Nature of the Subject

This course aims to help students understand the cultural and social characteristics of Mandarin-speaking countries and communities. 

It seeks to cultivate students' interest in learning Chinese, develop positive attitudes toward speakers of other languages, and foster an inclusive approach to understanding multiculturalism. While enhancing students' listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Chinese, the course also provides intellectual stimulation and makes learning enjoyable. 

Students will achieve A2-level (CEFR: Basic User) Chinese communication proficiency. Transferable skills (such as memory techniques and inference abilities) will be developed to support learning in other subject areas.

A solid foundation in skills, language, and attitudes will be established, preparing students for future employment or further study—whether in Chinese-related fields or other disciplines.

Syllabus & Content

The subject content is organised in five broad topic areas (A–E below). These provide contexts for the learning of vocabulary and the study of grammar and structures. The study of these topic areas enables students to gain an insight into the cultures, countries and communities where Chinese is spoken. 

A Everyday activities

B Personal and social life

C The world around us

D The world of work

E The international world

A course provides learners with opportunities to develop and apply a wide range of foreign language skills.

Learners will read and understand a variety of written and spoken texts on familiar topics. They will demonstrate understanding of ideas, opinions and attitudes, as well as select and extract relevant details and deduce the meaning of occasional unknown words from context.

They will also have opportunities to write in Chinese on familiar, everyday topics and to speak the language by taking part in everyday conversations.

Assessment

The IGCSE Mandarin examination consists of four independent components: 

Listening, speaking, reading, and writing. 

Each component accounts for 25% of the total score.

Specifically, the listening exam lasts 40 minutes and is worth 30 marks. 

The speaking exam lasts 10 minutes and is worth 40 marks. 

The reading exam lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes and is worth 40 marks. 

The writing exam lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes and is worth 45 marks.

Teacher Introduction

This course is structured around five major thematic areas,

A. Everyday activities

B. Personal and social life

C. The world around us

D. The world of work

E. The international world

which provide the context for vocabulary acquisition, grammar, and sentence pattern studies. Throughout the course, students will continuously enhance their comprehensive Chinese language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.