Olga

Hello,
My name is Olga, I am a native Russian speaker and I have been living in the UK for 18 years. I have a degree in English and German translation but until summer 2024 I spent 10 years working as the Russian language assistant at one of the most prestigious schools in the country, Winchester College.

Tutoring Experience

I specialise in helping learners to improve their conversational skills and to succeed in their GCSE and A-level oral exams. I am familiar with the exam format and requirements and can help prepare you with mock oral exams so you can feel more confident on the day of your actual exam. My tutoring helped many students achieve excellent results in their exams, with personalised guidance and focused speaking practice.

To speak fluently and confidently for your A-level Russian exam, our lessons will focus on:
• Improving your knowledge of the A-level themes
• Expanding your range of vocabulary and using a variety of phrases that will make your Russian sound more authentic
• Producing spontaneous and confident responses
• Using accurate grammar, proper intonation and pronunciation, and the correct register

For the second part of the oral exam I can advise on how to choose a topic for your IRP (Independent Research Project) and suggest suitable resources for your research. I can also help you to perfect your presentation and to speak about your chosen headings confidently.

I am also more than happy to help with the other A-level papers, especially translation into Russian and reading / listening comprehension.

For the GCSE Russian oral exam I focus on improving your ability to give extended responses on each of the five themes. We would practise role-play cards, picture-based tasks and general conversation, improving your accuracy and fluency in the process. I would give you strategies to help deal with difficult questions and improve the spontaneity of your responses. I am also happy to practise essays, translation, listening and reading, and I will mark your work afterwards.

Tutoring Approach

I keep a running vocabulary list for each of my students, from which I prompt you to reuse vocabulary in subsequent sessions. This ensures that you have a very tangible sense of progress with your Russian. I always provide feedback at the end of each session and I encourage you to let me know how our lessons can be improved or whether you’d like to focus on something specific.

Besides A-level and GCSE, I am delighted to work with anyone who would like to improve their Russian. Generally speaking, I use Microsoft Teams for my lessons but am open to using Zoom or other means, if that is preferable. Please do contact me if you have any questions.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Ольга