300
Level 2 (Advanced)	Successful performance in the Second Level Certificate indicates a high level of competence in Russian which enables a candidate to satisfy his communicative needs in a wide range of situations of cultural,educational and professional spheres.	Receive Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. degrees from Russian universities, excluding certain subjects.	10 000
Level 3 (Proficiency)	Successful performance in the Third Level Certificate in Russian indicates an advanced level of competence in Russian which enables a candidate to communicate fluently in all communicative spheres, to do scientific research in Russian and to teach Russian in courses at an Elementary level.	Participate professionally in philology, translation and interpreting, editing, journalism, diplomatic service and management in a Russian speaking environment; receive Diplomas, Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. degrees in these fields (except specialists' and Masters' of Art Degree in Philology)	12 000 (7 000 of them in active vocabulary)
Level 4 (Fluency)	Successful performance in the Fourth Level Certificate indicates Proficiency in Russian and candidate's competence is close to that of native Russian speaker's competence.	Receive a Master of Arts degree in philology, undertake all forms of work in Russian philology	20 000 (8 000 of them in active vocabulary)

Test Content

Each level test contains five sections. In the first day 3 parts: Lexis and Grammar, Reading, Listening and in the second day the last two: Writing and Speaking, are passed.

Level comparison with common EFL tests, ALTE and CEFR

TORFL	ALTE Alte In James A. Michener's novel The Drifters, Alte serves as the main setting of the chapter Algarve, being recommended to the protagonists by a customs officer who wants them "to know Portugal at its best."-External links:***... level	CEFR Common European Framework of Reference for Languages The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated as CEFR, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly, in other countries... level	ESOL exam University of Cambridge ESOL examination University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations is a non-profit assessment organization that provides examinations in English language ability for non-native speakers of English and English teaching qualifications.- Overview :...	IELTS IELTS IELTS , or 'International English Language Testing System', is an international standardised test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Pty Ltd, and was established in 1989.There are two versions of... exam	TOEIC TOEIC The Test of English for International Communication measures the ability of non-native English-speaking examinees to use English in everyday workplace activities.-Overview:...	TOEFL TOEFL The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL , evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting....
Level 4	Level 5	C2	CPE	7.5+	—	—
Level 3	Level 4	C1	CAE	6.5–7	950+	270+
Level 2	Level 3	B2	FCE	5–6	785–949	227–269
Level 1	Level 2	B1	PET	3.5–4.5	550–784	163–226
Basic	Level 1	A2	KET	3	225–549	96–162
Elementary	Breakthrough	A1	—	1–2	120–224	—

External links

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