HSC Chinese Extension Practice: Issues, Text Response, Writing and Oral (NSW)

By the end you can

• Know the course, its oral and its written exam. Chinese Extension is a 1-unit Year 12 course for Continuers students. The book practises its skills on four of SayMei's own issues and two of its own texts, never the prescribed text.
  我的看法是这样的。 · Wǒ de kànfǎ shì zhèyàng de. · Here is my view.
• Evaluate and justify a view on four issues. Identity and belonging, young people and technology, family expectations, and study and work after school, with three discussion questions and model answers each. Weigh two sides with 虽然…但是… and end with 所以我认为….
  我基本同意这个看法。 · Wǒ jīběn tóngyì zhège kànfǎ. · I broadly agree with this view.
• Give a view with conditions, both sides and two reasons. Start with 这要看情况 or 我部分同意, give both sides with 一方面…，另一方面…, and justify with 我的理由有两个：第一…，第二….
  这要看情况。 · Zhè yào kàn qíngkuàng. · It depends.
• Analyse a short story and an opinion column. A story about Grandpa closing his Sydney shop and a column on keeping one afternoon a week free. Answer in English with the Chinese words that prove your point, then answer in Chinese.
  作者用了对比的方法。 · Zuòzhě yòngle duìbǐ de fāngfǎ. · The writer uses contrast.
• Plan and write a persuasive speech. Persuade students and parents to keep a sister-school exchange with Hangzhou: two arguments with evidence, an answer to the other side, a rhetorical question and a call to action.
  各位同学，大家好！ · Gèwèi tóngxué, dàjiā hǎo! · Hello, everyone!
• Write a reflective article about a change of mind. Contrast then and now with 以前… and 现在…, tell the turning point with 原来, 直到 and 从此, and end with what the experience means to you today.
• Defend your view when the examiner challenges it. Present a view on an issue, answer each challenge with 我理解…，但是…，所以我还是认为…, and back it with a concrete example.
  我想从两个方面来谈。 · Wǒ xiǎng cóng liǎng gè fāngmiàn lái tán. · I'd like to look at this from two angles.

What’s inside

• The course: Chinese Extension on One Page
• Issue 1: Identity and Belonging
• Issue 2: Young People and Technology
• Issue 3: Family Expectations
• Issue 4: Study, Work and the Future
• Responding to texts: Text 1: A Short Story · Text 2: An Opinion Column
• Writing: Writing 1: A Persuasive Speech · Writing 2: A Reflective Article
• Oral: The Oral: Defend Your View
• Plan: Your Ten-Week HSC Plan

How to use this book

Page 3 explains the course, pages 4 to 7 discuss four issues, 8 and 9 respond to texts, 10 and 11 are writing, 12 is the oral and 13 a ten-week plan. Say every model aloud, then change it so it says what you really think.

1. Weeks 1–3: The course and the four issues. Read page 3 and ask your teacher for this year's theme, issues and prescribed text. Answer each issue's questions aloud in about 45 seconds with a phone timer, then rewrite the models with your own views.
2. Weeks 4–5: Responding to texts. Do Text 1 and Text 2, then answer the same kinds of questions on a section of your prescribed text. List five techniques you can name in Chinese and in English.
3. Weeks 6–7: Writing. Plan and write the speech on page 10, then another on a topic from one of your issues. Write the reflective article on page 11 about an experience of your own.
4. Week 8: The oral. Prepare your view with page 12 and ask a friend to challenge it three times. Speak from notes, never a memorised script.
5. Weeks 9–10: Timed practice. Do one timed text response and one piece of writing and check them against the models. In the last week, defend one view aloud for a minute each day.

Who it’s for

Year 12 students in NSW taking HSC Chinese Extension alongside Chinese Continuers, getting ready for the oral and the written exam, and teachers who want discussion, text response and writing practice with model answers and audio.

Before you start: Strong Continuers Chinese, at about HSK 4 to 5. Key phrases have pinyin and English, questions and models have English, and the answers, models and audio script are in the key.

Frequently asked questions

Does it use this year's prescribed text and issues?

No. The four issues and both texts are SayMei's own, written to practise the same skills: discussing and justifying a view, responding to texts and writing. Ask your teacher for this year's theme, issues and prescribed text, and use the book's questions on them too.

How long should my spoken answers be?

The issue pages suggest about 45 seconds for each answer, and the oral page about a minute to defend a view. Check the oral's current form and length with your teacher, and time yourself with a phone timer.

Should I memorise the model answers?

The book says to speak from notes, never a memorised script, and to answer what the examiner actually asks. Use the models to learn the language of evaluating and justifying, then fill them with your own views and real details from Sydney and your own life.

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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