HSK Speaking Test (HSKK) Practice: Repeat, Describe a Picture and Answer Questions (HSK 3–4)

By the end you can

• Know the three speaking tasks and what is changing. Repeat a sentence, describe a picture, answer a question: the HSKK Intermediate and the new HSK 3 and HSK 4 speaking tests share these tasks. The book sets out the timing of each and the change due from 13 December 2026.
  我周末一般在家休息。 · Wǒ zhōumò yìbān zài jiā xiūxi. · I usually rest at home at the weekend.
• Repeat a sentence by holding it in meaning chunks. Chinese keeps a fixed order: who, when, where or how, then the action. Hold the chunks in that order and you can rebuild a sentence you only half heard.
  他每天坐地铁去上班。 · Tā měitiān zuò dìtiě qù shàngbān. · He takes the subway to work every day.
• Catch small words and tones in long sentences. Hear 没 or 不, 有点儿 or 一点儿, 过 or 着, add tone marks to words you hear, and keep two third tones right: 很好 sounds like hén hǎo.
  虽然这个问题有点儿难，但是我想再试一次。 · Suīrán zhège wèntí yǒudiǎnr nán, dànshì wǒ xiǎng zài shì yí cì. · Although this question is a bit hard, I want to try again.
• Describe a picture in four moves. Plan in 15 seconds with 谁、哪儿、做什么、为什么: say who, where, doing what, then one feeling or reason. Put the place before the action with 在 + place + verb.
  女孩在看书，男孩在喝咖啡。 · Nǚhái zài kàn shū, nánhái zài hē kāfēi. · The girl is reading and the boy is drinking coffee.
• Describe a busy scene with several people. Say what each person in a park is doing, make each sentence richer with a place or a second action, and end with a guess using 看起来 or 可能.
  外面下雨了，他们看起来很放松。 · Wàimiàn xià yǔ le, tāmen kàn qǐlai hěn fàngsōng. · It's raining outside and they look relaxed.
• Fill 90 seconds with a four-step answer. Answer, reason, example, close: about 20 seconds each, linked with 因为, 比如, 还有 and 所以. Practise everyday, opinion, past and what-if questions with 如果…就….
  所以我觉得，周末爬山是最好的休息。 · Suǒyǐ wǒ juéde, zhōumò pá shān shì zuì hǎo de xiūxi. · So I think hiking is the best way to rest at the weekend.
• Run all three tasks back to back. A mock run with a model for each task, then your turn with the timer: repeat a sentence, describe the photo on the page, and answer a question in 90 seconds while you record yourself.

What’s inside

• The test: Three Tasks, One Skill
• Repeat: Repeat in Chunks · Repeat Drill: Eight Sentences · Repeat Drill: Round Two
• Describe: Describe a Picture in Four Moves · Picture Drill: Four Photos · Picture Drill: A Busy Park
• Answer: Answer in Four Steps · Answer Drill: Everyday Questions · Answer Drill: Round Two
• Mock run: Mock Run: All Three Tasks
• Two-week plan: Your Two-Week Speaking Plan

How to use this book

Eleven short pages: learn each task, then drill it twice. The book's two-week plan on page 14 asks for 15 minutes of speaking out loud a day, with the free audio and the free prep and answer timer.

1. Days 1–4: Repeat. Read pages 3 and 4 and say every repeat sentence in the pause. Then redo the drills on pages 5 and 6 with the page covered until no sentence has gaps.
2. Days 5–6: Describe. Work through pages 7 to 9. Each day, describe two photos from your own phone: 15 seconds to plan, then three sentences.
3. Days 7–9: Answer. Work through pages 10 to 12 and answer one question a day in 90 seconds, recorded. On day 9, play your recordings back and look up three words you stopped on.
4. Days 10–11: Your own questions. Write two new questions about your work or home life and answer each with the four steps.
5. Days 12–14: Mock runs. Do the mock run on page 13 with the timer. Redo your hardest task, then run all three tasks again and compare with your first run.

Who it’s for

Learners at HSK 3 to 4 preparing for the HSKK Intermediate or the new HSK 3 or HSK 4 speaking test (HSK 3.0), who want to drill the repeat, picture and question tasks with model answers.

Before you start: The HSK 3 words and grammar. The free audio reads every Chinese line with a pause to say it back, and the key has a model answer for every task. For full timed papers, use SayMei's HSK 3 and HSK 4 Speaking Mock Tests.

Frequently asked questions

Will the HSKK continue once the new HSK speaking tests start?

From 13 December 2026, HSK 3 to 6 candidates also take a speaking test paired with their level. The separate HSKK Beginner and Intermediate are expected to give way to these tests, and CTI has not confirmed whether they continue. Repeating, describing and answering appear in both, so the drills work for either.

Is this a mock test?

No, it is a skills workbook: each task is taught on a Learn page and drilled twice, with one mock run at the end. For full timed papers in the new HSK format, use SayMei's HSK 3 and HSK 4 Speaking Mock Tests.

What if I lose part of a sentence in the repeat task?

Say the parts you kept. Silence costs you the most, and the chunk order (who, when, where, action) helps you rebuild the rest. In the picture and question tasks, use a short filler like 让我想一想 and carry on.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 19-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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