Test of Russian as a Foreign Language
The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL) (Russian: Тест по русскому языку как иностранному or ТРКИ) is a standardised test supervised by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. The test has four levels, conforming to schema of the Association of Language Testers in Europe, and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
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.[1]
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 levels: basic, first, second, third and fourth 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 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 specialist's degrees and Master of Arts 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.
Testing Centres
The test is administered in universities across Russia and Europe.
Level comparison with common EFL tests, ALTE and CEFR
| TORFL | ALTE level | CEFR level | ESOL exam | IELTS exam | TOEIC | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | — |