Course Features

An A Level in Mandarin builds on the foundations of GCSE while deepening students’ understanding of issues affecting Mandarin-speaking countries.

Mandarin A Level is therefore much more than its linguistic component. It is also an enhanced study of many social sciences, often through the medium of film and literary texts. The list of these is varied, extensive and includes works by Lu Xun, Hometown(故乡), as well as movies such as Beijing Bicycle(十七岁的单车).

This qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course.

Course Content

Social Issues and Trends

• The changing nature of the family

• Education, career and opportunities

• The balance of work and life

Political and Artistic Culture

• A culture proud of its heritage

• Contemporary Chinese music

• Cinema: the 7th art form

Aspects of Mandarin-speaking society: Current issues

• Social media and the cyber society

• The fast growing economic

• We only have one Earth

Aspects of political culture in China

• The reform

• Mega-cities, urban immigrants and the gap between rich and poor

• The relations between China and UK

Assessment

Paper 1: Listening, reading and translation

• Written exam: 2 hours

• 40% of A-Level

Paper 2: Written response to works and translation

• Written exam: 2 hours 40 minute

• 1 text and 1 film or 2 texts

• 30% of A-Level

Paper 3: Speaking

• Individual research project

• Discussion of a sub-theme from the course

• Oral exam 21-23 minutes

• 30% of A-Level