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

By the end you can

• Know the oral, the three written sections and the three themes. The oral is a conversation of about 10 minutes. The written exam has listening, reading (Part A in English, Part B a reply in Chinese) and writing, on The Individual, Chinese-speaking Communities and The Changing World.
  请您再说一遍，好吗？ · Qǐng nín zài shuō yí biàn, hǎo ma? · Could you say that again, please?
• Answer oral questions about yourself in three parts (The Individual). Give an answer, a reason and an example, and put the example in the past or the future. Model answers cover your family, weekends, why you chose Chinese and your plans after school.
  我喜欢游泳，因为可以放松。上个周末我去了邦迪海滩。 · Wǒ xǐhuan yóuyǒng, yīnwèi kěyǐ fàngsōng. Shàng ge zhōumò wǒ qùle Bāngdí Hǎitān. · I like swimming because it relaxes me. Last weekend I went to Bondi Beach.
• Talk about Chinese-speaking places and customs you know (Chinese-speaking Communities). Describe a homestay in Shanghai, ordering in Chinese in Chatswood, a festival you celebrated and a city you would like to visit, with one detail from your own life in each answer.
  我很想去中国看看。 · Wǒ hěn xiǎng qù Zhōngguó kànkan. · I'd really like to go and see China.
• Give opinions with reasons on phones, study and the environment (The Changing World). Weigh online learning, say how Sydney will change in twenty years and whether Year 12 students should work, with a 不过 or 但是 sentence in every answer.
  我觉得有好处也有坏处。 · Wǒ juéde yǒu hǎochù yě yǒu huàichù. · I think there are good points and bad points.
• Catch details and attitudes in four listening texts. A voicemail, a school announcement, a conversation about next year and a talk about a neighbour. Answer in English, then explain how a speaker feels and give evidence from the text.
• Read an advertisement, a blog post and an email, then reply in Chinese. Answer in English with evidence for Part A, then plan and write a full reply to an exchange student's email that answers all her questions and ends with one of your own.
• Plan and write a diary entry and a speech. Write about running the dumpling table at Culture Day with 一…就 and 不但…而且, then give both sides on phones and family with 首先, 其次 and 总之. Both have a model in the key.

What’s inside

• The exam: The Exam on One Page
• Oral 1: Oral: The Individual
• Oral 2: Oral: Chinese-speaking Communities
• Oral 3: Oral: The Changing World
• Listening: Listening and Responding 1 · Listening and Responding 2
• Reading: Reading and Responding 1 · Reading and Responding 2
• Writing: Writing in Chinese 1: A Diary · Writing in Chinese 2: A Speech
• Plan: Your Six-Week HSC Plan

How to use this book

Page 3 explains the exam, pages 4 to 6 are the oral, pages 7 to 12 the written exam and page 13 a six-week plan. Aim for oral answers of about 30 to 60 seconds, then change the models so they are true for you.

1. Week 1: The exam and The Individual. Read page 3, then answer the Oral 1 questions aloud with a phone timer and compare your answers with the models.
2. Week 2: The other two oral themes. Answer the Oral 2 and Oral 3 questions, adding one past and one future sentence to each answer.
3. Week 3: Listening. Do both listening pages with the free audio: once for the main idea, once for the details. Check against the audio script in the key.
4. Week 4: Reading. Do both reading pages, underlining the question words before you read each text, then write your reply to Zhang Xin.
5. Week 5: Writing. Write the diary and the speech again on a topic of your own, then check them against the models.
6. Week 6: A bit of everything. Each day, practise one oral theme aloud, one listening text and one writing plan. The day before, rest and read your list of 20 true sentences once.

Who it’s for

Year 12 students in NSW taking HSC Chinese Continuers, getting ready for the oral and the written exam, and teachers who want practice across all three themes with audio.

Before you start: The Chinese from your Continuers course so far, at about HSK 3 to 4. The key phrases have pinyin and English, the oral models have English, and the answers, models and audio script are in the key.

Frequently asked questions

Which parts of HSC Chinese Continuers does it cover?

The oral, with model answers on each of the three themes, and all three sections of the written exam: two listening pages, two reading pages (questions in English and a reply in Chinese) and two writing tasks, a diary entry and a speech. SayMei wrote every text and question.

How long should my oral answers be?

The book suggests about 30 to 60 seconds each. Time yourself with a phone timer, and give an answer, a reason and an example in the past or the future.

Should I learn the model answers word for word?

The book says to change them to fit you instead. Keep a list of 20 true sentences about your life, your school and Sydney, say them aloud, and use them to build your own answers.

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.

Keep going

AP® Chinese Speaking Practice: Project Presentation and Q&A (2027 Format) · AP® Chinese Story Narration and Email Response Practice: 10 Prompts with Model Answers · GCSE Chinese Speaking Practice: Role Plays, Picture Tasks and Conversation Questions · O Level Chinese Oral Practice: Reading Aloud and Video Conversation with Model Answers · More exam practice · Browse all 294 workbooks