For most secondary school students aged 14-16, obtaining an IGCSE certificate is a must before progressing to A-Level International preparatory course. International schools around the world typically require students to take between 5 to 14 IGCSE courses. Passing at least 5 core courses (with a C grade or higher), as required in the English Baccalaureate, is a basic requirement. In fact, achieving excellent results in the IGCSE examination will be of great help to further student’s studies and employment in the future.
As a part of the language group, IGCSE Chinese is divided into 3 levels: Chinese as a First Language, Chinese as a Second Language, and Chinese as a Foreign Language. You could choose any one of the three according to your situation.
There is an old saying that goes: “与其临渊羡鱼，不如退而结网。(Yǔ qí lín yuān xiàn yú, bù rú tuì ér jié wǎnɡ.) ” The meaning is “You should first make your own fishing net instead of envying the fish caught by others by the river.” It’s easy to understand that before anything else, preparation is the key to success. So, how can you prepare for IGCSE Chinese to achieve excellent grades?
First: Know your current Chinese language level. The most efficient way is to get tested by a teacher.
 |
 |
IGCSE Chinese as a Second Language Appraisal Objectives
Reference Textbooks
1. Easy Steps to Chinese
2. A+ Chinese
There are apps that may also be of help for your IGCSE study as well as to your overall Mandarin progress. Some of these include:
• Reddit: “language exchange” community. You could practice Chinese speaking by finding a partner in this community.
• Duolingo and Memrise are becoming more popular options for learning Chinese and other languages when you’ve got free time.
• Pleco is a dictionary that will help introduce and improve Chinese writing, in particular.
• Skritter is also great for memorizing and practicing writing characters. Although speaking/listening is more important in the beginning, you may find the characters offer an interesting glimpse into the Chinese culture and way of thinking.
All of these will help you with the nuts and bolts of Mandarin that you will need to brush up on to do well on the basics of the test.
But these are not enough. A qualified, experienced Mandarin teacher trained in IGCSE preparation will give a detailed analysis of your strengths and weaknesses going into the test. For different types of questions, there are very systematic learning methods.
There are 3 papers for IGCSE Chinese, each paper has corresponding learning tips. For the paper on reading and writing, all questions are based on reading comprehension and language use. As a matter of fact, regular reading of Chinese journals can greatly improve your ability to do these things. With eChineselearning, we have one-to-one courses by native teachers to assist you in intensive reading.
As for the paper on listening, there are four exercises that test listening skills: short answer questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, information correction, and multiple-choice translation questions. These questions are designed to test students’ ability to understand the spoken text and to process the information. Watching Chinese movies or TV programs is a great way to practice listening. When taking online Chinese classes with eChineselearning, the teacher will always speak Chinese so that you will have more time to listen and speak in Chinese.
The last one is speaking. The oral exam consists of three parts: the candidate gives a two to three minute introduction, followed by a short discussion with the examiner about the presentation, followed by a short conversation with the examiner about some general topics. As I mentioned above, you can find a partner in a language exchange group to practice oral Chinese. We have many experienced native teachers in eChineselearning to speak Chinese with you as well.
You May Want to Learn More :
“HSK Test Guide and Preparation”
“Some Experiences And Lessons That Are Helpful for Children Learning Chinese”
”How Will China’s “Double Reductions” Affect Students This Year?”
