English has been and remains the most demanded of the foreign languages ​​studied at school. Exams in this subject have become more difficult since oral assignments were introduced several years ago. Will there be any changes in the content of tickets and the procedure for holding the Unified State Exam in English in 2018? What can you do to effectively prepare for the test? How will this help in further study and work?

On the importance of the subject

Few people need to explain today how important knowledge of the English language is in the modern world. This is the language of computer terms, the language of many business documents, just a convenient tool for international communication.

By 2020-2022, it is planned to include it in the list of disciplines for which an exam is required. So far, it remains among the electives, one of the most popular in this category.

Those, who will pass this subject with high results in 2018 can apply for admission to universities in very prestigious, popular specialties... And this is not only specialized foreign languages, diplomacy or computer technology. Good knowledge of English is quoted in educational institutions for training in such areas as:

• regional studies;
• management;
• journalism;
• hotel business;
• philology;
• international relationships;
• world economy;
• sociology and a number of others.

Even in technical universities, sometimes the applicant is given a choice: to count points in physics or English.

In addition to the actual knowledge of the subject, the graduates will also be required to possess technical means, with the help of which the audio recordings on the oral part of the exam will be played. Of course, the members of the commission will help if there are difficulties, but this will take time and will bring unnecessary nervousness. During the exams in the classrooms, there will be computers equipped with a headset, the necessary software, and microphones.

Dates of the exam in English in 2018

This exam is available ahead of schedule to graduates of previous years and to some categories of current 11-graders who, for objective reasons, will not be able to come on the dates of the main tests.

Most high school students will come for the main exam. It will take place June 11 (in writing), and two days were released for the oral format at once: June 14 and 16... In reserve for the written exam June 26, on oral - 27 ... There is still a day June 29: general reserve for all items.

Finally, in September there will still be an opportunity to pass the Unified State Exam to those graduates who planned to do it together with everyone else, but were prevented by some valid reasons (illness, etc.).

What will be on the USE tickets in English in 2018?

Since 2016, tasks have appeared in KIMs not only for a written answer, but also for the oral part of the exam. The written and oral part is rented separately, on different days.

Examiners need to test the level of knowledge of phonetics and grammar, the ability to speak English fluently, and not just read and translate. You even need to be able to listen: listening to a foreign language is not at all as easy as it seems.

The written exam, which lasts 180 minutes, involves 40 tasks... Such as:

• listening, that is, listening to the prepared text (a maximum of 20 primary points are given for it);
• reading (plus 20 points);
• for knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of the language, examiners have the right to add up to 20 more points;
• Finally, for fluency in written language, there is a chance to get the remaining 20 points.

Only 15 minutes are given for the oral exam, during which 4 tasks are completed. These are descriptions of pictures and answers to questions. The maximum for this "semi-exam" is 20 points.

Together with the written test, 44 tasks of different levels of difficulty and 100 maximum possible points are accumulated.

What's in the oral part of the test?

The oral "portion" of tasks is otherwise called speaking, although not all of them consist precisely of conversation. It is important to understand speaking, engage in dialogue, and demonstrate your speaking skills in a foreign language.

Testing takes place either in special lingophone rooms, or in computer labs, where the equipment is equipped with a special headset. Several tasks need to be completed in 15 minutes.

First, each graduate will be offered a small text. You can quickly (in a minute and a half) run your eyes, and then read it aloud.

Then, based on a fragment of the text, it will be necessary to formulate five questions. Again, there will be 1.5 minutes to read the passage, and then you will have to quickly voice all 5 questions, for each one is given only 20 seconds.

The next item of the "program" is a description of the photograph. One of the five proposed is chosen, the examinee studies it (in the same one and a half minutes), and then sets out what he sees in two minutes. To help students at KIMs, a presentation plan will be given.

The last thing to do is compare the two pictures. Find similarities and differences in 1.5 minutes and briefly, in 2 minutes, tell the commission about them.

Features of the writing part of CMMs

In the written, as well as in the oral part of the KIMs, in 2018 no new topics or tasks are foreseen... 40 tasks in this section of the exam are divided into 4 groups:

1. Questions 1 to 9 are about listening.
2. Students demonstrate the ability to read clearly and with the correct intonation thanks to questions 10-18.
3. The next ten tasks (19-38) are the actual letter.
4. The examination committee checks the knowledge in the field of vocabulary and grammar on questions 39-40.

All together are given 3 hours.

Tests in the form that were before are now absent. Although there are a number of questions in the tickets, the answer to which should be as short as possible: a word, letter or number.

Other tasks (they are located in the final part of KIMs) require more detailed answers. There are also questions of increased complexity, they are based on the student's complete understanding of the text. The most difficult task is number 40 (in the “Letter” block): it involves writing an essay, short, but not descriptive, but with analysis and reflection.

Translation of USE scores in English in 2018

As stated above, the highest score for both parts of the exam will be 100 points... When converted into commonly used estimates, the result will look like this:

• If you score up to 21 points, the exam is considered failed - this is “ deuce».
• From 22 to 58 points translated into a five-point system are equivalent to “ troika».
• Those who scored from 59 to 83 points receive “ four».
• The exam is considered passed for " top five"If the graduate scored 84 or more points in total.

Those who step over the academic failure threshold, having earned 22 points, will be issued a certificate. But for higher education such a result is not enough. How much is needed to get into the desired specialty in the chosen institution, for sure, you need to find out in advance on the websites of these universities.

The experience of previous years suggests that even 45 points give only a ghostly chance to be included in the number of students of "average" universities, and even then, most likely, on a paid basis. And those who seek to study in the capital, and even on a budgetary basis, need to collect in their "piggy bank" at least 85 points for the Unified State Exam in English.

Preparation for the exam in English in 2018

Quite a few high school students study in circles, schools, and English language studios. When professionals work there, the level of training is usually quite high. There are optional classes in schools.

Other students choose self-study or tutoring. They have at their disposal demo versions of the USE in English in 2018, as well as options for assignments from previous years with ready-made correct answers. In order to consolidate knowledge for the successful delivery of the written section of the exam, this can be a very good help. In any case, the language requires systematic lessons, one-time actions will not help here.

It is very important to listen to competent oral speech: audiobooks, recordings of lessons, songs, poems in English. You can also turn to classical or children's English literature, to films. In such a living form, language is perceived more emotionally, in addition, situational memory and associations are triggered, which helps memorization.

But it is not enough to recognize speech by ear; for many, the correct pronunciation becomes a stumbling block. This is why it is extremely useful to have a couple or in a small group. We rarely notice our flaws in speech, but a look and auditory control from the side will be very useful. If someone in the family speaks the language, it is possible to practice at least a month before the exam to speak with them in English about the simplest everyday things. This is a great workout, besides, fear disappears, you become more free in communication, which is extremely important for a psychological mood.

Hello friends! As for preparing for the exam in English, you should know that you need to prepare for it in advance, and the sooner the better. And even if you have a good level of English, you still need good preparation, and this takes time, at least a year.

This academic year there are no substantive changes in the USE in English.

A graduate can achieve a maximum of 100 points in the exam. The minimum score for passing the exam is 22 points.

To pass the uniform state exam well, you need:

• familiarize yourself with the exam format;
• have a good level of English proficiency;
• master reading and listening strategies. An excellent understanding of the main content is assumed.
• familiarize yourself with the assessment criteria for assignments.

The table for converting USE points in English into a five-point system

The structure of the exam in English 2018

The listening session lasts 30 minutes and consists of three parts. The first two parts are the first and second tasks, respectively, and the third part is tasks №3-9 (from the general list of 40 tasks).

• listen carefully! After all, such a trick is often used when first they say one answer, and then correct it in another way;
• you need to carefully read the assignment;
• Review the endings in what you wrote and try to find possible minor mistakes;
• if you have not heard something, do not panic, you will have the opportunity to listen again;
• if you do not know what to answer to any question, answer at least something, but the main thing is to answer;
• if they speak too quickly, do not be discouraged, try to relax and then it will be easier for you to perceive the information.

Task 1: Given 7 statements. The student listens to 6 statements and correlates them with statements, one of which is superfluous. Maximum points: 6 points.

Example: exercise 1

Task 1_mp3

Task 2: Given 7 statements. The student listens to the dialogue and determines which statements correspond to the content of the dialogue (True), which do not correspond (False), and which are not mentioned in it (Not Stated). Maximum points: 7 points.

Example: task 2

task 2_mp3

Assignment 3: 7 questions are given, each of them is offered with 3 answer options. The student listens to the audio recording and selects the correct answer to each question. Maximum points: 7 points.

Example: task 3

task 3_mp3

Reading

• if you are not familiar with the topic referred to in the text, do not worry, because in order to find answers in the text, you do not need special knowledge;
• if you are given tasks in which instead of gaps you need to insert words or phrases, read the sentence before and after gaps, try to guess what exactly is missing;
• do not get hung up on any one question, you can always return to it, but for now, take care of others;
• you always need to read the entire text to understand the meaning;
• if you do not know the answer to a question, try to guess it;
• preparing for the exam, read as many texts of different styles as possible.

Reading lasts 30 minutes and consists of 3 parts (9 tasks). For each part, we advise you to spend no more than 10 minutes in order to keep within the allotted half hour. Task 1: Given 7 short texts (3-6 sentences in each) and 8 headings. You need to read the texts and select the appropriate heading for each of them. In this case, 1 heading will be superfluous. Recommended lead time: no more than 10 minutes. Maximum points: 7 points.

Example: exercise 1

Task 2: Given a text in which there are 6 gaps. Below are 7 excerpts, 6 of which need to be inserted in place of the blanks. Recommended lead time: no more than 10 minutes. Maximum points: 6 points.

Example: task 2

Assignment 3: Given a small text and 7 questions to it. There are 4 answer options for each question, of which you need to choose 1 correct one. Recommended lead time: no more than 10 minutes. Maximum points: 7 points.

Example: task 3

Written assignment

• it is worth writing about the same thing only in different words;
• do not deviate from the topic;
• do not use such vocabulary as in the assignment. Choose synonyms for words;
• keep track of the time;
• do not write more than necessary, because this may indicate that you have written a lot of unnecessary things;
• remember that you need to take the time to read what you have written again and, if necessary, correct any errors found.

The graduate is given 80 minutes to write and check 2 written works. Task 1: Given the text of a short letter from a friend, which asks questions. The student needs to read it and write an answer letter: answer the friend's questions and ask him questions. Recommended lead time: no more than 20 minutes. Volume: 100-140 words. Maximum points: 6 points.

A letter to a friend is written in an informal style. The structure of this work is as follows:

1. We design the "header"

In the upper right corner we write the address: on the top line we indicate the city, under it - the country of residence. It is not necessary to write the street and house number: this can be regarded as the disclosure of confidential information, even if the address is fictitious.

After the address, we skip 1 line and write the date of writing the letter in the same upper right corner. Further, as usual, on the left we write an unofficial appeal: Dear Tom / Jim (the name will be given in the task). It is unacceptable to write Hello here.

After the appeal, put a comma and continue to write the text of the letter from a new line.

2. Text of the letter

We start writing each paragraph with a red line. In the first paragraph, you need to thank your friend for the letter you received (Thanks a lot for your last letter) and apologize for not writing earlier (Sorry I haven’t been in touch for so long).

You can also mention some fact from the received letter. This is followed by the main body of the letter, including the second and third paragraphs. In the second, you write the answers to all the questions asked to you, in the third, you ask your questions to a friend.

In the fourth paragraph, you need to summarize - inform that you are ending the letter (I’ve got to go now! It’s time for my favorite TV show), and offer to keep in touch (Take care and keep in touch!).

3. End of letter

At the end, you need to write the final cliché phrase, after which a comma is always put: All the best, Best wishes, etc. On the next line under this phrase you indicate your name.

Assignment 2: A statement is given (usually controversial).

The graduate writes an essay in which he discusses this topic, expresses his point of view, and also gives the opposite opinion and explains why he does not agree with him.

The essay is written in a neutral style and consists of 5 paragraphs:

1. Introduction: we formulate a topic-problem and immediately point out that there are two opposite points of view.
2. Your opinion: we express our point of view (one) on this issue and give 2-3 arguments that confirm it.
3. Opposing opinions: we write 1-2 opposite points of view and give arguments in favor of their existence.
4. We express our disagreement: we explain why we do not agree with the above points of view, and we give arguments in defense of our own opinion. However, they should not repeat the arguments from paragraph 2.
5. Conclusion: we draw a conclusion on this topic, indicate that there are different points of view, and finally confirm our point of view.

Vocabulary and grammar

• if you need to insert a word, try to determine in what number and in what form it should be;
• if you do not know the correct answer, still do not leave gaps, look for the answer by contradiction;
• check your spelling.

This section of the 2018 English exam tests the graduate's grammatical knowledge and vocabulary. The student is given 40 minutes to complete it. Let's see what the student has to do.

Task 1: Given a text in which 7 words are missing. To the right of the text are the words that need to be transformed grammatically (for example, put a verb at the right time) and insert in place of the gap. Recommended lead time: no more than 12 minutes. Maximum points: 7 points.

Task 2: Given a text with 6 gaps. On the right are the words that need to be transformed both lexically and grammatically - to form a single-root word that matches the meaning of the text. Recommended lead time: no more than 15 minutes. Maximum points: 6 points.

Exercise 3: Given a text with 7 gaps. You need to select for each of them 1 correct answer out of the four proposed. Recommended lead time: no more than 12 minutes. Maximum points: 7 points.

Oral speech

The oral part of the exam is the shortest, it only takes 15 minutes. A graduate needs to have time to complete as many as 4 tasks, for which you can get a maximum of 20 points. The student hands over the assignments in front of the computer, his answers are recorded using a headset, and a countdown is shown on the screen. At the same time, there is an organizer in the audience who monitors the course of the exam.

Task 1: The screen displays text of a popular science character. In 1.5 minutes you need to prepare and in the next 1.5 minutes read it expressively aloud. Execution time: no more than 3 minutes. Maximum points: 1 point.

Task 2: An advertisement is proposed, for which you need to compose 5 direct questions based on keywords. 1.5 minutes are allotted for preparation, then each question must be formulated within 20 seconds. Lead time: about 3 minutes. Maximum points: 5 points.

Task 3: Show 3 photos. You need to choose 1 and describe it according to the plan proposed right there in the assignment. Lead time: about 3.5 minutes. Maximum points: 7 points.

Task 4: Given 2 pictures. It is necessary to compare them, describe the similarities and differences, explain why the chosen topic is close to the graduate. Lead time: about 3.5 minutes. Maximum points: 7 points.

This section was not in the USE 2010, but it is still worth knowing the tips for this part.

• if the assignment is unclear to you, ask the examiner about what is unclear;
• use as many words as possible, show your vocabulary;
• you must understand that you are required to express your personal opinion, and not discuss the topic with professionalism;
• perhaps you will forget a word, in which case you do not need to get lost, you can replace it with another word.;
• you should be aware that this section is not intended to demonstrate that you are good at constructing sentences. You need to show your communication skills.

Demo versions of the Unified State Exam 2018 in English

USE in English: Grammar

Job catalog.
Tasks 34. Conditional dialogue-inquiry

Take part in a telephone survey. You have to answer six questions. Give full answers to the questions. Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.

Explanation.

Let's give an example of a possible dialogue with a car.

Electronic assistant: How old are you?

Student: I had a birthday yesterday so now I "m sixteen years old.

Electronic assistant: How many times a week do you do sports?

Student: I go to the gym twice a week because I believe that it "s very important to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Electronic assistant: What sport is the most popular with teenagers in your region?

Student: Well, in general I would say that children in my region prefer to play football because every school has its own playing field.

Electronic assistant: What sports facilities are available in the place where you live?

Student: Speaking about sports facilities I'd say that there is a wide choice of them in the place where I live. We have football pitches, ice hockey rinks, swimming pools, gyms and many others.

Electronic assistant: Why do you think it is important to keep fit?

Student: Firstly, it improves your health. Secondly, you become physically stronger and more attractive.

Electronic assistant: What would you advise a person who wants to keep fit?

Student: I'd say to him that he should always think about benefits which he will obtain in the process of keeping fit.

Electronic assistant: This is the end of the survey. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Source: Demo version of GIA-2016., Demo version of OGE-2018 in English., Demo version of OGE-2020 in English., Demo version of OGE-2017 in English., Demo version of OGE-2019 in English.

Olezha Pavlov 27.05.2016 15:53

Hello, I would like to clarify why for all the tasks of the open bank of FIPI, the explanation describes non-widespread full answers, and the explanation to the task of the demo version of GIA-2016 gives widespread full answers. I would also like to know which of the options the exam (OGE) requires (common with introductory constructions, etc.; Or uncommon option)

Alexander Rinkevich

The main thing is to give a complete answer to the question posed. It is not necessary to use introductory phrases.

You are going to take part in a telephone survey. You have to answer six questions. Give full answers to the questions.

Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.

Use your player to listen to the recording.

Explanation.

You could answer like this:

Electronic assistant: How many lessons do you usually have?

Student: I have six lessons four days a week.

Electronic assistant: What subject do you find the most difficult?

Student: It seems to me that literature is the most difficult subject for me because I don’t like writing essays.

Electronic assistant: What is your favorite week day? Why do you like it?

Student: My favorite week day is Friday, because we have only 4 lessons.

Electronic assistant: What sport facilites do you have in your school?

Student: In my school we have a gym and a football field.

Electronic assistant: Do you think school uniform is necessary or not? Why do you think so?

Student: In my opinion, school uniform shouldn’t be necessary because children should decide for themselves what they want to wear.

Electronic assistant: What would you recommend your friends do to improve their English?

Student: I would recommend them to hire a mentor because it's the most effective way to improve English.

Source: Open Bank FIPI - 2016

You are going to take part in a telephone survey. You have to answer six questions. Give full answers to the questions. Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.

Use your player to listen to the recording.

Explanation.

You could answer like this:

Electronic assistant: How often do you go to the cinema?

Student: I usually go to the cinema once a month.

Electronic assistant: What kinds of films do you like most?

Student: In fact I like different kinds of films but thrillers and dramas are my favorite.

Electronic assistant: Why do you think many people prefer watching films at home?

Student: As far as I can tell such people don’t like watching movies with strangers and that is why they prefer watching them at home.

Electronic assistant: What do you like to do in your free time?

Student: I like playing football in my free time.

Electronic assistant: How can films in English help students improve their English?

Student: Watching films in English helps students get used to a foreign speech.

Electronic assistant: What film would you recommend your friend see? And why?

Electronic assistant: How often do you borrow books from the library?

Student: I prefer to buy books but once a month I borrow one from the local library.

Electronic assistant: Why do you think teenagers are reading less and less now?

Student: It seems to me that teenagers read less because most of them spend time playing computer games.

Electronic assistant: How can reading English books help students improve their English?

Student: Reading English books can help students improve their English by increasing vocabulary.

Electronic assistant: What book would you recommend to your friend who wants to read something for pleasure? And why?

Student: I would recommend him to read a book called "Atlas Shrugged" which was written by Ayn Rand. It's one of my favorite books and I'm sure that my friend will like it.

Demo version of the exam 2019 in English, etc. from FIPI,approved

Explanations for the demo version of the control measuring materials of the 2019 unified state exam in the ENGLISH LANGUAGE

When reviewing the demo version of the 2019 USE test measurement materials, it should be borne in mind that the tasks included in it do not reflect all the content issues that will be checked using the CMM options in 2019.

A complete list of questions that can be controlled at the 2019 unified state exam is given in the codifier of content elements and requirements for the level of training of graduates of educational organizations for the 2019 unified state exam in English.

Changes in the 2019 exam in foreign languages:

The work consists of four sections: listening, reading, grammar and vocabulary, writing.

Section 1 ("Listening") contains 9 tasks. The recommended time to complete the tasks in Section 1 is 30 minutes.

Section 2 ("Reading") contains 9 tasks. The recommended time to complete the tasks in Section 2 is 30 minutes.

Section 3 ("Grammar and Vocabulary") contains 20 tasks. The recommended time to complete the tasks in Section 3 is 40 minutes.

Section 4 ("Letter") consists of 2 tasks. The recommended time for completing tasks in this section of the work is 80 minutes.

The purpose of the demonstration version is to enable any USE participant and the general public to get an idea of ​​the structure of future CMMs, the number of tasks, their form and level of complexity. The above criteria for assessing the performance of tasks with a detailed answer, included in this option, give an idea of ​​the requirements for the completeness and correctness of recording a detailed answer.
This information will allow graduates to develop a strategy for preparing for the Unified State Exam.

The exam paper in English consists of four sections ("Listening", "Reading", "Grammar and Vocabulary", "Writing"), which includes 40 tasks.

The examination work takes 3 hours (ISO minutes).

Answers to tasks 3-9, 12-18 and 32-38 are recorded according to the pattern below in the form of one digit, which corresponds to the number of the correct answer. Write this figure in the answer field in the text of the work, and then transfer it to the answer form No. 1.

Section 4 ("Letter") consists of 2 tasks (39 and 40) and is a small written work (writing a personal letter and a written statement with elements of reasoning). In answer form No. 2, indicate the number of the task and write down the answer to it.

All USE forms are filled in with bright black ink. The use of a gel or capillary pen is allowed.

When completing assignments, you can use the draft. Notes in the draft, as well as in the text of control measurement materials are not taken into account when evaluating the work.

The points received by you for completed tasks are summed up. Try to complete as many tasks as possible and recruit the largest number of bards.

After completing the work, check that the answer to each task in answer forms No. 1 and No. 2 is recorded under the correct number.

We wish you success!

Specification
control measuring materials
to be held in 2019
unified state examination
in FOREIGN LANGUAGES

1. Purpose of examination work

Control measuring materials allow to establish the level of mastering by graduates of the Federal component of the state educational standard of basic general and secondary (complete) general education.

The results of the unified state exam in a foreign language are recognized by general educational institutions in which educational programs of secondary (complete) general education are implemented, as the results of state (final) certification, and by educational institutions of secondary vocational education and educational institutions of higher professional education - as the results of entrance examinations in a foreign language. language.

2. Documents defining the content of the examination paper

1. Federal component of state standards of basic general and secondary (complete) general education, basic and specialized level (order of the Ministry of Education of Russia dated 05.03.2004 No. 1089).

2. Sample programs in foreign languages ​​// New state standards in a foreign language. Grades 2-11 / Education in documents and comments. M .: AST: Astrel, 2004.

3. Programs of educational institutions. English for 10-11 grades of schools with in-depth study of foreign languages. M .: Education, 2003.

4. Programs for educational institutions. German for general education schools with in-depth study of the German language. M .: Education: MARCH, 2004.

5. Programs of educational institutions. French for grades 1-11 schools with in-depth study of foreign languages. M .: Education, 2001.

6. Programs of educational institutions. Spanish for 5-11 grades of schools with in-depth study of foreign languages. M .: Education, 2005.

When developing CMMs, the following are also taken into account:

7. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. MSLU, 2003.

3. Approaches to the selection of content, the development of the structure of the KIM USE

The purpose of the unified state examination in a foreign language is to determine the level of the foreign language communicative competence of the examinee. At the same time, the main attention is paid to speech competence, i.e. communication skills in different types of speech activity: listening, reading, writing, as well as language competence, i.e. language knowledge and skills. Sociocultural knowledge and skills are tested indirectly in the sections "Listening", "Reading" and are one of the measurement objects in the section "Writing"; compensatory skills are tested indirectly in the "Letter" section.

Consequently, the KIM USE in foreign languages ​​contains the sections "Listening", "Reading", "Grammar and vocabulary" and "Writing". It should be borne in mind that, although the sections "Listening", "Reading" and "Writing" have skills in the corresponding types of speech activity as objects of control, these skills are provided with the necessary level of development of the language competence of the examinees. The successful completion of tasks for the control of receptive types of speech activity is ensured by the knowledge of lexical units, morphological forms and syntactic structures and the skills of their recognition / recognition. The tasks of the "Writing" section require from the examinee, in addition to this knowledge, the skills of operating lexical units and grammatical structures in a communicatively meaningful context. Spelling skills are subject to control in tasks B4-B16 in the "Grammar and vocabulary" section, as well as tasks C1, C2 in the "Writing" section.

4. The structure of the KIM USE

The examination paper contains sections "Listening", "Reading", "Grammar and Vocabulary" and "Writing".

To differentiate the examinees according to the levels of proficiency in a foreign language within the limits formulated in the Federal component of the state standard of general education in foreign languages, all sections include, along with tasks of the basic level, tasks of higher levels of complexity.

The difficulty level of tasks is determined by the difficulty levels of the language material and the skills tested, as well as the type of task.
The work on a foreign language includes 28 tasks with a choice of answers out of three or four proposed, 16 tasks of an open type with a short answer, including tasks for establishing correspondence, and 2 tasks of an open type with a detailed answer.

The basic, advanced and high levels of complexity of the USE tasks correspond to the levels of proficiency in foreign languages ​​defined in the documents of the Council of Europe 1, as follows:

• Basic level - A2 + 2
• Increased level - B1
• High level - B2

1 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. MSLU, 2003.

2 Since the entire possible spectrum of levels of proficiency in a foreign language is represented in the Council of Europe document by only six levels, it is obvious that certain sublevels can be distinguished within each of them. The designation of the basic level of the exam as A2 + means that from the description of the A2 level for the preparation of tasks of the basic level, developers are guided by descriptors lying closer to the B1 level, and not to the A1 level.
............................

English is the most popular language. Today, without knowledge of a foreign language, it is difficult to achieve career heights in almost any profession, so a significant number of humanitarian universities require their own to present the appropriate certificate. The English exam is chosen by students who plan to devote their lives to linguistics, teaching, technical and literary translation, diplomacy and international relations.

In recent years, the exam in foreign languages ​​has become more and more difficult for graduates - now they are required not only to know the basic rules and language norms, but also to have significant speaking skills, because the oral part has been added to the exam. To successfully pass the exam, you will need months of hard and systematic independent work, and maybe even the help of a tutor. Another important point is awareness of possible innovations. Let's see how this exam will go in 2018!

Demonstration version of the exam-2018

Dates for the exam in English

The approved schedule of the all-Russian examination will be published in January 2018. But today you can already find out the approximate periods for the USE, indicated by Rosobrnadzor:

• from the second half of March to mid-April 2018, an early examination will take place. The start date was announced on March 22. Recall that not all schoolchildren can take the USE ahead of schedule. These graduates include those who graduated from school earlier than the 2017/2018 academic year, under-performing students of previous years without a certificate, as well as students in evening schools. Those who decided not to enter a university, but to go to, applicants of foreign universities, children leaving to live abroad, or those who came to study in Russia from abroad, can also take the test ahead of schedule. An exception is also made for children leaving for sports, cultural or scientific competitions and competitions, as well as for schoolchildren who are assigned medical or rehabilitation procedures during the main testing;
• from the last days of May until the beginning of June 2018, the main period of the exam is scheduled. Most likely, the first exams will start on May 28, 2018;
• the start of the additional period of the exam was announced on September 4, 2018. The additional examination will take place during the first half of September.

How did English graduates of past years pass?

The popularity of the English language among future students of Russian universities is also confirmed by official statistics - about 9% of all graduates (and this is about 64.5 thousand schoolchildren in 2017) choose the Unified State Exam for themselves in this foreign language. In 2017, the share of graduates who were unable to score even the required minimum of 22 points decreased significantly.

The percentage of such unsuccessful eleventh graders in recent years has fluctuated between 1.8-3.3%, which looks very optimistic in comparison with other exams. The average mark that Russian schoolchildren demonstrate when passing English is 64.8-65.1 points, which is approximately equal to the mark "four". This is significantly higher than the results of the rest of the USE show.

Innovation in the Unified State Exam in English

Experts from FIPI did not make any significant changes to the materials of 2018. The only innovation - in KIMs in English, criteria-based approaches to the assessment of assignments numbered 39-40 were clarified.

Contents of the ticket in English

The main purpose of the all-Russian examination in English is to check the level of proficiency in a foreign language. The primary goal of the commission is to determine how freely the student feels in various types of language activities, which include listening, reading, writing and speaking. High school students will have to show their skills in mastering lexical units, morphological forms and syntactic constructions. The exam ticket itself is divided into two parts:

• written - within 180 minutes, students have to solve 40 tasks. In this part of the exam, you need to pass listening (estimated at 20 primary points, which is 20% of all points for the exam), demonstrate reading skills (another 20 primary points), convince the commission in the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary (20 primary points), and show your level of writing proficiency (20 primary points);
• oral - within 15 minutes, students have to solve 4 more tasks. They will have to answer questions and describe pictures. This part gives another 20 primary points (or 20% of all exam points).

In total, graduates will have to cope with 44 tasks of the basic, advanced and high levels of difficulty, which give 100 points in total.

Written part of CMMs

Structurally, KIMs in English are represented by several main sections:

• Listening, aimed at identifying how well the student understands the listened text. This task is given 30 minutes of examination time, during which the student must cope with the following tasks:
  • 1 - identifying the correspondence of statements and statements made in the recording. Pupils are asked to evaluate 6 statements by comparing them with 7 proposed statements-answers, one of which is incorrect. The student is given 20 seconds to read the statements-answers, then the audio recording will be scrolled 2 times. After that, the student must mark the correct answers on the examination form;
  • 2 - assessment of the correctness of judgments, which must be made after listening to the audio recording in the dialogue form. The student is required to put down only the words "true", "false" or "not stated";
  • from 3 to 9 - an audio task in the form of a short interview, after listening to which the student will need to choose the correct answer from the options presented on the form. Most often, the task is presented in the form of a question to which an answer must be given, or an unfinished sentence, which must be supplemented with the correct words.
• Reading aimed at checking the understanding of the structural and semantic relationships in the proposed text. The student will receive 30 minutes, during which he must cope with the following tasks:
  • 10 - familiarization with seven short texts and identifying the correspondence of the information presented with 8 headings, among which one option will be incorrect;
  • 11 - working with text that has missing parts. There will be 6 such gaps in total. They need to be filled in by choosing words from the seven suggested options;
  • from 12 to 18 - familiarization with an artistic or journalistic fragment, to which are attached interrogative sentences and statements with missing words. To them you will need to choose the correct answer or finish the phrase.
• Grammar and vocabulary - this part of the exam will test how well the student operates with these language skills. This part of the ticket is considered the most difficult, because this is where students lose their maximum points. To work with this part of the ticket, 40 minutes will be allotted, during which you have to solve the following tasks:
  • from 19 to 25 - familiarization with several fragments of the text in which words or phrases will be omitted. The blanks will need to be filled in based on the responses that need to be transformed first;
  • from 26 to 31 - exercises that test the skill of word formation. The student is asked to read the text with the missing parts to determine which parts of speech are missing. To write down the correct answer, the missing word will need to be transformed (for example, make an adjective from a noun);
  • from 32 to 38 - vocabulary exercises that involve working with text fragments in which words are missing. Correct answer options are provided on the CMM form, so you only have to make the right choice.
• Writing - This part of the ticket will test your ability to create different types of written texts. You are given 80 minutes to complete the tasks, during which you need to cope with the following exercises:
  • 39 - the student will need to write a letter of a personal nature, keeping within 100-140 words (it was proposed to cope with the task in 20 minutes);
  • 40 - writing an essay (200-250 words). Be guided by the plan and theme proposed in the KIMs. In this assignment, you will need to write a short introduction to the problem, state your opinion on this issue, back it up with argumentation and draw a conclusion. You should take approximately 60 minutes to complete this task.

Oral part of the examination

In this part of the exam, the commission will assess the student's speech skills. There will be a separate day for this test. Each student will receive 15 minutes to complete the following types of assignments:

1. Reading a short text aloud. Within 1.5 minutes, the student has the opportunity to read the text to himself, and then read it aloud;
2. Formulation of five questions on a fragment of the text. Most often this is a promotional message. The student will have 1.5 minutes to read the text, and then another 20 seconds to voice each question;
3. Description of the photograph. Students are given a choice of five photos, among which they need to take one and describe it according to the plan proposed in KIM. The preparation will take 1.5 minutes, and then within 2 minutes you will need to express in your own words what you see in the picture;
4. Comparison of two photographs. The student will have to identify the similarities and differences between the two pictures in 1.5 minutes, and then tell them to the commission in 2 minutes.

Examination procedure

The examination is subject to strict regulations. Firstly, during the exam it will not be possible to use smartphones, video and audio equipment, smart watches and reference materials. Secondly, you should not spy on someone else's answer sheet, talk to other participants in the exam, or leave the audience unaccompanied by an observer - this will be the reason for the cancellation of your work. Remember that in 2018 all 100% of classrooms designated for exams will be monitored online.

Each class allocated for the writing part of the examination will be equipped with technical aids to play back audio recordings during listening. Classes for the oral part of the exam will be equipped with computers with headsets, microphones and appropriate software for recording answers.

How do exam scores translate to certificate grades?

Points for work affect the certificate and are easily transferred to the usual school system:

• 0-21 points corresponds to the "two" level;
• 22-58 points show satisfactory preparation and are equal to the "three";
• 59-83 points allow you to get a "four";
• 84 points and above tell us that the student knows the subject perfectly.

The minimum score you need to score in order to obtain a certificate is 22. However, it is worth remembering that to enter a "medium-sized" university you need to score at least 45 points, and in this case we are not talking about budget places. Educational institutions in the capital usually accept schoolchildren on the budget who have managed to score 86 points or more in English.

Preparation for the exam in English

To pass English, you will have to spend a lot of time preparing. Try to correctly allocate the time remaining before the exam in order to repeat the school course and work out the demo versions of KIMs. Their solution will help you understand the structure of the exam - you must agree that if you see a ticket for the exam for the first time, you will probably get nervous. And this, in turn, will lead to a lot of small annoying mistakes. Official CMMs can be downloaded on our website by simply using the link at the beginning of the article.

Do not forget about preparing for listening, because not every teacher at school devotes enough time in the classroom to teach students to perceive foreign speech by ear. Audiobooks, songs of your favorite artists, films or TV series in English voice acting will come to your aid. Watch at least a couple of episodes of an interesting TV series or movie a day, and listen to a book on your way to school. After a few months of this preparation, you will be able to distinguish between words and learn to understand the meaning of the text by ear.

A frequent problem is also the inability to speak - if in vocabulary, grammar and writing most of the children who have chosen a foreign language for themselves as the USE show good results, then the oral part causes certain difficulties. You can practice this skill in a rather simple way - constantly playing small dialogues in your head with everyday situations, or describing objects, people and buildings that you see while you go to school or shopping in the supermarket.

Writing an essay also requires separate preparation. Hone your mini essay writing skills with tickets from yesteryear. Each new essay will help you to better formulate thoughts and present arguments in favor of your point of view. When writing an essay, it is worth remembering these tips:

• do not choose the first topic that comes across - it is better to think about which one will be closer to you and will not require significant efforts for argumentation. Some of the points in this task are given precisely for understanding the subject of discussion. If a member of the commission notices that you do not understand what you are writing about, zero will be awarded for the task;