Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary

Specification Content

The following should be used as guidance on the content of Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary External Assessment and Teacher Assessment materials.

Language Purposes and Functions

At Preliminary stage, the realisation of these functions: - builds on the specifications at Breakthrough stage by adding some range to the language used; - uses a greater range of areas.

 taking part in social situations, e.g. greeting / responding to greetings; expressing thanks; apologising  repairing communication (e.g. asking for repetition, checking meaning)  giving information  asking / answering questions  describing  asking for and giving opinions  following / giving instructions  asking for things  expressing ability  using numbers and expressing quantity  expressing time  agreeing / disagreeing  comparing  giving reasons  expressing preferences  making and responding to suggestions  expressing obligation and lack of obligation  expressing feelings and emotions  talking about the present  talking about the future  talking about the past

Grammar and Linguistic Structures

All grammar and linguistic structures listed at Breakthrough, plus:

Nouns  plural suffix 们 with personal nouns – 同学们  measure words more measure words for nouns – see defined content

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 1 © OCR 2011 measure word 些

Modification of Nouns  simple adjectives or attributives with 的 年轻的经理，很新的医院  without 的 红汽车  noun phrases with 的 你今天买的车好不好？

Prepositions 他在日本学中文。 我跟她说“你好”。他到图书馆去。

Verbs  modal verbs 想，会， 可以，能  future sentences with no overt indication of the future 他去北京。 sentences with 会 or 要 明天会下雪。 她要来。 imminent future indicated by 要………了 要下雨了。 快 要………了 快要下雨了。 快………了 快到了。

 了 to show excessiveness 太忙了，太贵了

 verbal aspect marker 了 indicating a completed, limited, contrasted or perfective action 他买了两本书。 negation by 没有 and without 了 他没买。

 reduplication of verbs 她想 看 看 电 视。

 progressive actions marked by 正 在 她 正 在 睡 觉 。

Sentences  interrogative sentences 是 不 是 你是不是中国人？ 有 没 有 你有没有面条？ stative Verb (SV) 不 SV 你累不累？

 topic-comment construction 你妈妈做的饭你喜欢吃吗？

Comparison  use of 比 我比他累。 中国比英国大。

Adverbs  sentences with an adverbial phrase before the verb manner 他们坐车去。

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 2 © OCR 2011 frequency 我们常常跑步。

 sentences with an adverbial phrase after the verb complement of time after the verb 他住三天。

Position  Use of 在 with place and localiser 学校在饭馆(的)左边。

Vocabulary Areas

The vocabulary used in Preliminary stage consists of common items that normally occur in the everyday vocabulary of native speakers using the target language today in a range of predictable everyday areas. Some items may be glossed to aid candidates.

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 3 © OCR 2011 Preliminary Word List

By the end of the Preliminary Reading stage, learners will recognise all characters listed for Breakthrough plus those listed below. By the end of the Preliminary Writing stage, learners will be able to produce a significant number of the characters on the list.

Texts in Parts 1 and 2 in Preliminary Chinese (Simplified) Reading will be written only from characters in the list. Where there is a need to include any additional characters, these will be glossed in English. The list will constitute the core vocabulary for the texts in the remaining parts of the test. Additional characters may appear in these texts but will not be tested explicitly. Where there is a need to include any additional characters essential to the answering of a question, these will be glossed in English.

Learners taking Preliminary Chinese (Simplified) Writing will only be expected to produce characters from this list. Learners will not be penalised for the occasional use of pinyin in the writing test.

Nouns (People, Family, Jobs, Animals) 小姐 xiǎojie Miss 爱人 àiren spouse 司机 sī jī driver 护士 hùshi nurse 商人 shāngrén business person 姓 xìng surname (also vb) 名字 míngzi given name 生日 shēngrì birthday

Nouns (Places in a Town/Transport) 城市 chéngshì town; city 中心 zhōngxīn centre 农村 nóngcūn countryside 公司 gōngsī company 商店 shāngdiàn shop 工厂 gōngchǎng factory 医院 yīyuàn hospital 饭馆 fànguǎn restaurant 饭店 fàndiàn hotel; restaurant 公园 gōngyuán park 地方 dìfang place 公共汽车 gōnggòngqìchē bus 出租车 chūzūchē taxi 自行车 zìxíngchē bicycle 火车 huǒchē train 汽车 qìchē car 飞机 fēijī plane 票 piào ticket

Nouns (School) 笔 bǐ pen 包 bāo bag

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 4 © OCR 2011 本子 běnzi exercise book 桌子 zhuōzi table 椅子 yǐzi chair 班 bān class 历史 lìshǐ history 音乐 yīnyuè music 课 kè lesson 教室 jiàoshì classroom 游戏 yóuxì game 东西 dōngxi thing 衣服 yīfu clothing

Nouns (Food and Drink) 鸡蛋 jīdàn egg 蛋糕 dàngāo cake 苹果 píngguǒ apple 羊肉 yángròu lamb 猪肉 zhūròu pork 饺子 jiǎozi dumplings 汤 tāng soup 果汁 guǒzhī fruit juice 啤酒 píjiǔ beer 葡萄酒 pútaojiǔ wine 咖啡 kāfēi coffee 可乐 kělè cola

Nouns (Places and Languages) 国家 guójiā country 香港 Xiānggǎng Hong Kong 广州 Guǎngzhōu Canton 法国 Fǎguó France 德国 Déguó Germany 法文 fǎwén French 德语 déyǔ German 汉语 hànyǔ Chinese 英语 yīngyǔ English

Verbs 比 bǐ compare 打电话 dǎ diànhuà make a phone call 打网球 dǎ wǎngqiú play tennis 到 dào arrive 得 děi must; need to 点菜 diǎn cài order food 放学 fàng xué off school 给 gěi give 关门 guān mén close the door

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 5 © OCR 2011 画画儿 huà huàr paint a picture 欢迎 huānyíng welcome 回 huí return 见面 jiànmiàn meet, see 结账 jiézhàng pay the bill 觉得 juéde feel 开 kāi open, drive 开会 kāi huì hold a meeting 可以 kěyǐ be able to 买 mǎi buy 卖 mài sell 拿 ná hold, carry 能 néng be able to 骑 qí ride 起床 qǐ chuáng get up (out of bed) 请 qǐng invite 上 shàng go up, get on 上网 shàngwǎng surf the internet 睡觉 shuìjiào sleep 踢足球 tī zúqiú play football 跳舞 tiàowǔ dance 听 tīng listen 玩 wán play 下 xià go down 下雪 xià xuě snow 下雨 xià yǔ rain 想 xiǎng think; would like to 写 xiě write 休息 xiūxi rest 游泳 yóuyǒng swim 运动 yùndòng do exercise 站 zhàn stand 知道 zhīdào know (a fact) 走路 zǒulù walk 坐 zuò sit

Stative Verbs 热 rè hot 冷 lěng cold 好吃 hǎochī tasty, delicious 饿 è hungry 渴 kě thirsty 累 lèi tired 新 xīn new

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 6 © OCR 2011 旧 jiù old 高 gāo high 年轻 niánqīng young 贵 guì expensive 高兴 gāoxìng happy 漂亮 piàoliang pretty 有名 yǒumíng famous 快 kuài quick 多云 duō yún cloudy

Colours 颜色 yánsè colour 蓝 lán blue 绿 lǜ green 黄 huáng yellow

Time, Dates and Numbers 早上 zǎoshang morning 上午 shàngwǔ morning 中午 zhōngwǔ noon 晚上 wǎnshang evening 下午 xiàwǔ afternoon 年 nián year 号 hào number, day of month 日 rì sun, day of month 去年 qùnián last year 上 shàng last 下 xià next 点(钟) diǎn(zhōng) o’clock 分 fēn minute 半 bàn half 刻 kè quarter of an hour 小时 xiǎoshí hour 今天 jīntiān today 明天 míngtiān tomorrow 昨天 zuótiān yesterday 每天 měitiān everyday 时候 shíhou time 时间 shíjiān time 现在 xiànzài now 周末 zhōumò weekend 从 cóng from 以前 yǐqián before 以后 yǐhòu after

Money, Numbers and Weights 钱 qián money 人民币 rénmínbì the Chinese currency (RMB)

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 7 © OCR 2011 元 yuán Chinese dollar 块 kuài Chinese dollar 毛 máo tenth of a dollar 百 bǎi hundred 千 qiān thousand 万 wàn ten thousand 一些 yìxiē some, several 零 líng zero 斤 jīn 500g/catty 公斤 gōngjīn kilo

Idioms 再见 zài jiàn goodbye; see you 谢谢 xièxie thank you 不谢/ búxiè/búyòng xiè/bú kèqi you’re welcome 不用谢/ 不客气 对不起 duì bu qǐ sorry 没关系 méi guānxi it doesn’t matter 请进 qǐng jìn please come in 请问 qǐng wèn please may I ask…

Measure Words 匹 pǐ 条 tiáo 节 jié 张 zhāng 把 bǎ

Localisers 左边 zuǒbiān on the left 右边 yòubiān on the right 外边 wàibiān outside 里边 lǐbiān inside

Question Words 怎么 zěnme how 为什么 wèishénme why

Adverbs 正在 zhèngzài just …ing 只 zhǐ only 一共 yígòng altogether 最 zuì most 一起 yìqǐ together 常常 chángcháng often 已经 yǐjīng already 还 hái still, also, in addition, yet

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 8 © OCR 2011 再 zài again (usually indicating the future) Conjunctions 因为… yīnwéi…suǒyǐ because...so 所以 要是 yàoshì if 但是 dànshì but 可是 kěshì but 跟 gēn with

Pronouns 您 nín you (polite) 它 tā it (for objects) 自己 zìjǐ (one)self, own

Asset Languages Chinese (Mandarin/Simplified) Preliminary 9 © OCR 2011