RUSSIAN LANGUAGE COURSE-LEAVING EXAM FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS: ENTERING INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN RUSSIA

The article focuses on a new form of a course-leaving exam after 1-year Russian language preparation course for foreign students coming to study in Russia. The authors specify the correlation between the exam content and the communicative purposes of the foreign students who enter higher educational establishment in the Russian Federation. The exam takes into consideration the importance of the academic adaptation process of foreign students and analyses its influence on the exam requirements and content. The exam model described by the authors incorporates Russian as a foreign language traditional exam model and the new approaches. The new exam format developers take into consideration the important role of the professional vocabulary. The exam tasks check not only the knowledge of the Russian as a foreign language but also the knowledge of the scientific terminology. The authors believe that it is necessary to expand the vocabulary of the 1st Certification level which is considered the basis for the new examination format. The test content has to correspond to the requirements of the communication spheres typical for a foreign student living and studying in Russia. The new exam requirements, in is turn, will influence the core curriculum of 1-year preparatory course for foreign students getting ready to enter a higher education establishment in the Russian Federation. The suggested new exam format was preceded by extensive research of curricula and academic achievements of the foreign students; the research was supported by exam results monitoring. The paper proves the necessity of the preparation course for the foreign students and highlights the specific role of the course-leaving exam as a motivating factor to make education process more efficient.