Exam description HSK6

The HSK (Level VI) assesses test takers’ abilities in the application of everyday Chinese. It is the counterpart of the Level V of the Chinese Language Proficiency Scales for Speakers of Other Languages and the C2 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEF). Test takers who are able to pass the HSK (Level VI) can easily comprehend written and spoken information in Chinese and can effectively express themselves in Chinese, both orally and on paper.

It is intended for students who have mastered 5,000 or more commonly used words.

The HSK (Level VI) test is made up of listening comprehension, reading comprehension, and writing sections and contains a total of 101 items.

• Listening comprehension is divided into 3 parts (respectively 15, 15, and 20 questions per part, for a total of 50 questions), to be completed in about 35 minutes.
• The comprehension of the text is divided into 4 parts (respectively 10, 10, 10, and 20 questions per part, for a total of 50 questions), to be completed in 50 minutes.
• Writing skills consist of a prose writing test, to be completed in 45 minutes.

The test will last for 140 minutes in total (including 5 minutes in which the test takers fill in personal information).

Listening Comprehension

There are 15 items in Part I. The recording of each item will be played only once. For each item, a short passage will be read and 4 possible answers will be provided on the test paper. The test taker needs to choose the answer that is most consistent with the passage.

There are 15 items in Part II. The recording of each item will be played only once. A recording of three interviews will be played followed by 5 questions. For each question, 4 possible answers will be provided, from which the test takers can choose the best answer based on what they hear in the passage.

There are 20 items in Part III. The recording of each item will be played only once. Several passages will be read, each of them followed by some questions. For each question, 4 possible answers will be provided, from which the test takers can choose the best answer based on what they hear in the passage.

Reading Comprehension

There are 10 items in Part I. Each item consists of 4 sentences. The test taker needs to choose the sentence that is grammatically incorrect.

There are 10 items in Part II. Each item consists of a short passage with 3-5 blanks. The test taker needs to choose the best answer from 4 possible answers based on the context.

There are 10 items in Part III. There are two passages, each with 5 blanks. The test taker needs to choose the best answer out of 5 sentences based on the context.

There are 20 items in Part IV. This section consists of several passages followed by some questions. The test taker should choose the right answer from 4 possible answers.

Writing

The test taker will be required to read a narrative article of about 1,000 characters within 10 minutes, and then rewrite it into a shorter article of about 400 characters within 35 minutes. The test taker should also create a title for the article. The test taker should recount the article and is not required to express personal opinions.

SCORE

• Listening comprehension: 100 points
• Reading comprehension: 100 points
• Writing: 100 points

TOTAL: base 300 points (sum of the 3 previous results)

THE MINIMUM SCORE FOR PASSING THE EXAM IS 180/300 POINTS.