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⚠ What the official exam format tells you
- Sections A and B are answered in pinyin. Section C is answered in Chinese characters. 40 of the 100 marks need handwriting from memory.
- Numbers are worth 4 marks each — double everything else — and need characters and pinyin.
- Two questions are built on dates and a calendar.
- Section A picture-matching pulls from the supplementary picture vocabulary in the slides (西餐, 包子), not just the core word lists.
Full breakdown on the Exam page.
The eight lessons
Click any lesson for its vocabulary, grammar patterns, example sentences and exam traps.
How to use this site
Study mode
On the lesson, vocabulary and grammar pages there's a row of hide buttons. Blur the pinyin to test your reading, blur the characters to test recall from sound, or blur the English to test comprehension. Hover any blurred item to peek at the answer.
The “say it like” column
A rough English approximation, not a replacement for pinyin. It's there
to bind sound to shape while you're learning. A few recurring ones:
zh ≈ j, q ≈ ch,
x ≈ sh, c ≈ ts,
-i after zh/ch/sh/r ≈ rr,
ü ≈ ew (say “ee” with rounded lips).
Reference pages
Beyond the lessons — built around what the exam format actually asks for.
Suggested revision order
Reordered around the official exam format. Work top to bottom.
- Read the exam format first. Sections A and B are answered in pinyin; Section C is answered in Chinese characters. That one fact should shape everything else you do.
- Numbers, with a pen. 4 marks each — double every other question — and they need characters and pinyin.
- Dates and the calendar. Two separate questions depend on them, and Section C wants them handwritten.
- Grammar patterns. Only ~15 of them, and they decide whether your Section B sentences are correct. Go to Grammar.
- The confusable pairs. 几/多少, 什么/怎么, 个/口, 买/卖, 哪/那, 不/没, 他/她. This is where the traps are.
- Vocabulary in bulk via Flashcards — including the food and country words in the dictionary, since Section A is picture matching.
- Finally, sentence production. Cover the English on each lesson page and rebuild the Chinese. Aim for five characters minimum, every time.