Draft program of the subject test in linguistics

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has proposed for public discussion a draft program of a subject test in linguistics, which will become part of the Unified Professional Entrance Examination (UPEE) for applicants to master’s programs. 🎓 This test is mandatory for all applicants to the specialty B11 Philology (by specialization) and can be used as a subject test of the applicant’s choice for the field A – Education (all specialties of the field), specialties C6 Geography and Regional Studies, C7 Journalism, D4 Public Management and Administration, I9 Public Health, I10 Social Work and Counseling, I11 Children and Youth Services, J2 Hotel and Restaurant Management and Catering, J3 Tourism and Recreation, J4 Occupational Health and Safety, K8 Fire Safety, K10 Civil Security.

The draft program is at the stage of public discussion until May 1, 2025 ⏰. Applicants and higher education institutions can send their comments and suggestions to the following email address: [email protected] ✉️.

The results of the discussion will be published on the official website of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine no later than two weeks after the decision is made. 📋

Let’s take a closer look at what awaits future masters.

🔍 Structure of the subject test

The program consists of four main sections, each of which has its own specific weight:

Linguistics as a science (10%) 🧪.
Language, Speech, Society (20%) 🗣️.
Systemic and structural organization of language (40%) 🏗️.
Stylistics (30%) 🖋️.

The test focuses on the systemic and structural organization of the language, which accounts for 40% of the total number of tasks.

📝 Key topics for preparation

Section 1: Linguistics as a science 🧪

The subject and tasks of linguistics.
The system of linguistic disciplines.
Methods of linguistic research.
Synchrony and diachrony as aspects of linguistic analysis.
The relationship of linguistics with other sciences.

Section 2: Language, speech, society 🗣️

The nature and essence of language.
The systemic nature of language.
System and norm.
Functions of language.
Sign nature of language.
Speech and its types.
Speech as a means of communication.
Language and society.

Section 3: Systemic and structural organization of language 🏗️

Phonetic system of language 🔊: aspects of learning sounds, classification of vowels and consonants, phonemes, phonetic laws.
Lexical and semantic system of the language 📖: word and concept, types of meanings, polysemy, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, phraseology.
Grammatical system of the language 📏:
- Morphemics and derivatology: morphemic structure of the word, ways of creating words.
- Morphology: grammatical categories, parts of speech and their features.
- Syntax: types of syntactic relationships, phrases, sentences, text.

Section 4: Stylistics 🖋️

Stylistics as a branch of linguistics.
Functional styles and their classification.
Genre differentiation.
Stylistic resources (means) of the language.
Stylistics of the text.
Discourse as a communicative phenomenon.

⚠️ What to pay special attention to

When preparing for the test, you should focus on the following aspects:

Systemic and structural organization of the language – as the most important section (40%) 🏗️.
Stylistic resources of the language – including phonetic, lexical and syntactic means 🎭.
Lexical and semantic system is the second most important topic 📚.
The relationship between language and society is an important component of the section “Language, Speech, Society” 👥.
Functional styles – their features and genre differentiation 📊.

💡 Recommendations for preparation

Given the structure of the test, we recommend that future applicants:

Revise basic linguistic concepts and terminology 📋.
Pay special attention to the structural levels of the language (phonetics, lexicology, grammar) 🔍.
Work on theoretical material on stylistics and functional styles 📘.
Study the classifications and characteristics of tropes and stylistic figures ✨.
Focus not only on factual knowledge but also on understanding the interrelationships of linguistic phenomena 🧩.

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