For those of you wishing to study basic Chinese, Joy School is offering classes for beginner and intermediate learners. These classes are aligned with the HSK 1 and 2 exams. As well as the classes, Joy School offers free textbooks and will contribute towards the cost of the HSK exams.
hsk
HSK LEVEL1 :
The first HSK exam comprises of :
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20 Listening Questions (15mins)
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20 Reading Questions (17mins).
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There is also an optional Oral Test (17mins) - this is not obligatory but looks good on your CV.
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No Written Test is taken during this part of the HSK level.
To pass Level 1 you will need to recognize 150 words (174 characters). All words at this level will be presented in character form and pinyin and the questions are multiple choice. As there is no written test at this point, you will not need to write the characters but learning them now will be a big help at a later stage.
Below is a list of all the words you need to know at Level 1: (scroll down past the characters to see Level 2 information).
HSK LEVEL2 :
The second HSK test is very similar to the first and consists of:
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35 Listening Questions (25mins)
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25 Reading Questions (22mins).
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There is also an optional Oral Test (17mins) - this is not obligatory but looks good on your CV.
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No Written Test is taken during HSK Level 2.
To pass Level 2 you will need to recognize 150 new words (300 cumulative) and 173 new characters (347 cumulative). Again, all words at this level will be presented in character form and pinyin and the questions are multiple choice. As there is no written test at this point, you will not need to write the characters but learning them now will be a big help at a later stage. See the websites below for details of the character lists.
Here are some very useful websites for learning the characters for HSK exams:
This is a great website that lists characters from all six levels of HSK along with definition and an animated stroke order box.
This site combines characters from level 1 and 2 (300 words) and allows you to listen to pronunciations, test yourself with flipping flashcards, take speed race tests etc. You will need to be able to type with Chinese characters as well as English. Once you can, this website is an extrememly useful and free tool to use to learn the meaning of the characters from the first 2 levels.
This is the link to the wiki page that can give you more information about the backgrounds of the tests and the format for all six HSK Levels.
The characters may appear too small on mobile phones, please visit one of the websites at the bottom of this page for another detailed list.