Cambridge AS & A Level Chinese

The Cambridge International AS Level Chinese syllabus enables learners to achieve greater fluency, accuracy and confidence in the written language, and improve their communication skills.

They learn how to improve their use of Chinese in a variety of situations, understanding how to read texts and other source materials, and how to extract information, and respond to questions in writing.

Cambridge International A Level Chinese builds on the language skills gained at Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge O Level or Cambridge International AS Level, and is the ideal foundation for university-level study, or to improve career prospects.

Learners gain an understanding of how to use the language in a variety of situations. They will be expected to handle texts and other source materials, extracting information in order to respond to specific tasks. Through their studies, learners can expect to achieve greater fluency, accuracy and confidence in the language. They will also learn how to translate material from English into the Chinese.

Aims of the Syllabus

Cambridge International AS and A Level syllabuses in Chinese aim to-
• Develop the ability to understand a language from a variety of registers
• Enable students to communicate confidently and clearly in the target language
• Form a sound base of skills, language and attitudes required for further study, work and leisure
• Develop insights into the culture and civilisation of the countries where the language is spoken, including the study of literary texts where appropriate (this does not apply to AS Language qualifications)
• Encourage positive attitudes to language learning and a sympathetic approach to other cultures and civilisations
• Support intellectual and personal development by promoting learning and social skills.

Syllabus

Teachers can explore the topic areas in any way they choose. The following examples (not prescriptive) are a useful guide to planning courses. All these suggestions, and other themes chosen by the teacher from within the topic areas, should be studied with reference to countries/communities where the language is spoken.

Human relationships – family – generation gap – young people
• Family activities; new patterns of family relationships; the status of the elderly and responsibility for their care
• Generation gap; conflicts in the family circle; young people and the older generation; attitudes of young people to the family environment
• Young people; young people and their peer group; young people as a target group for advertisers and politicians

Patterns of daily life – urban and rural life – the media – food and drink – law and order – philosophy and belief – health and fitness
• Daily routine; school; the individual’s way of life; living conditions
• Advantages and disadvantages of urban and rural life; transport and communications; shopping; housing
• The role and influence of the media; the power of advertising
• Healthy eating; fast-food; national traditions of eating and drinking
• Violence and crime; drug-related crime; the role of the police; law-enforcement
• The role of philosophy and belief in a local, national and an international context; attitudes towards different beliefs and philosophical issues; philosophical and religious practices/groups; values and morality
• Healthy living; exercise; dieting; drugs; health care provision; stress; AIDS

Work and leisure – equality of opportunity – employment and unemployment – sport – free time activities – travel and tourism – education – cultural life/heritage
• Women in society and in the workforce; equality of opportunity for minority groups
• Preparation for work and job opportunities; career plans; qualifications and job routines; plight of the unemployed, areas of high unemployment; demise of traditional industries; possible solutions, immigrant workers
• Individual and team sports; amateur and professional sport
• Value of leisure; balance between leisure and work; planning leisure time
• Tourism as a modern phenomenon; friction between tourists and local inhabitants; holidays and foreign travel
• Education systems and types of school; patterns of curriculum; relationship between education and training; further and higher education provision; examinations
• The world of the arts; significant figures and trends in the arts; the place of culture and the arts in the life of the nation

War and peace – social and economic development
• Conflicts in the world: ethnic, religious, ideological
• Positive and negative aspects of social and economic development; recent and predicted trends

Objectives of Assessment

The examinations are designed to assess candidates’ linguistic competence and their knowledge of contemporary society. In the exams, candidates will be expected to:
• Understand and respond to texts written in the target language, drawn from a variety of sources such as magazines, newspapers, reports, books and other forms of extended writing
• Manipulate the target language accurately to demonstrate a capacity to choose appropriate examples of lexis and structures
• Select information and present it in the target language
• Organise arguments and ideas logically.

Assessment

Component 1: Speaking Test
Section 1: Presentation
• Content and Presentation – 10 marks
• Pronunciation and Intonation – 5 marks
• Language – 5 marks
Total- 20 marks
Candidates who make no specific reference to the contemporary society or cultural heritage of a country where the language is spoken will have their mark for Content and Presentation halved.

Section 2: Topic Conversation (40 marks) (and)
Section 3: General Conversation (40 marks)
• Comprehension and Responsiveness – 10 marks
• Accuracy – 10 marks
• Feel for the Language – 10 marks
Range of vocabulary and structures
• Providing Information and Opinions – 5 marks
• Seeking Information and Opinions – 5 marks

Component 2: Reading and Writing
Quality of Language and Accuracy

Component 3: Essay
Language- 24 marks
Content- 16 marks

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