HSC Chinese Beginners Practice: Oral, Listening, Reading and Writing

By the end you can

• Know how the oral and the written paper work. One page on the conversation oral and the written paper's listening, reading and writing, with lines that keep you talking when you miss a question.
  对不起，我不太明白。 · Duìbuqǐ, wǒ bú tài míngbai. · Sorry, I don't quite understand.
• Answer twenty oral questions on four topics. Family and friends, school and leisure, food and shopping, travel and Sydney: five questions each, with model answers to say aloud and a fifth question to answer yourself.
  我在悉尼上高中，今年十二年级。 · Wǒ zài Xīní shàng gāozhōng, jīnnián shí'èr niánjí. · I go to high school in Sydney, and I'm in Year 12 this year.
• Make every answer one step longer. Add a reason with 因为, a time word such as 周末 or 以后, or your view with 我觉得, and join ideas with 但是 and 所以.
  我常常游泳，因为我家离海边很近。 · Wǒ chángcháng yóuyǒng, yīnwèi wǒ jiā lí hǎibiān hěn jìn. · I swim a lot, because my home is close to the beach.
• Get time words, measure words and word order right. Short exercises on the oral pages: pick 昨天 or 以后, choose 个, 件 or 本, and put the words of a sentence in order.
• Understand short spoken Chinese and answer in English. Six listening tasks: a school announcement, an invitation, a clothes shop, a message from Mum, a weather report and a call to a teacher.
  你好，这件衣服多少钱？ · Nǐ hǎo, zhè jiàn yīfu duōshao qián? · Hi, how much is this top?
• Read signs, text messages and a short text. Work out signs such as 请安静 and 今天休息, two text messages and Xiaowen's text about her Saturday job, answering in English.
  请安静 · qǐng ānjìng · Please be quiet.
• Write a short message and a diary entry. Finish sentences about yourself, invite a friend to a film in about 30 characters, and write about 70 characters on last weekend, with models to compare.
• Run a full 5-minute oral mock. A whole conversation from hello to goodbye with model answers, extra questions you may hear, and a timer to run it again with your own details.
  我学了两年中文了。 · Wǒ xué le liǎng nián Zhōngwén le. · I've been learning Chinese for two years.

What’s inside

• The exam: How the oral and the written paper work, and three lines for asking again or buying time. The HSC Beginners Exam in One Page
• Oral 1: Your family, your parents' jobs, who you are most like and your best friend. Family and Friends
• Oral 2: Your school, your favourite subject, after school and last weekend, with time words. School and Leisure
• Oral 3: Food you like, breakfast, shopping and cooking, with measure words. Food and Shopping
• Oral 4: Travel, getting to school, life in Sydney and your plans after high school. Travel and Sydney
• Listening: Six short recordings with questions in English: plans, shops, messages and the weather. Listening 1: Plans and Shops · Listening 2: Messages and Weather
• Reading: Signs, two text messages and a short text about a weekend job, answered in English. Reading: Signs, Texts and a Story
• Writing: Sentences about you, a text message inviting a friend and a diary entry about last weekend. Writing: A Message and a Diary
• Oral mock: A full conversation of about 5 minutes with model answers, plus extra questions to practise. Full 5-Minute Oral Mock
• Plan: Six weeks of oral, listening, reading and writing practice, ending with three timed mocks. Your Six-Week HSC Plan

How to use this book

Six weeks, as on page 13. Cover the model answers, answer each question aloud, then compare and say the model twice. Aim for 20 to 30 seconds an answer.

1. Week 1: Say the four oral topics. Say Oral 1 to Oral 4 with the audio, pausing to repeat every model answer.
2. Week 2: Your own answers. Write your own answer to all twenty oral questions, two or three short sentences each.
3. Week 3: Topic words. Learn ten new words for each topic: family, school, food and travel. Put them into your answers.
4. Week 4: Listening again. Do Listening 1 and 2 again without the key, then read the script at the back and listen once more.
5. Week 5: Writing. Write one message and one diary entry, each in under 15 minutes, and check them against the models.
6. Week 6: The oral mock. Run the mock on page 12 with the timer three times, with a friend or family member as the examiner.

Who it’s for

NSW Year 12 students taking HSC Chinese Beginners, and teachers who want oral, listening, reading and writing practice in the HSC Chinese Beginners format, with audio, for a class.

Before you start: The book is at about HSK 1-2 and uses simplified characters with pinyin. Every oral and listening line has English, and the listening scripts and answers are at the back.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the questions?

SayMei wrote every question, as practice in the HSC Chinese Beginners format: a conversation oral and a written paper with listening, reading and writing.

Where are the listening scripts?

The listening pages play lines that are not printed on the page. Their scripts are at the back with the answer key, so you can listen first and read afterwards. The audio is free on this book's page on saymei.app.

How long should an oral answer be?

Aim for 20 to 30 seconds, about two or three short sentences: answer the question, then add one more idea, such as a reason with 因为 or a time word. You can time yourself with a phone timer.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 17-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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