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Official introduction of The Elementary and Intermediate Chinese Proficiency Test

I. Test Content

There are 4 sections in HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) as shown in the table below:

Sections Question Number Duration
1 Listening 1-50 About 35 minutes
2 Grammar 51-80 20 minutes
3 Reading 81-130 60 minutes
4 Cloze Test 131-170 30 minutes

II. HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) Scoring System

1. About the scores of HSK (Elementary-Intermediate)

A section score of HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) is a scale score with 50 as the score mean and 15 as the standard deviation, while the total score is a scale score with 200 as the score mean and 60 the standard deviation. These scores show the relative position of the candidate in a standard sample group. The table below helps to locate the relative position of a candidate in the whole group. The right column indicates the percentage occupied by those whose scores are lower than the corresponding scores in the standard HSK reference group. Therefore, as it shows, the total score of HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) is not simply an add-up of the section scores.

Scores Percentage
Total Score Section Score
400 100 99
277 69 90
250 63 80
231 58 70
215 54 60
200 50 50
185 46 40
169 42 30
150 37 20
123 31 10

2. Score ranges for each section of HSK (Elementary-Intermediate)

Grades Listening Grammar Reading Cloze Test
Bottom Line* 29-37 28-36 30-38 28-36
Level 3 38-46 37-45 39-47 37-45
Level 4 47-55 46-54 48-56 46-54
Level 5 56-64 55-63 57-65 55-63
Level 6 65-73 64-72 66-74 64-72
Level 7 74-82 73-81 75-83 73-81
Level 8 83-100 82-100 84-100 82-100

*There is a bottom line set below Level 3 for HSK (Elementary) purely out of the convenience to set a criterion for awarding certificates but not to assess the basic proficiency levels. Scores within this range are not eligible for HSK Certificate (Elementary).

3. HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) Certificate Grades and Score Levels

Certificate Types and Grades Score Levels Total Score Ranges
Types Grades
The Elementary Certificate C Level 3 152-188
B Level 4 189-225
A Level 5 226-262
The Intermediate Certificate C Level 6 263-299
B Level 7 300-336
A Level 8 337-400

4. Interpretation of the HSK (Elementary-Intermediate) score levels

Level 3: The candidate has the elementary (low) competence in Chinese. A candidate at this level can gain HSK Elementary Certificate Grade C, which is prescribed by the Ministry of Education as the minimal Level in Chinese proficiency for an international student to study in a Bachelor’s Degree programme in science, engineering, agriculture and western medicine in a Chinese college or university.

Level 4: The candidate has the elementary (middle) competence in Chinese and can gain the HSK Elementary Certificate Grade B

Level 5: The candidate has the elementary (high) competence in Chinese and can be granted the HSK Elementary Certificate Grade A.

Level 6: The candidate has acquired the intermediate (low) competence in Chinese and can get the HSK Intermediate Certificate Grade C.

Level 7: The candidate has the intermediate (high) Chinese language competence and is eligible for the HSK Intermediate Certificate Grade B.

Level 8: The candidate has acquired the intermediate (high) Chinese language competence and can be awarded the HSK Intermediate Certificate Grade A.

III. Prerequisites to be awarded the HSK Certificate

1, The total score should be higher than the minimal level in the related grade.

2, Three of the four section scores shall exceed the minimal level in the related grade.

3, One of the four section scores is allowed to be less than the minimal level in the related grade, but shall not be less by more than one level. If so, one can only get a certificate of the lower grade.

The above three preconditions are set in an effort to encourage the all round development in all aspects of language skills, and an imbalanced development in certain language skills will affect the candidate in getting an HSK certificate.

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