Secondary · Chinese
Read, think, express — Chinese as a language you use
A small-group class covering all four demands of Secondary Chinese — oral, vocabulary and grammar, reading comprehension and writing — for Sec 1 to Sec 3.
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Format
Live online via Zoom
Lessons
Weekly 1.5-hour lessons
Class size
Maximum 6 students
Taught in
Mandarin with English explanation where needed
Fees for this class are set out on our schedule and fees page. Every class is capped at six students.
Does this sound familiar?
Signs your child may need this class
- Speaks Chinese at home but cannot write at the level the paper expects
- Freezes in oral when asked for a personal view
- Reads the passage and still cannot answer the questions
- Writes compositions that stay safe and score in the middle band
Four things the paper asks for
Secondary Chinese tests oral, vocabulary and grammar, reading comprehension and writing. A student is rarely weak at all four, and rarely strong at all four either. The useful question is which one is costing the marks.
How we teach it
Every lesson touches each component rather than spending a term on one. Students speak in every lesson — the oral section is the one most often left until the weeks before the exam, which is too late to change how someone sounds.
Written work is marked with comments, not only a band. With six students at most, that is possible to do every week.
What the class covers
- Oral — reading aloud, and the topics that recur in the exam
- Expressing a personal view on current affairs, clearly and with reasons
- Vocabulary built inside and beyond the passage
- Text analysis and question technique
- Comprehension — multiple-choice and open-ended strategies
- Cloze passages, main ideas, summary and paraphrasing
- Writing — narrative and argumentative essays, and practical writing
- Planning, choosing a topic and structuring a piece
What's included
- Weekly live lesson covering all four components
- Marked written work with specific comments
- Vocabulary lists to keep and reuse
- Make-up options if a lesson is missed
Questions parents ask
My child speaks Mandarin at home but still scores poorly. Why?
Spoken fluency and written Chinese are different skills. A student can be entirely comfortable in conversation and still lack the vocabulary range, structure and register the written paper asks for.
Is the lesson taught in Mandarin or English?
Mainly Mandarin, with English explanation where it helps a point land. The aim is more Chinese, not less, but not at the cost of a student not understanding the instruction.
One class for Sec 1 to Sec 3 — is that too wide a range?
The components are the same across those years; what differs is the demand. With six students at most, work can be pitched to each. Tell us your child's level and we will say honestly whether the class suits them.
Does this cover oral as well?
Yes. Reading aloud and the personal-view section are both part of the weekly lesson, not an add-on before the exam.
More general questions are answered on our FAQ page, and our reasoning for capping every class at six is set out in about us.
Ask about S1–S3 Chinese
We will confirm current availability and let you know whether this class is the right fit for your child.
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