Cantonese Class 12/13 GCE A–Level

Teacher: Ms Juan Fu

Putonghua A-Level class is for students who are advanced enough to undertake the A-Level in Chinese. Students who are applicable for this class have usually alreeady passed their GCSE exam, though if this hasn't occurred then acceptance into this class is at the teacher's disgression according to the student's level in Chinese.

In the first year, students will complete all the material required to achieve the AS Level in Chinese. This equates to half of the overall 'A-Level' and students then have the option to continue to the A2 examination in the second year of the course, completing the A-Level.

AS Level

For the AS Level examination, students will take a Speaking test around April/May time which consists of a 5–6 minutes conversation in Chinese in response to a short English-language stimulus. Students will be expected to refer to a series of questions printed on the stimulus so that they can communicate effectively in Chinese about the stimulus topic. Students will need to express opinions as well as provide relevant and appropriate information.

Students will also sit a 2 hours 30 minutes written exam divided into sections of Listening, Reading and Writing. The exam will begin with the Listening, with students able to rewind the recording as much as they wish, before they move on to the Readig and Writing elements.

A2 Level

There is only one, 2 hours and 45 minute exam for this and it is divided into four sections: Reading, Translation, Essay Writing and a Research-based essay. Firstly, students are required to read a piece of authentic Chinese text and to retrieve and convey information from it. To demonstrate that they can do this, they will need to answer a series of questions in Chinese (10 marks).

Next, students will be assessed on their ability to transfer meaning from a short passage written in English into Chinese (10 marks).

Then, students must write an essay in Chinese (250–500 characters) in response to an essay title that links to the reading text in Section A. A maximum of 30 marks will be awarded in accordance with the assessment criteria that reward content and response and quality of language (30 marks).

Finally, students will write in Chinese (250–500 characters) about an area of interest to them and which they have researched in advance. Students will be free to set their own titles for this activity. All research must link to Chinese culture and/or society and to a specific topic area, film or book chosen from a prescribed list. This final section accounts for 30 marks.

For more information about the exam itself, please visit the Edexcel website.