NCEA Level 1 Chinese Practice: Interacting, Listening and Reading

By the end you can

• Know the four Level 1 Chinese standards and what each asks. Two internals done in class, Interact (91952) and Communicate (91953), and two externals in one digital exam, listening (91954) and reading (91955), answered in English or te reo Māori.
  请你再说一遍。 · Qǐng nǐ zài shuō yí biàn. · Could you say that again, please?
• Turn an answer into an interaction by asking back. Talk about your whānau, then ask back with 你呢？ or a question with 几, 什么, 哪儿 or 谁. Aim to keep talking for a minute and ask back at least twice.
  你呢？ · Nǐ ne? · And you?
• Talk about your school day with an opinion and a reason. Say which subjects you like and why with 因为 and 但是, and pick the reply that answers the question and keeps the talk going.
  我觉得很有意思，因为可以说中文。 · Wǒ juéde hěn yǒu yìsi, yīnwèi kěyǐ shuō Zhōngwén. · I think it's interesting, because I can speak Chinese.
• Say where you live in Aotearoa and how you get around. Use 离 to say what is near or far, say how you travel with 坐公共汽车, and ask a friend about the South Island with 去过.
  我住在奥克兰北边，离海边很近。 · Wǒ zhù zài Àokèlán běibian, lí hǎibiān hěn jìn. · I live in the north of Auckland, close to the beach.
• Talk about food and celebrations. Say what your family does at each celebration with 的时候, from dumplings at Chinese New Year to a summer Christmas at the beach.
  我最喜欢吃饺子。 · Wǒ zuì xǐhuan chī jiǎozi. · Dumplings are my favourite.
• Plan and give a welcome talk with a clear purpose. Spot whether a line welcomes, invites or suggests, add 以前, 现在 or 以后, and give a one-minute welcome to visiting students that ends with a suggestion using 吧.
  欢迎大家来我们学校！ · Huānyíng dàjiā lái wǒmen xuéxiào! · Welcome to our school, everyone!
• Listen for who, when and where, and the detail behind them. Two messages, a podcast and a restaurant advert, answered in English. 因为 gives the reason, 但是 a contrast, and 了 at the end often shows a change of plan.
  因为下雨，我们不去海边了。 · Yīnwèi xià yǔ, wǒmen bú qù hǎibiān le. · Because it's raining, we're not going to the beach any more.
• Read emails, notices, a blog post and texts. Answer in English, mark statements true or false and correct the false ones, and find the Chinese words for English meanings.
  请不要在教室里吃东西。 · Qǐng búyào zài jiàoshì li chī dōngxi. · Please don't eat in the classroom.

What’s inside

• The standards: NCEA Level 1 Chinese in One Page
• Interact 1: Me and My Whānau
• Interact 2: School Life
• Interact 3: My Town and Aotearoa
• Interact 4: Food and Celebrations
• Communicate: Communicate for a Chosen Purpose
• Listening: Listening Practice 1 · Listening Practice 2
• Reading: Reading Practice 1 · Reading Practice 2
• Plan: A Term Plan for NCEA Chinese

How to use this book

One page a session through the year: the interactions and the communicate task for your internals, then listening and reading before the end-of-year exam. Your school sets the internal dates, so check them early.

1. Term 1: Act out the interactions. One interaction from pages 4 to 7 each week with a partner, then again with your own details. Ask your teacher how your interactions will be collected.
2. Term 2: Record and plan. Record yourself on one class topic each fortnight and keep your best. Plan your communicate task as on page 8, and practise it from notes with the timer.
3. Term 3: Listening and reading. Redo pages 9 to 12 with the audio and the key, and note the details you missed. Each week, read one short Chinese text and write three facts in English.
4. Term 4: Get ready for the exam. Listen to each text twice: first for who, when and where, then for the reason and any change. Answer in full English sentences.
5. Every week: Say it from memory. Say three model lines aloud without looking, and practise a dialogue with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

Who it’s for

Year 11 students in Aotearoa New Zealand taking NCEA Level 1 Chinese (Mandarin), and teachers who want interactions to act out and listening and reading practice with audio.

Before you start: A year or two of school Chinese, at about HSK 1 to 2. Dialogues, reading texts and the spoken model answers have pinyin and English, and the answers and audio script are in the key.

Frequently asked questions

Does it cover the internals and the external exam?

Yes. Four interactions and a communicate task practise the internals, and four pages of listening and reading practise the end-of-year external, with texts in Chinese and answers in English. SayMei wrote every prompt, so it is practice in the NCEA Level 1 Chinese format.

How should I use the model answers?

Read each model line aloud, then cover it and say it again with your own details. For the communicate task, speak from notes rather than a script, and finish with a question for your audience.

Where are the listening texts?

The listening texts on pages 9 and 10 are on the free audio only, so play them before you read the questions. Their script is in the key at the back, with the 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.

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