Big news for HSK Exams | Speaking test added from 2023

There’s a big change for HSK exams coming. If you take the HSK exam (HSK3, HSK4, HSK5, or HSK6) from January 2023 onwards in China, you’ll get an additional spoken exam. This also means: no more dedicated HSKK tests from 2023. And you’ll receive just one score report/certificate for both written and speaking tests.

What is the HSKK Speaking test going to be like?

The speaking test is called HSKK. HSKK stands for 汉语水平考试口语Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì Kǒuyǔ (Word by word translation: Chinese proficiency exam spoken language), and focuses on spoken language.  This'll be a new part of the HSK exams in the near future. Sometimes you need to answer by repeating, summarising, or replying to the question or sentence in a recording. And the answer can be written down (in Pinyin for Primary and Intermediate, in Hanzi characters for Advanced), or spoken into a recording which then later is assessed for your grading.

Primary Level
The HSK Speaking Test (Primary Level) is comprised of three parts, containing 27 items in total.

·The duration of the test is 17 minutes (including 7 minutes for preparation):

·There are 15 items in Part I. For each item, a sentence recording will be played. The test taker should repeat the sentence.

·There are 10 items in Part II. In each item, the recording of a question will be played. The test taker should provide a brief answer.

·There are 2 items in Part III. There will be two questions on the test paper (in pinyin). The test taker should answer these questions using a minimum of 5 sentences per answer.

Intermediate Level

The HSK Speaking Test (Intermediate Level) is comprised of three parts, containing 14 items in total.

·The duration of the test is 21 minutes (including 10 minutes for preparation):·There are 10 items in Part I. For each item, a sentence recording will be played. The test taker should repeat the sentence.

 ·There are 2 items in Part II. Each item consists of an image. The test taker should say something based on the picture.

 ·There are 2 items in Part III. The test taker should answer the two questions (in pinyin).

 Advanced Level

The HSK Speaking Test (Advanced Level) is comprised of three parts, containing 6 items in total

The duration of the test is 24 minutes (including 10 minutes for preparation).

·There are 3 items in Part I. The recording of a passage will be played, and the test taker should repeat the content.

 ·There is 1 item in Part II. There will be a passage on the test paper, and the test taker should read it out aloud.

 ·There are 2 items in Part III. The test taker should answer the two questions on the test paper (in Chinese characters).

Exam certificates are good milestones to achieve. Therefore, we encourage you to take these HSK exams! Of course, to be able to enjoy learning and use Chinese with confidence is the ultimate thing.