Chinese (Mandarin) Advanced Course

Course aim

This course aims to help you with your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills but the main emphasis is on listening and speaking. You will have plenty of opportunities to listen to authentic materials from various sources, to present your work orally to the class and to work in groups to discuss topics which are of interest to you. You also have opportunities to develop your reading, writing and/or interpreting skills if that is relevant to your needs. You will develop good skills in comprehending, responding to and using formal and informal language in various social and work or study related settings. The courses cover key aspects of advanced grammar and vocabulary to develop both your accuracy and fluency in Chinese, while any errors with grammar or tones will be corrected sensitively with an emphasis on developing your ability to notice errors and self-correct. This course is delivered by the Language Centre.

Method

The course is taught in Chinese and uses a range of materials, including A Kaleidoscope of China: An Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese and supplemented by additional materials from a wide range of sources. The course will be discussion based, with regular topical seminars. In addition to written texts, authentic audio and visual materials will also feature in the course in each of the three terms. Preparation for the class is highly recommended, and homework is set each week. You are expected to attend regularly, participate in class and complete homework regularly to ensure learning progress.

The course is delivered through a blended learning model: comprised of 15 hours of live, online, structured lessons with the teacher, plus approximately 5 hours of guided independent learning supported by complementary materials (a total of 20 hours of blended learning). The course is designed so that, over the 10‑week period, you should have the opportunity to achieve the stated objectives, depending on your engagement and progress. 

Materials

Advanced 1-3
Textbook: HSK Standard Course 5A, Author Jiang LiPing  
- ISBN-10: 978-7561940335 
- ISBN-13: 978-7561940334  

Course materials are not included in the fee. We strongly recommend to wait until your course is confirmed before purchasing the textbook.

Entry requirements and progression route

To be able to join Chinese Advanced Courses, you need to have completed the Pre-Advanced level course in Mandarin Chinese at SOAS Language Centre or have an equivalent knowledge of guided learning hours (approximately 400 hours). You should have mastered around 1,200 Chinese characters and have an equivalent of HSK4 standard level. The progression route from Chinese Advanced 1 is to Chinese Advanced 2; from Advanced 2 to Advanced 3. Upon successful completion of Chinese Advanced 3 you will be able to progress to Proficiency level courses in Mandarin Chinese. Students may request a Certificate of Attendance upon completion of a course, provided they have at least 70% attendance.

Please note, that each term, courses are subject to quorum requirements.

For course dates and information, please see our timetables.