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    Cambridge IGCSE™ Chinese as a Second Language 0523 (for examination from 2021)
    Example Candidate Responses (Paper 3 – Speaking)


    • Introduction

      The main aim of this resource is to exemplify standards of Cambridge IGCSE Chinese as a Second Language 0523, Paper 3 - Speaking, and show how different levels of candidates' performance (high, middle and low) relate to the subject's curriculum and assessment objectives. 

      Candidate responses have been selected from the  June 2021 examination series to exemplify a range of answers. 

      The recording of each speaking test is followed by Cambridge moderator comments on how the test was conducted, and where and why marks were awarded or omitted. At the end of the test we provide further comments on how the teacher/examiner and candidate performance could improve. In this way, it is possible for you to understand how to conduct the test successfully and what candidates have to do to gain their marks and what they can do to improve their answers. 

      Common mistakes and misconceptions are also listed for the Cambridge IGCSE Chinese as a Second Language speaking test.  

    • Speaking assessment criteria grids

      • Part 1 Presentation (20 marks)

        •
      • Part 2 Topic conversation (20 marks)  and Part 3 General conversation (20 marks)


  • Now that you have read the speaking assessment criteria grids, you may want to practise marking a speaking test. Listen to the candidate responses below, make a note of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate and give a mark, before you read the examiner comments and marks below.

    Please note: Information about the candidate and centre has been removed from the recordings to protect the identity of the candidate.


    • High level response (1)

      • Whole test - click to listen

    • Moderator comments - Part 1 Presentation

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner greets the candidate, introduces the first part of the test and asks the title of it before handing over the time to the candidate. This was a clear and welcoming start to the test.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate chooses the topic ‘The difference in between Chinese and western culinary cultures’. The content is organised by comparing the diet focus, dining atmosphere, the main meal in a day, festival food, cooking method of the two cultures, etc. The timing is about 2 minutes and 20 seconds with a lot of information included.
      • It is a good example of a full and well-organised coverage of the topic, combining both facts and opinions all the way through, plus a clear opinion in the conclusion.
      • There is plenty evidence of precise and authentic vocabulary, and a confident use of a variety of complex structures such as 而，即，并，着，把，反观，由此可见，所以才会, etc.
      • The whole presentation is smooth and sustains the moderator’s interest fully throughout.

      Content and Presentation = 10 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 5 out of 5

      Structures = 5 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 20 out of 20


      Moderator comments - Part 2 Topic conversation

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner thanks the candidate for sharing their presentation and makes a clear transition to Part 2 Topic conversation.

      There are five questions asked in total, with the first one linking to the candidate’s personal experience. This is then followed by three questions which explore the candidate’s opinions and justifications. The last question ‘any taboos’ which is not mentioned in Part 1, gives the candidate the opportunity to use and demonstrate their knowledge of different vocabulary.

      The questions which the teacher/examiner asks are brief and clear and leaves plenty of time for the candidate to demonstrate her speaking skills.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate always develops and elaborates her answer to each question. Where it was necessary to recap some of the content from the Presentation, she rephrases partially and sums up (西餐…对个人选择更注重一点; 中餐更注重整体，和乐融融的气氛) so that there is new opportunity and evidence for higher marks in Vocabulary and Structures.
      • When presenting a point of view, the candidate gives multiple examples to support her ideas or justifies the opinions from both views and opinions. These show a sustained ability to initiate and maintain conversation and to contribute at a good length, which is the requirement for the highest level in the Conversations.

      Comprehension and Responsiveness = 10 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 5 out of 5

      Structures = 5 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 20 out of 20


      Moderator comments - Part 3 General conversation

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner covers Topic Areas A and C in this part of the test which is appropriate as the Presentation was more about Topic Area D. This provides the possibility for the candidate to show new evidence and knowledge and gives the opportunity to gain more marks. The questions asked are open, searching for opinions and justifications, which leads to a natural and spontaneous conversation.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate uses a wide range of vocabulary and structures, such as 了如指掌，早出晚归，继承事业，移民，首先，对我来说，让，etc.
      • The responses are natural and extended and this creates a consistent performance from the candidate.

      Comprehension and Responsiveness = 10 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 5 out of 5

      Structures = 5 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 20 out of 20

      Moderator comments - Whole test

      How the  teacher/examiner performance could improve

      • The teacher/examiner should avoid questions which may result in too much repetition by the candidate of the content from the previous section of the speaking test. In Part 2, the second question which asks for the main differences could have led the candidate to repeat materials from the Part 1 Presentation.
      How the candidate performance could improve

      • In Part 3, the candidate used 旋律 for 节奏 in the context of 生活节奏. Some practice of synonyms would be useful.

      • In Part 3, the candidate could have also included some examples of how others deal with pressure on top of her own experience to make a full answer.

      Total mark awarded = 60 out of 60

    • High level response (2)

      • Whole test - click to listen

    • Moderator comments - Part 1 Presentation

      Conduct of the test

      As well as announcing the centre and the candidate details, the teacher/examiner starts the test in the target language by saying ‘Now let’s start Part 1.’ This is a brief and clear start to the test making it clear to the candidate that the test has started. 

      Candidate response

      • The candidate choses ‘healthy diet’ as the topic for her presentation. She starts with some common issues that exist among young people’s diet, analyses what kind of results this would lead to, and then gives constructive suggestions of what types of food and drink will contribute to a healthy diet.
      • The content of the presentation is full, well-organised and very convincing. The candidate hesitates in a few places so the performance is in the top category of Content and Presentation but achieves 9 marks rather than the full 10 marks which are available. Plenty of advanced vocabulary and structures are used throughout, such as 一旦…就, 对…有意义，则，却，综上所述，为了，etc, so full marks are awarded for both vocabulary and structures. 

      Content and Presentation = 9 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 5 out of 5

      Structures = 5 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 19  out of 20


      Moderator comments - Part 2 Topic conversation

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner continues to Part 2 by asking the first question which links to the candidate’s personal experience, followed by the question asking for opinions on fast food.

      The question ‘What if the price of fast food goes up by 50%?’ provides the opportunity for the candidate to defend her own view. The rest of the questions lead the candidate on to talk about the solutions from different levels of audience, such as the government, school and parents, etc.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate responds well to the first question and copes reasonably well with change in direction of the conversation (‘people still eat fast food even if the price goes up by 50% because it’s convenient’).
      • For the rest of the questions, the candidate is reasonably forthcoming but tends to follow examiner’s lead.
      • The structures are consistently accurate and smooth, such as 随着，是因为，为了，让，或者，吃多还是吃少，…又…, etc.
      • Vocabulary is sufficient but could be wider in the answer to the question ‘肥胖症带来哪些身心问题’.

      Comprehension and Responsiveness = 8 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 4 out of 5

      Structures = 5 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 17 out of 20

      Moderator comments - Part 3 General conversation

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner made the clear transition but also mentioned the two Topic Areas to discuss in this part, which gave the candidate a clear guideline.

      Candidate response
      • The candidate’s responses are natural and spontaneous, they are able to give extended answers to most of the questions.
      • The structures are consistently well performed, such as 聊得来，就是…的话，可能因为…吧，从外表上看，在…之前，就像，跟着…走，而，而且，etc.
      • There is some good use of vocabulary, such as 三观合，冲动，纠正，患上忧郁症，限制，文化习俗，风土人情，时尚, etc.

      Comprehension and Responsiveness = 9 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 5 out of 5

      Structures = 5 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 19 out of 20


      Moderator comments (Whole test)


      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      • Some questions in Part 3 were a little closed-ended such as ‘你去过北京吗？’ However, the candidate managed to improve this by saying ‘I haven’t been to but I have heard of…..’
      • The other question ‘Tell me one destination you considered as the heaven of delicacy and shopping’ was more open, and the candidate performed well by expressing her view and justified the reasons.

      How the candidate performance could improve

      • In the second part of Topic Conversation, the candidate could have used a rephrasing strategy to talk a bit more on 均衡的饮食 and to give examples.
      • The performance would have been better, if the candidate had extended her answers to mental health linked to 肥胖症 or in general.

      Total mark awarded = 55 out of 60

    • Middle level response

      • Whole test - click to listen

    • Moderator comments - Part 1 Presentation

      Conduct of the test

      After announcing the candidate details, the teacher/examiner briefly says ‘please start’. This is a clear and appropriate start to the speaking test.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate choses ‘The impact of the global warming on China’. Firstly, the candidate gives the definition of global warming, and then goes on to list the impacts on several aspects of China.
      • The second part of the Presentation links to his personal experience of what an individual can do to protect the environment.
      • This is a well organised presentation which goes smoothly.
      • The vocabulary used is sufficient in general, although the candidate mixes up 生活and生命towards the end of the presentation.
      • There is a lack of precision for 这个问题…危在旦夕.
      • The candidate uses a variety of good structures, such as 因…而造成，…之一，不但…而且，使，从 and some long sentences.

      Content and Presentation = 9 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 4 out of 5

      Structures = 5 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 18 out of 20


      Moderator comments - Part 2 Topic conversation

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner indicates this part of the speaking test by saying ‘I will now ask some related questions.’

      The questions guide the candidate to look at his school, and ask about what can be done to promote the protection of the environment and whether there is any waste, before moving on to the city and asking about any environment problems.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate responds to the questions thoughtfully and relevantly at length.
      • The candidate pauses and hesitates while searching for words and some of the vocabulary lacked precision, for example, 安全 for 空气or 环境，让肺部有问题，社会的空气，减小/减少, etc.
      • Some structures used are influenced by the candidate’s first language, such as 学一个习惯回家可以使用. Otherwise, there were some good structures like 被，令，不但…而且…, etc.

      Comprehension and Responsiveness = 8 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 3 out of 5

      Structures = 4 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 15 out of 20

      Moderator comments - Part 3 General conversation

      Conduct of the test
      The teacher/examiner introduces this part as ‘Let’s change to some other topics to discuss.’ The Topic Areas are D. Festival, and a combination of A. School, and B. Technology, which was the reflection of change in the pandemic.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate shows a good knowledge of 复活节 and 春节， however，some pronunciation in this part were problematic, such as 神圣（xìn）, 蛋（dǎn）, 打扫（xiǎo）, etc which impacts on the mark given for vocabulary.
      • For the questions about school and online lessons, the candidate responds thoughtfully, although some incorrect vocabulary is used and causes ambiguity, such as 学历（？）没那么专心.

      Comprehension and Responsiveness = 8 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 3 out of 5

      Structures = 4 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 15 out of 20


      Moderator comments (Whole test)

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      • The examiner/teacher could have asked a couple of more questions asking for opinions and justifications in both Conversations. This would have given the candidate more opportunity to demonstrate their speaking skills.

      How the candidate performance could improve

      • The candidate could tidy up their accuracy of some of the vocabulary used in the test, especially synonyms.
      • To practise the use of vocabulary in real situation or in context will help to raise the precision.
      • Some practice addressing Pinyin and the tones would be beneficial.

      Total mark awarded = 48 out of 60

    • Low level response

      • Whole test - click to listen

    • Moderator comments - Part 1 Presentation

      Conduct of the test

      After announcing the centre information, name of the teacher/examiner and the candidate details, the teacher/examiner briefly said ‘The Speaking Test starts.’ This clearly indicates to the candidate that the assessment has started.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate choses to talk about the pressures on young people.
      • The presentation starts well giving details of young people’s lives with no worries being reflected in films which is not the same as the reality. The candidate then moves on to list the sort of worries or pressures that young people are facing.
      • However, the candidate forget the lines in the middle of the delivery and becomes quite repetitive.
      • There is enough evidence of a good range of vocabulary and structures to achieve a mark of 4 for both vocabulary and structures.

      Content and Presentation = 7 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 4 out of 5

      Structures = 4 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 15 out of 20


      Moderator comments - Part 2 Topic conversation

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner recaps the topic of the presentation (Pressure) and starts the first question ‘What kind of impact is there on our life?’ The later questions such as ‘How will you manage pressure?’ and ‘What can parents, schools and society do to help young people?’ are all closely related and relevant. T

      The teacher/examiner is very calm and patient which helps to get the most out of the candidate and encourages them to do their best.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate’s response in this part is often repetitive, searching for proper vocabulary.
      • The candidate understood the discussion around basic situations and concepts, but has difficulty with more complex expressions. This was due to a limited vocabulary and hesitation when going beyond simple structures, for example, 跑来跑去 for walk/run around, 减轻学生的作业（量）.

      Comprehension and Responsiveness =6 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 3 out of 5

      Structures = 3 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 12 out of 20

      Moderator comments - Part 3 General conversation

      Conduct of the test

      The teacher/examiner make the transition by saying ‘Thanks for your sharing. We now go for the third part of the test. Let’s talk about Friendship first.’ This is very clear and helps to set the scene for the next part of the test.

      Candidate response

      • The candidate gives a good length answer to the first question ‘Tell me about your best friend.’, but started to struggle with opinion question ‘Are friends important to you?’, again limited by a lack of vocabulary, for example, 减轻那个心情。
      • For second topic Festivals, similarly the candidate has difficulty with more complex ideas, and uses a limited range of vocabulary and structures.   

      Comprehension and Responsiveness = 6 out of 10
      Vocabulary = 3 out of 5

      Structures = 3 out of 5

      Total mark awarded = 12 out of 20

      Moderator comments (Whole test)

      How the teacher/examiner performance could improve

      For weaker candidates, the teacher/examiner could have selected questions with a scenario, which may be easier to manage and get a better response from the candidate. For example, ‘Are friends important to you?’ could be rephrased as ‘If you didn’t have a best friend, what do you think it would be like?’

      How the candidate performance could improve

      • The candidate needed to increase and expand the variety of vocabulary by including synonyms, antonyms, paronyms, etc.
      • The candidate could have increased the use of the language in context.

      Total mark awarded =39 out of 60


    • Common mistakes and misconceptions

      • Incorrect use of vocabulary for the context of the speaking exercise. The teaching and learning of vocabulary need to be within the context so that candidates are able to use it more accurately.
      • Lack of fluency. Guided speaking practice should take place in daily lessons and closely monitored.
      • Occasional slips do not affect the mark as there have been plenty evidence for a full mark, for example, 生活旋律很快for 生活节奏很快，和乐融融 for 其乐融融，etc.
      • Some candidates had problems with ‘sh’ and ‘x’ sound, like in 减少，减小. This could be addressed and corrected by the teacher or peer.
      • Some mistakes were influenced by the first language, for example, 安全 for 空气 or 环境，欢迎新年, 跟家人花时间，or 学一个习惯回家可以使用. These would need to be addressed at lessons as candidates might not realise the issue.
      • There were a few of words which lacked precision, such as 解放烦恼 should be解除烦恼. Other common misuses are 家庭and家人，团圆/团聚and团结，或者and还是，不会做and不可以做，给人们带来and 对人们造成，etc.