⚠ The three things that will cost you the most marks
- Section C means handwriting. 40 of the 100 marks require you to write characters from memory — numbers, picture words, and calendar answers. Recognition is not enough. Practise with a pen.
- Numbers are worth 4 marks each — double everything else on the paper — and need both characters and pinyin. See Numbers.
- Tone marks are part of the answer. Sections B writes pinyin; shiji instead of shíjiǔ is a lost mark.
The paper, section by section
Marks add to 100. The badge shows what you write your answer in.
Section A
30 marks1 · Match pictures to words/phrases [2 each] letters
Words are given in both pinyin and characters, so this is pure
vocabulary recognition. The sample uses 学校, 钱, 说汉语, 西餐 — note that
西餐 is not in the core lesson vocabulary; it comes from the Lesson 8
picture slides. There may be more words than pictures, so some brackets stay empty.
2 · Fill in the brackets from a word bank [2 each] letters
A five-option bank (几 / 月 / 号 / 名字 / 星期) reused across the
questions. The sample is entirely about dates — which is why the
Dates page matters so much.
Section B
30 marks1 · Match questions to their answers [2 each] letters
Tests whether you can spot what a question is actually asking.
Distractors are grammatically fine but answer the wrong question — e.g. replying
我是中国人 to 你叫什么名字？. Watch 他/她 agreement between question and answer.
2 · Picture → write a sentence [2 each] pinyin
Minimum five characters. The worked sample is
Wǒ xiǎng chī bāozi. — that's 5. A safe formula that always clears the bar:
我想 + verb + object or 我要去 + place + verb.
3 · Translate English → Chinese [2 each] pinyin
Answers written in pinyin with tone marks. The sample covers
age: Wǒ jīnnián shíjiǔ suì le. Lǐ lǎoshī, nín jīnnián jǐ suì?
Section C
40 marks1 · Picture → write the characters [2 each] characters
The sample picture is the numeral 1 → 一. Expect simple, high-frequency
characters you can actually draw: numbers, 人, 书, 茶, 家, 口.
2 · Numbers → characters + pinyin [4 each] both
The heaviest question on the paper. Sample: 11 → 十一 → shíyī.
Two marks for the characters, two for the pinyin, so a missing tone mark still
costs you half. Drill this on the Numbers page.
3 · Calendar → answer in characters [2 each] characters
A month grid with one date circled (the sample is November, 7th circled).
You answer date and weekday questions in characters. Full walkthrough on the
Dates page.
What this format tells you to study
Disproportionately important
- Numbers — 4 marks each, characters + pinyin
- Dates & calendar — drives two whole questions
- Handwriting simple characters from memory
- Picture vocabulary from the slides (食物, 西餐, 包子)
- Pinyin production with correct tone marks
Lower yield than you'd expect
- Stroke names and stroke-order theory — not directly tested
- Deep grammar terminology (“nominal predicate”) — you need the pattern, not the label
- Initials/finals tables as abstract lists
- Reading long passages — there aren't any
✓ A note on the sample answer key
- The paper's own model answer asks a teacher's age with nín jīnnián jǐ suì?. Textbook convention would normally use 多大 for an adult and reserve 几岁 for young children — but the paper is the paper. Follow their key. I'm flagging it so the mismatch with your Lesson 5 notes doesn't throw you.
Section A · practice
Fill in the bracket from the bank: A 几 B 月 C 号 D 名字 E 星期 — reconstructed from the format paper's own questions.
Section B · question–answer matching
Section B · picture sentences (5+ characters)
Write a sentence in pinyin. Aim for the five-character minimum every time.
Section B · translate into pinyin
Section C · numbers
Characters and pinyin, 4 marks each. More drills on the Numbers page.
Section C · calendar
Answer in Chinese characters. Assume November, with the 7th circled — the paper's own example.
Extra practice · grammar accuracy
Not a section of its own, but these decide whether your Section B sentences are correct.