The Complete Guide To A Level Chinese in Singapore
The Complete Guide To A Level Chinese in Singapore
Due to their English-speaking backgrounds, Chinese has been difficult for many students. Students are less motivated to study H1 Chinese due to the additional workload at A Level. Aside from the increased workload, H1 Chinese students will also be expected to take their A Level Chinese exam at the end their JC1 years, which leaves them with very little time to develop a solid foundation in H1 Chinese.
An Overview of A Level Chinese
Students must take A Level H1 Chinese under the A Level curriculum if they haven’t taken Higher Chinese at O Level standard or received an E8 or less during their O Level Higher Chinese exam. Students taking H1 Chinese must achieve an S (subpass grade) in their A Level Chinese to be eligible for admission at a local university. Many students struggle to excel in A Level Chinese because they lack a solid foundation in Chinese and the ability to read and analyze texts.
It is important that students have a strong foundation in Chinese language and literacy from both their Primary and Secondary school years. H1 Chinese helps students to improve their Chinese literary skills, which will help them prepare for further education.
Due to the increasing importance of the Chinese language in communication, and the rise of the Chinese market in global economies, Chinese has become a more essential communication skill than a subject to be studied. Students must also achieve a subpass (S) grade in order to be eligible for local university admission.
Students can achieve A Level Chinese, no matter how difficult it may seem. However, with the right study habits and guidance, they can do well. Sophia Education’s Chinese Tuition can provide additional assistance if you need it. Our A Level Chinese tutors are over 9,000 and include native speakers as well as part-time tutors. They will help you pass your A Level H1 Chinese exam!
A Level Chinese Objectives
The H1 Chinese syllabus aims to improve students’ listening, speaking and writing skills, which will allow them to communicate with others effectively.
Therefore, students should be able:
Understanding and inferring information from daily conversations, broadcasts, and media related to daily living and current affairs topics
Fluently and methodically describe experiences and express opinions on current affairs and life topics. Use rich vocabulary and different sentence structures to support arguments and highlight key points.
Understanding the meaning of reading materials, including magazines, newspapers, authentic corpus, literary texts, and other media, is essential for understanding current affairs and life.
Write down your experience, using rich vocabulary and different sentence patterns depending on the topic.
Fluently communicate with people about current affairs and life. Respond to the views of others. Engage in conversation/exchange.
Communicate effectively on a variety of platforms (blogs and social media) using appropriate language and expression
You can find more information under the SEAB Syllabus.
A Level Chinese Exam Format
A Level Chinese consists of two papers – Paper 1 (Writing & Comprehension and Paper 2 (Oral & Listening).
This is a bird’s-eye view of the A Level Chinese exam!
Paper 1 (Essay & Comprehension)
Part 1 (Writing/Xie Zuo)60 marks, 30 minutes There are several possible topics/themes. These include narrative, explanatory and argumentative, as well as picture essays. Students may use a SEAB-approved Chinese Dictionary.
Part 2 (Comprehension/Yu Wen Li Jie Yu Ying Yong )80 marks, 1 hour 30 mins
Section A: Fill in the Blanks – Zong He Lian Kong
20 marks, 10 questions this section asks students to complete the passage’s blanks. The students must read the passage and then choose the best answer.
Section B: Comprehension 1 – Yue Du Li Jie (Yi )
20 marks, 6 questions this section students will be required to choose the best answer based upon the contents of the 1-2 passages. Students will be examining advertisements, flyers and news reports in this section.
Section C: Comprehension 2 – Yue Du Li Jie (Er )
40 marks, 9 questions students will be expected to answer the questions based on the section. This section will also contain a summary question. Students are required to summarize the passage in no more than 70 words.
The Challenges of Paper 1
Essay and comprehension remain the most difficult aspects of any language paper. Many students struggle to express their ideas in both the essay and comprehension sections. Many still have difficulty switching between English and Chinese. Students tend to think in English, before trying to translate their ideas into Chinese and writing them down. It is efficient, but it can be very time-consuming. This could lead to poor time management for Paper 1.
How to Score in Paper 1
Students should build on any misinformation to maintain a solid foundation in Chinese at A Level. This could be done by reading more Chinese-related material and being more exposed to it. Students are also encouraged to read more about the Essay component and practice writing essays on different topics or themes. Students can also benefit from reading through model essays to learn about writing styles and vocabulary.
They can then use these ideas in future essays. It is also beneficial to have additional guidance, as language is not something one can easily learn by themselves. Students should consider hiring a tutor for A-Level Chinese!
Paper 2 (Oral & Listening)
Oral (Kou Shi)50 marks, 10-15 minutes Students are allowed to watch multiple clips in a short time and can also take notes on the key points.
Part 1: Oral Report – Kou Tou Bao Gao
20 marksStudents will need to combine the content of the videos according to the topic provided and then present an oral presentation of no more that 2 minutes.
Part 2: Discussion – Tao Lun
30 marksThe examiner will follow the oral report of the student and ask questions about the report. Students are expected to have a conversation with the examiner.
Listening Comprehension (10 marks, 30 minutes)Examination will consist of a paragraph, a short dialogue, and three comprehension chapters with a total 10 MCQs. Before answering the questions, students must first listen to the recording.
This examination covers daily conversations, broadcasts and interviews as well as stories and news reports.
The Challenges of Paper 2
Paper 2 is often overlooked by students, and they tend to concentrate on Paper 1. Paper 2 can be a great help for H1 Chinese students if it is done right. Students often struggle to create a coherent, two-minute report that is comprehensive and coherent under the Oral component.
Students might not have enough time to view the video in sufficient time to collect enough information for their report, or to organize their main points into complete sentences. Students often overlook the Listening Comprehension portion of Paper 2 because they think it is easy to score.
Students need to be confident about achieving the full marks in this section to maximize their chances of passing the A Level Chinese exam. This is because it might pose tricky questions. Students might also make mistakes when reading the Listening Comprehension questions, which could lead to them choosing the wrong answers.
Students should be exposed to more Chinese-related content in order to succeed in both the Listening and Oral components. Students must also practice their Oral component to ensure they can produce a coherent, fluent and timely Oral Report.
Resources and Tips for Level Chinese
Students must be able to master the A Level Chinese syllabus and have a solid foundation in order to succeed at A Level Chinese. Sophia Education offers a number of study tips and resources that will help students succeed in A Level Chinese.
A Level Chinese Tips
Regular exposure is the key to improving your Chinese. You can do this in many ways, including watching Chinese media and reading more Chinese content. Sophia Education recommends reading at least two Chinese novels per month. This is in addition to other regular exposures such as reading Chinese newspapers and watching Chinese news. Students will become more familiar with grammar, sentence structures, and vocabulary through repeated exposure. This will allow them to incorporate these skills into their examination answers.
Practise Chinese Regularly
Students should practice regularly as a continuation to the previous point. You can practice writing and practicing your Chinese with friends or family. This will help students become more familiar with the language and make it easier for them to understand the different sentence structures and vocabulary during the A Level Chinese Oral. Students will also be exposed to more vocabulary, and question types, and practice with exam papers regularly, which will allow them to improve their Chinese.
Students also face time management problems, especially during exams. Students have a hard time putting together coherent ideas and writing them down in their essay writing section. This can lead to haphazard points, increased carelessness and more mistakes.
Students will not be able to plan their essays properly if they don’t have the right time management. This can lead to a less cohesive essay. Paper 1’s Comprehension section is a similar example. Students often get caught up in the first few sections, leaving little time for the final part (Comprehension 2) which has the highest mark allocation. Students will benefit if they have more practice in timed situations to mimic the A Level exam environment. Students will learn to deal with the intensity and be able to understand how to pass the H1 Chinese exam.
It is not a secret that learning languages take time. Students must start early and work hard to succeed in A Level Chinese. If you don’t have the necessary skills and guidance, it can be hard to learn A Level Chinese. Students might find it difficult to focus on A Level Chinese due to the overwhelming workload they face as JC students. To be eligible for admission to local universities, they need only to achieve an S grade.
Sophia Education A Level Chinese tutors might be a good idea. Our A Level Chinese tutors are highly qualified and trained to help students master the Chinese language. They are either A Level Chinese Tutors or have taught in JCs before becoming Home Tutors.
A Level Chinese Resources
We have compiled a list of resources that will help students prepare for A Level Chinese. These resources include free online resources, quality assessments, guidebooks, and more.
It is important to practice enough in order to be able to perform well on the A Level Chinese exams. This assessment book can be used to practice on your own time. Students can rest assured that the practice they do in this book will not be wasted by following SEAB’s exam guidelines.
This assessment book is ideal for students who want to practice for the A Level Chinese exam.
A-Level compositions are a useful guidebook that contains model compositions. This guidebook will allow students to learn more and expose them to different types of questions, whether narrative, explanatory, or argumentative. Students will be able to learn interesting sentences and phrases through regular study, which they can use during their A Level Chinese exam.
Many students have trouble writing essays. This book will help them with their A Level Chinese Compositions.
A-Level Vocabulary
Many students face a major challenge: they are unable to comprehend new vocabulary or have the resources to learn it. This results in them sticking with the same vocabulary when writing Paper 1. A Level Vocabulary hence is a guidebook that will help students diversify their Chinese vocabulary.
This A Level Chinese Vocabulary Book serves as a vocabulary bank for students and is great for improving essays!
This book is a great resource for students looking to expand their vocabulary, as per the guidebook recommendation. This book has a large vocabulary that includes nouns, verbs and even idioms. All of this will be useful for students as they prepare for their exams.
This guidebook will expose students to the most popular vocabulary used in A Level Chinese.
Chinese is a language that relies on content knowledge and skills. Having a consolidated set can prove extremely helpful, especially for those who are struggling just before the exams. SG Exams rely on students uploading their notes and resources to the site. Students can then browse the huge selection of notes from students and download what interests them.
You want to practice more, but don’t have the resources. You don’t have to worry. Sophia Education has compiled a list A Level Chinese exam papers available for downloading.
A Level of Chinese Tuition
Effective tuition classes are a great way to get additional guidance if you need it. Tuition classes allow students to receive personalized feedback. This is particularly useful for essay writing sections that don’t have a clear answer. Sophia Education has compiled a list A Level Chinese Tuition Centers that can help you improve your A Level Chinese grades.
Sophia Education 1-To-1 Chinese Tuition
Home tutoring is a great alternative to group tuition at tuition centres. Sophia Education has a vast database of Chinese tutors, with over 9,000 who are highly qualified and committed to learning the language. They have the ability to tailor their lessons to target student’s weaknesses.
Conclusion
A Level Chinese is a one-year program. Students should put more effort into their A Level Chinese. They don’t have to worry as much about other A Level subjects. A high grade in A level Chinese will motivate students to excel in other subjects during their JC2 years.
Learning Chinese should be fun, regardless of academic results. It is not enough to earn an A in Chinese. Students need to be able to think more clearly and have a greater appreciation for the culture and language. Students will learn transferable study skills and mindsets that will help them succeed in future studies.
Our A Level Chinese tutors at Sophia Education are passionate and dedicated to teaching and learning Chinese. The holistic approach to education is what our tutors emphasize. It goes far beyond the A Level Chinese syllabus. Instead, they aim to teach students real-life skills that can be used in their future studies and in other A Level subjects.
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