AAPPL Chinese Practice Test: Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening (Form A and B)

By the end you can

• Know the four components, the two forms and the ratings. Interpersonal listening and speaking, presentational writing, interpretive reading and interpretive listening are rated separately. Ask your teacher which form you will take.
  你呢？你周末喜欢做什么？ · Nǐ ne? Nǐ zhōumò xǐhuan zuò shénme? · And you? What do you like to do at weekends?
• Answer video-chat style questions on four everyday topics. Your routine, school and friends, where you live, and plans and experiences. Each question has a shorter and a longer model answer to compare with yours.
  我每天六点半起床，七点半去学校。 · Wǒ měitiān liù diǎn bàn qǐchuáng, qī diǎn bàn qù xuéxiào. · I get up at 6:30 every day and go to school at 7:30.
• Answer, add a detail and ask a question back. Add where, when or with whom, give a reason with 因为, and put then and now in one answer with 以前……现在…….
  因为离家很近，所以我常常去。 · Yīnwèi lí jiā hěn jìn, suǒyǐ wǒ chángcháng qù. · It's close to home, so I often go there.
• Talk about what you have done and what you plan. Say what you did with 过 and 了, and what you plan with 打算, 想 and 要.
  这个暑假我打算去北京看爷爷奶奶。 · Zhège shǔjià wǒ dǎsuàn qù Běijīng kàn yéye nǎinai. · This summer I plan to go to Beijing to see my grandparents.
• Write a post and a polite email in two lengths. A post to a new online friend and an email to a host family in Beijing, using 请问, 希望 and 祝. Compare yours with a short I-3 style model and a longer I-5 style model.
• Read and listen to short Chinese texts, answering in English. A text message, a poster, a short article, a school announcement, a phone message and a shop deal, with every listening track on the free audio.
• Run all four components in one sitting. A mock run: a chat about music and phones, a written invitation, a notice to read and an announcement to listen to, then check everything with the key.

What’s inside

• The test: The AAPPL in One Page
• Interpersonal 1: Me and My Routine
• Interpersonal 2: School and Friends
• Interpersonal 3: My Community
• Interpersonal 4: Plans and Experiences
• Presentational writing: Writing 1: A Post to a New Friend · Writing 2: Email to a Host Family
• Interpretive: Reading: Read Messages, Ads and an Article · Listening: Announcements and a Phone Message
• Mock run: A Full AAPPL-Style Mock Run
• Plan: Your Four-Week AAPPL Plan

How to use this book

Page 3 explains the test, pages 4 to 7 are chats, 8 and 9 writing, 10 and 11 reading and listening, 12 a mock run and 13 a four-week plan. Speak first: answer out loud, record yourself, and add a reason and a question back.

1. Week 1: Routine, school and friends. Answer the chats on pages 4 and 5 out loud every day and record two of them. For timed practice, use a phone timer.
2. Week 2: Community, plans and experiences. Answer the chats on pages 6 and 7, adding a reason and a question back to every answer.
3. Week 3: Writing. Write both tasks on pages 8 and 9 in the longer style, then read them aloud.
4. Week 4: Reading, listening and the mock run. Do pages 10 and 11 with the free audio: play each track once, answer, then play it again to check. Then do the mock run on page 12 in one sitting.
5. Every Sunday: Rate yourself on the ladder. Use the five-step ladder on page 13. If you stay on one step for two weeks, spend the next week on that step alone.

Who it’s for

Middle and high school students of Chinese who will take the AAPPL, and teachers who want practice for the AAPPL across all four components, with model answers at two levels and audio.

Before you start: Novice High to Intermediate Mid Chinese, about HSK 1 to 3. Chat questions and phrases have pinyin and English, and every model answer and the audio script are in the key.

Frequently asked questions

Which form does it practise?

Page 3 explains Form A and Form B, and every chat and writing task has a shorter I-3 style model and a longer I-5 style model, so you can work at the level you need. Ask your teacher which form you will take.

Who wrote the tasks?

SayMei wrote every task and model answer. It is practice for the AAPPL in the style of its four components, and the mock run on page 12 lets you try all four in one sitting.

How do I move from shorter answers to longer ones?

Follow the book's habit: give your answer, add one detail (where, when or with whom), give a reason, and ask a question back. Then add a second time frame with 过, 了 or 打算. Rate yourself on the ladder on page 13 each week.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 18-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

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