Your Ultimate Guide to HSKK Speaking Tests

1, What is HSKK?

HSK Speaking Test (HSKK) assesses the test takers’ Chinese speaking abilities. HSKK consists of three levels, HSKK (Primary level), HSKK (Intermediate level) and HSKK (Advanced level). HSKK is conducted in the form of audio recording, and it's compulsory from Jan 2023 on for HSK 3-6 exam takers, you cannot sign up for HSK 3-6 independently any more in China, Hong Kong and abroad.

2, Which HSKK level I need to take?

As announced by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, starting from January 2023, all exam takers of HSK levels 3 to 6 are required to take the corresponding HSKK exams on the same exam date.

The specific arrangements are as follows:

Examinees for HSK level 3 must also take the HSKK Primary Level oral test;

Examinees for HSK level 4 must also take the HSKK Intermediate Level oral test;

Examinees for HSK level 5 and level 6 must also take the HSKK Advanced Level oral test.

Results for both the written and oral exams will be reported together.

3, How many vocabularies I need to master for each HSKK test? And each level's fluency description pls.

The HSK Speaking Test (Primary Level) is for students who have mastered about 200 commonly used words, and who can understand and use oral expressions in Chinese on familiar and routine matters, and meet basic needs for communication.

The HSK Speaking Test (Intermediate Level) is for students who have mastered about 900 commonly used words, and who can understand and converse in Chinese fluently with native Chinese speakers.

The HSK Speaking Test (Advanced Level) is for students who have mastered about 3,000 common words, and who can understand and express him/herself fully, fluently and with ease.

4, What are HSKK's test format, duration and structure?

The HSK Speaking Test (Primary Level) is comprised of three sections, with a total of 27 items. The examination duration is about 20 minutes, including 7 minutes for preparation.

Test Content	Number of Items	Duration (Min)
Section 1: Listen and Repeat	15	6
Section 2: Listen and Answer	10	4
Section 3: Answer the Questions	2	3
Total	27	13

Section 1 (15 items): A sentence recording will be played. The test taker should repeat the sentence.

Section 2 (10 item): The recording of a question will be played. The test taker should provide a brief answer.

Section 3 (2 item): 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.

Here is a Youtube video where a teacher will explain you all the must-knows section by section:

*If you are based in China and cannot access Youtube, pls go to this page for watching:

https://www.mandarintimeschool.com/post/hskk-primary-level-free-mock-tests

The HSK Speaking Test (Intermediate Level) is comprised of three sections, with a total of 14 items. The examination duration is about 23 minutes, including 10 minutes for preparation.

Test Content	Number of Items	Duration (Min)
Section 1: Listen and Repeat	10	5
Section 2: Picture Description	2	4
Section 3: Answer the Questions	2	4
Total	14	13

Section 1 (10 items): A sentence recording will be played. The test taker should repeat the sentence.

Section 2 (2 item): Each item consists of an image. The test taker should say something based on the picture.

Section 3 (2 item): The test taker should answer the two questions on the test paper (in pinyin).

Here is a Youtube video where a teacher will explain you all the must-knows section by section:

*If you are based in China and cannot access Youtube, pls go to this page for watching:

https://www.mandarintimeschool.com/post/hskk-intermediate-level-free-mock-tests

The HSK Speaking Test (Advanced Level) is comprised of three sections, with a total of 6 items. The examination duration is about 25 minutes, including 10 minutes for preparation.

Test Content	Number of Items	Duration (Min)
Section 1: Listen and Repeat	3	8
Section 2: Read Aloud	1	2
Section 3: Answer the Questions	2	5
Total	6	15

Section 1 (3 items): The recording of a passage will be played. The test taker should repeat the content.

Section 2 (1 item): There will be a passage on the test paper. The test taker should read it out aloud.

Section 3 (2 item): The test taker should answer the two questions on the test paper.

5, HSKK Passing Score and Certificate Related

Test takers will receive the results for the HSKK issued by Centre for Language Education and Cooperation one month after the test. The test result is long-term available, but the score report to be used for the application to Chinese universities and colleges is valid within two years (from the test date).

The full scores of HSKK primary, intermediate and advanced levels are 100, and passing scores are 60.

6, Can I download all HSKK levels' test information somewhere?

Sure! Feel free to click documents below to start downloading:

Mandarin Time HSKK-Beginner-Level-Test Guide.pdf

Download PDF • 431KB

Mandarin Time HSKK-Intermediate-Level-Test Guide.pdf

Download PDF • 432KB

Mandarin Time HSKK-Advanced-Level-Test Guide.pdf

Download PDF • 435KB

7, How do I prepare for HSKK tests? Where can I find mock tests for HSKK all levels?

First of all, we suggest students to prepare for their corresponding HSK tests before starting to prepare for HSKK speaking tests, the reason being that you will be 70-95% ready for your HSKK test once you are ready for your HSK tests, depending on the courses and preparation you had for your HSK tests, how good your listening&speaking skills are, how strong are your vocabulary and reading skills all are deciding factors to how you should prepare for your HSKK tests.

Secondly, get an assessment from a professional teacher or an institute who has deep understanding and professional trainings for HSK&HSKK exam requirements.

At Mandarin Time, our HSK team will first do a quick speaking test to determine your level and then arrange the suitable level HSK mock test and HSKK mock tests to give you a comprehensive evaluation and based on the results, a comprehensive suggested learning plan to help you reach your ideal score at your targeted time.

5 Sets of HSKK Primary Level Test Papers

5 Sets of HSKK Intermediate Level Test Papers

5 Sets of HSKK Primary Level Test Papers

At last, if you prepare for HSKK tests with Mandarin Time, we will prepare you all materials, vocabulary list, mock test papers and audios for you, and will arrange a teacher who is specialized in HSK preparation to help you with the mock tests and free tutoring for test preparation is all included in our HSK exam preparation packages, click here to see all packages we offer.

If you want to try it out with mock tests on your own first, click documents below to download free HSKK mock tests of all 3 levels:

HSKK (Primary Level)Speaking test-Downloadable From Mandarin Time.pdf

Download PDF • 271KB

HSKK (Intermediate Level)Speaking test-Downloadable From Mandarin Time.pdf

Download PDF • 311KB

HSKK (Advanced Level)Speaking test-Downloadable From Mandarin Time.pdf

Download PDF • 160KB

8, HSKK Scoring Rules （HSKK评分规则）

HSKK 分初级、中级、高级三个等级，包含听后重复、听后回答、听后复述、

朗读、看图说话和回答问题 6 种题型。各题型评分标准简要说明如下。

HSKK is divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced, including repeating after listening, answering after listening, retelling after listening, There are 6 types of questions: read aloud, talk by looking at pictures and answer questions. A brief description of the scoring criteria for each question type is as follows.

一、听后重复

适用试题：HSKK（初级）第 1-15 题、HSKK（中级）第 1-10 题。

答题要求：每题播放一个句子，要求考生听后重复。

评分档次：

高：考生能准确地重复听到的句子。

中：考生不能完整地重复听到的句子。

低：考生重复内容与播放的句子相关性很差。

1. Repeat after listening Applicable test questions: HSKK (elementary) questions 1-15, HSKK (intermediate) questions 1-10. Answering requirements: Play a sentence for each question and ask candidates to repeat it after listening. Rating grade: High: Candidates can accurately repeat the sentences they hear. Medium: Candidates cannot repeat the sentences they hear completely. Low: The candidate's repeated content has poor correlation with the played sentences.

Here is a Youtube video where a teacher will do modular training for Part 1 with you:

*If you are based in China and cannot access Youtube, pls go to this page for watching:

https://www.mandarintimeschool.com/post/hskk-primary-level-free-mock-tests

二、听后回答

适用试题：HSKK（初级）第 16-25 题。

答题要求：每题播放一个问题，要求考生听后做简短回答。

评分档次：

高：考生能正确、简洁地回答问题。

中：考生能正确回答问题，有停顿、重复、语法错误等。

低：考生回答表述不清。

2. Answer after listening Applicable test questions: HSKK (Beginner Level) Questions 16-25. Answering requirements: Each question is played with a question, and candidates are required to give a short answer after listening. Rating grade:

High: Candidates can answer questions correctly and concisely.

Medium: Candidates can answer questions correctly without pauses, repetitions, grammatical errors, etc. Low: The candidate’s answer is unclear.

三、听后复述

适用试题：HSKK（高级）第 1-3 题。

答题要求：每题播放一段话，要求考生听后复述。

评分档次：

高：考生能完整、流利地复述材料的主要内容，较少停顿和重复。

中：考生能复述部分材料内容，停顿、重复较多，有语法错误。

低：考生复述内容与原材料出入大，语言零乱，信息量小。

3. Retell after listening Applicable test questions: HSKK (Advanced) Questions 1-3. Answering requirements: A passage is played for each question and candidates are required to repeat it after listening. Rating grade: High: Candidates can recite the main content of the material completely and fluently, with less pauses and repetitions. Medium: Candidates can retell part of the material content, with many pauses, repetitions, and grammatical errors. Low: The content of the candidate's retelling is very different from the original material, the language is messy, and the amount of information is small.

四、朗读

适用试题：HSKK（高级）第 4 题。

答题要求：试卷上提供一段文字，要求考生朗读。

评分档次：

高：考生朗读流利，能很好地把握语音、语调等，有少量错读、重复、停顿

等。

中：考生能朗读大部分内容，但有较多错读、停顿、重复等。

低：考生仅能朗读少量句子。

4. Read aloud Applicable test questions: HSKK (Advanced) Question 4.

Answer requirements: A paragraph of text is provided on the test paper and candidates are required to read it aloud.

Rating grade:

High: The candidate reads fluently and has a good grasp of pronunciation, intonation, etc., with a few misreadings, repetitions, and pauses. wait.

Medium: The candidate can read most of the content, but there are many misreadings, pauses, repetitions, etc.

Low: Candidates can read only a few sentences.

五、看图说话

适用试题：HSKK（中级）第 11-12 题。

答题要求：每题提供一张图片，要求考生结合图片说一段话。

评分档次：

高：考生回答与图片内容相符，表达流利，有少量停顿、重复。

中：考生回答与图片内容基本相符，停顿、重复、语法错误较多。

低：考生回答与图片内容基本无关，信息量小且零乱

5. Talk by looking at pictures Applicable test questions: Questions 11-12 of HSKK (Intermediate).

Answer requirements: Each question provides a picture and requires candidates to say a paragraph based on the picture.

Rating grade:

High: The candidate's answers are consistent with the content of the picture, and the expression is fluent, with a small amount of pauses and repetitions.

Medium: The candidate's answers are basically consistent with the content of the picture, with many pauses, repetitions, and grammatical errors.

Low: The candidate’s answers are basically irrelevant to the content of the picture, and the amount of information is small and messy.

六、回答问题

适用试题：HSKK（初级）第 26-27 题、HSKK（中级）第 13-14 题、HSKK（高

级）第 5-6 题。

答题要求：试卷上提供两个问题，要求考生回答问题。

评分档次：

高：考生能就问题做出回答，内容丰富，表达流利，有少量停顿、重复、语

法错误。

中：考生能就问题做出回答，但信息量较少，停顿、重复、语法错误较多。

低：考生答非所问，信息量少且不连贯。

注：考生不作答，按 0 分计。

6. Answer questions.

Applicable test questions: HSKK (beginner) questions 26-27, HSKK (intermediate) questions 13-14, HSKK (advanced) Level) Questions 5-6.

Answer requirements: Two questions are provided on the test paper, and candidates are required to answer the questions.

Rating grade: High: Candidates can answer questions with rich content and fluent expression, with a small amount of pauses, repetitions, and idioms. Legal error.

Medium: Candidates can answer questions, but the amount of information is small and there are many pauses, repetitions, and grammatical errors.

Low: The examinee’s answer is not what was asked, and the amount of information is small and incoherent. Note: If the candidate does not answer, the score will be 0 points.

7, Why prepare HSKK exam with Mandarin Time?

✓ You can prepare for HSKK exam in person or online with Mandarin Time ;

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Visit Mandarin Time HSK exam package site for more HSKK test papers, HSK and HSKK test preparation information.