Chinese Language Proficiency Level

Chinese Language Proficiency is divided into 5 levels.

Chinese Language Proficiency Level	Chinese Characters / Expressions
Beginner (Level A)	0 - 800
Elementary (Level B)	More than 800
Intermediate (Level C)	More than 1500
Advanced (Level D)	More than 2500
Super Advanced (Level E)	More than 3500

Beginner (Level A)

Prerequisite :

• Have never learned Mandarin Chinese or learned only a little Mandarin Chinese and Chinese phonetics

• Know fewer than 800 Chinese characters/expressions

• Cannot communicate using complete sentences or on simple everyday topics

Course Aims :

• Provide solid foundation learning, focusing on teaching Chinese phonetics, incorporating tone exercises and drills to ensure that students learn the correct pronunciation and intonation;

• Help students develop their listening, speaking, reading, writing skills;

• Build up vocabulary usage

• Understand the basics of Chinese grammar, including sentence structures;

• Teach students Chinese character writing through the introduction of the radical system (Chinese character composition), different types of brush strokes and stroke orders.

Achievements & Next Steps :

After one semester Program (20 weeks) students should be able to engage in simple conversations; recognize over 800 Chinese characters/expressions; and be ready to progress into the Elementary level.

back to top

Elementary (Level B)

Prerequisite :

• Know more than 800 Chinese characters/expressions

• Have a grasp of basic Chinese grammar and sentence structures

• Can engage in simple conversations using complete sentences

Course Aims :

• Focus on building vocabulary, with phonics and tone exercises to ensure that students learn the correct pronunciation and tones;

• Understand more complex grammar and sentence structures;

• Further develope listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Achievement & Next Steps :

After one semester Program (20 weeks) students should be able to engage in daily everyday topics with a bit of sophistication; recognize over 1500 Chinese characters/expressions; and be ready to progress into the Intermediate level.

back to top

Intermediate (Level C)

Prerequisite :

• Know more than 1,500 Chinese characters/expressions

• Have a grasp of Elementary Chinese grammar and sentence structures

• Can engage in daily everyday topics with a bit of sophistication

Course Aims :

• Focus on more complex grammar and sentence structures;

• Increase vocabulary knowledge with the aim of enabling participants to express themselves functionally in different contexts;

• Help students to become increasingly fluent by doing paraphrasing exercises to retell stories or articles;

• Increase reading and writing composition ability and skills;

• Introduce more practical situational texts to provide a greater awareness of Chinese culture and society.

Achievement & Next Steps :

After one semester Program (20 weeks) students should be able to gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese culture, converse on general topics in practical situational context, express themselves using more complicated sentence structures; and recognize over 2500 Chinese characters/expressions. At this time, students will be ready to progress into the Advanced level.

back to top

Advanced (Level D)

Prerequisite :

• Know more than 2,500 Chinese characters/expressions, including idioms

• Have a grasp of Intermediate Chinese grammar and sentence structures

• Can engage in practical situational context and express themselves using complicated sentence structures

Course Aims :

• Classes focus on vocabulary building, reading, listening comprehension, and conversational skills.

• Classwork includes reading newspapers and listening to news broadcasts.

• Students are taught advanced spoken and written Chinese.

Achievement & Next Steps :

After one semester Program (20 weeks) students should be able to discuss general topics, raise complex questions, and express their opinions clearly using correct intonation; and recognize over 3500 Chinese characters/expressions. At this time, students will be ready to progress into the Super Advanced level.

back to top

Upper Advanced (Level E)

Prerequisite :

• Know more than 3,500 Chinese characters/expressions

• Be able to read and understand some news from newspapers, periodicals, radio broadcasts, and television

• Can express themselves systematically using appropriate expressions and language norms.

Course Aims :

• Gain proficiency in listening to and commenting on news reports, television, and radio broadcasts

• Provide a practice forum for discussions and debates on contemporary issues

Achievement & Next Steps :

After one semester Program (20 weeks) students should be able to discuss and debate complex issues; and recognize over 5000 Chinese characters/expressions.

back to top