Topics · Primary Higher Chinese · Oral (口试)
口试: reading aloud and talking
Two parts: reading a short passage aloud, and talking about a picture or a topic. Neither is marked on how much you know — they are marked on how clearly you say it.
- 8 exam papers analysed
- appears in 25% of P4 Higher Chinese papers
- ~2 min read
01 朗读: reading aloud
Use the preparation time to read it silently once. Find the characters you are unsure of and decide now how you will say them.
Slow down. Nearly every pupil reads too fast. A slower reading is clearer, and clarity is what is being marked.
Stop at the punctuation. A short pause at 、and ，, a longer one at 。 That alone lifts the mark.
If you stumble, carry on. Going back to repeat a phrase costs more than the stumble did.
Read to the end, even if time feels short.
02 会话: talking about the picture
The examiner shows a picture and asks about it. There is no right answer — there is a clear answer and an unclear one.
Say what is in the picture first. 图中有…，他们正在… That is a sentence you can always produce, and it starts you talking.
Then answer the question asked. 你觉得…? 如果是你，你会…? These want your own view with a reason.
Four or five sentences. One sentence is too few; a long speech in shaky Chinese loses more than it gains.
Give a reason every time. 我觉得…，因为… The 因为 half is where the mark is.
03 Things that cost marks and are easy to fix
Speaking too quietly. The examiner has to hear it. Speak up.
Answering in one word. 好 is not an answer. 我觉得很好，因为… is.
Long silences. If you need a moment, say 我想一想 and carry on. Silence scores nothing.
Slipping into English. One English word in a Chinese answer is a visible gap. Say it another way in Chinese instead.
Looking down. Look at the examiner while talking, not at the table.
04 How to say them
These are words most children have never said out loud, and a word you cannot say is a word you avoid using. The respelling is Hanyu Pinyin, with the tone marked over the vowel. Tap the speaker to hear it.
- 口试saykǒu shì
The oral exam: reading aloud and then talking.
- 朗读saylǎng dú
Reading aloud — marked on clarity, pace and pausing at the punctuation.
- 会话sayhuì huà
The conversation part, where you talk about a picture or a topic.
- 我觉得saywǒ jué de
I think — how to open an opinion, followed by 因为 and a reason.
- 流利sayliú lì
Fluent — speaking without long pauses. Part of what the oral is marked on.
05 What each level is tested on
The same topic, asked differently as it goes up. The percentage is the share of papers at that level in which it appears.
- P3
Reading a short passage aloud, and answering simple questions about a picture.
Practise P3 Oral (口试) — 8 questions →18% of P3 papers
- P4
Longer passages, and giving an opinion with a reason rather than describing only.
Practise P4 Oral (口试) — 8 questions →25% of P4 papers
06 Mistakes worth knowing about
Each of these is wrong. Decide why before you open it.
“I read as fast as I could to show I was fluent.”
Clarity is what is marked, not speed. Nearly every pupil reads too fast.
“I went back and reread the phrase I got wrong.”
Carry on. The repeat costs more than the stumble did.
“好。”
One word is not an answer. 我觉得很好，因为… is, and the 因为 half is where the mark is.
“I stayed quiet while I thought of the word.”
Silence scores nothing. Say 我想一想 and keep going.
“I used one English word because I forgot the Chinese.”
Say it another way in Chinese. An English word in the answer is a visible gap.
Now try it
16 questions across 2 levels, marked as you go with the working shown.