Money/work vocabulary; a job takes 份, not 个
Key money words: 赚钱 zhuànqián (earn), 存钱 cúnqián (save), 花钱 huāqián (spend), 工资 gōngzī (wage); part-time work: 兼职工作 jiānzhí gōngzuò (part-time job), 打工 dǎgōng (to work part-time). A job or position is counted with 份 (fèn), never the generic 个. Example: 我找到了一份兼职工作，在一家咖啡店打工。(Wǒ zhǎodàole yí fèn jiānzhí gōngzuò, zài yì jiā kāfēidiàn dǎgōng.) -- I found a part-time job, working at a coffee shop. Learn each noun with its measure word as one chunk.
把-sentence needs object + result complement
A 把-sentence needs a SPECIFIC object (not a bare general noun) plus a verb carrying a result or directional complement. Example: 我打算把一半的工资存起来，因为我想买一辆新自行车。(Wǒ dǎsuàn bǎ yíbàn de gōngzī cún qǐlái, yīnwèi wǒ xiǎng mǎi yí liàng xīn zìxíngchē.) -- I plan to save half my wage to buy a new bicycle. Here 一半的工资 follows 把, and 存 carries the complement 起来; a bare 把……存 with no complement fails.
Future ambitions: 希望/打算/将来 + 成为 + reason
Future ambitions use 希望 (xīwàng -- hope), 打算 (dǎsuàn -- plan) and 将来/未来 (jiānglái/wèilái -- in the future), often with 成为 (chéngwéi -- become) plus a measure word before the profession. Example: 我希望将来能成为一名医生，因为我对帮助别人很感兴趣。(Wǒ xīwàng jiānglái néng chéngwéi yì míng yīshēng, yīnwèi wǒ duì bāngzhù biérén hěn gǎn xìngqù.) -- I hope in the future I can become a doctor, because I am very interested in helping others. A bare ambition with no reason is weaker than one that names WHY.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Wrong measure word for a job: 个 not 份
A job or position takes its own measure word 份, not the generic 个. ✗ 我找到了一个兼职工作。(个 does not collocate with 工作) ✓ 我找到了一份兼职工作。(Wǒ zhǎodàole yí fèn jiānzhí gōngzuò.) -- I found a part-time job. Learn the noun with its measure word as one chunk: 一份工作／一份兼职工作 (a job / a part-time job).
(general FL trap) -- measure-word misuse is a digest-named recurring error (s22, s23 grammar checklists); the specific 份 collocation is inferred.
Dropping 个 before a duration noun like 小时
A counted duration noun such as 小时 (xiǎoshí -- hour) still needs its measure word 个, even though it looks like a plain time word. ✗ 我每个星期六打工三小时。✓ 我每个星期六打工三个小时。(Wǒ měi gè xīngqīliù dǎgōng sān gè xiǎoshí.) -- Every Saturday I work part-time for three hours. Learn the count as 三个小时, not 三小时.
Digest: a missing measure word before a duration noun (hours of homework, s22 Speaking Card 2).
Bare 有很多好处 with no benefit named
Task Completion needs an actual stated benefit, not a restated claim that benefits exist. ✗ 打工有很多好处。(restates the question) ✓ 打工的好处是我可以自己赚零花钱。(Dǎgōng de hǎochù shì wǒ kěyǐ zìjǐ zhuàn línghuāqián.) -- The benefit is that I can earn my own pocket money. Name the actual benefit -- money earned, a skill learned, experience gained -- not just the word 好处.
Digest: the there-are-many-benefits-of-X restatement fails top-band Task Completion (s22 Q3(a); s23 41/42/43 Key Messages).
了 wrongly added to a habitual action
了 marks completion or change of state, not habitual actions signalled by 每个星期六都/每天. ✗ 我每个星期六都打工了三个小时。✓ 我每个星期六都打工三个小时。(Wǒ měi gè xīngqīliù dōu dǎgōng sān gè xiǎoshí.) -- Every Saturday I work part-time for three hours. For a genuinely completed one-off action 了 is correct: 上个星期我打工了三个小时。Keep 了 off anything marked 每……。
Digest: 了 used where it does not belong is a named recurring aspect error (s23 P41 grammar list).
地 vs 得: 认真地 before a verb, not 认真得
得 marks a complement AFTER a verb; 地 marks an adverbial (a manner word) BEFORE a verb. Before a verb, use 地. ✗ 认真得工作 ✓ 认真地工作 (rènzhēn de gōngzuò) -- to work conscientiously. The two are pronounced the same (de) but do different jobs, so choosing by sound alone loses the mark.
Digest: 的/地/得 misuse recurs across writing components at both sittings (s22, s23).
比-comparison never takes 很
A 比-comparison never puts 很 (or 非常/太) before the adjective -- the comparison itself already carries the degree. ✗ 这份工作比那份很好。✓ 这份工作比那份好。(Zhè fèn gōngzuò bǐ nà fèn hǎo.) -- This job is better than that one. To add degree, put 一点/得多 AFTER the adjective: 比那份好得多 (much better).
Digest: comparison-with-比 misuse appears on the grammar-improvement checklist at multiple components, both sittings (s22, s23).
兼职 is not a verb -- pair it with 做/打工
兼职 is a noun/attributive modifier ("part-time [job]"), not a stand-alone verb -- it needs 做 (zuò) or the true verb 打工 (dǎgōng). ✗ 我兼职在咖啡店。✓ 我在咖啡店做兼职。(Wǒ zài kāfēidiàn zuò jiānzhí.) ✓ 我在咖啡店打工。(Wǒ zài kāfēidiàn dǎgōng.) -- I work part-time at a coffee shop. Use 兼职 as a noun/modifier (兼职工作 "a part-time job"); 打工 is the verb.
Five-step routine for a money/work/plans task
Cover every bullet: 1) current situation with 打工/零花钱; 2) how you earn/spend/save, using 把 for a specific saved amount; 3) a future plan with 打算/希望/将来; 4) a genuine reason with 因为/对……感兴趣; 5) if asked, weigh both sides with 虽然……，但是……。The reason earns the marks, not the facts.
Speaking: explain WHY, not just WHAT
In a Speaking topic conversation about money or future plans, be ready to explain WHY you want a part-time job or a particular career, not only WHAT you plan. Weaker answers give the fact (我想当医生) but stall on the 为什么 follow-up; add a reason with 因为……觉得…… every time.
Listening: right detail, wrong speaker
Money and job words are classic distractor-echo targets: a wrong option often names a wage or job genuinely said, but for the wrong speaker. Decide WHO each true detail belongs to, and catch any negative word that flips whether the person really wants the job.
This topic (Area D: The World of Work, D4) covers pocket money and part-time jobs, earning and saving, spending, and plans and ambitions for the future, including opinions on whether a part-time job or continuing to save is worthwhile. It appears in listening and reading (vocabulary, gist and detail), functional and extended writing (a message, an opinion article), and the speaking topic conversation about money and future plans.
Money and spending 钱与理财 (qián yǔ lǐcái)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 零花钱 | línghuāqián | pocket money |
| 钱 | qián | money |
| 赚钱 | zhuànqián | to earn money |
| 存钱 | cúnqián | to save money |
| 花钱 | huāqián | to spend money |
| 省钱 | shěngqián | to save money, economize |
| 预算 | yùsuàn | budget |
| 工资 | gōngzī | wage, salary |
Part-time work 兼职工作 (jiānzhí gōngzuò)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 兼职工作 | jiānzhí gōngzuò | part-time job |
| 打工 | dǎgōng | to do a part-time job, to work |
| 老板 | lǎobǎn | boss |
| 顾客 | gùkè | customer |
| 餐馆 | cānguǎn | restaurant |
| 超市 | chāoshì | supermarket |
| 面试 | miànshì | interview |
| 经验 | jīngyàn | experience |
Future plans 将来的打算 (jiānglái de dǎsuàn)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 打算 | dǎsuàn | to plan, a plan |
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope |
| 理想 | lǐxiǎng | dream, ideal |
| 目标 | mùbiāo | goal |
| 将来/未来 | jiānglái/wèilái | (in the) future |
| 梦想 | mèngxiǎng | dream (aspiration) |
| 职业 | zhíyè | career, profession |
| 成为 | chéngwéi | to become |
Measure words 量词: a job/position takes 份 (fèn) -- 一份工作 (yí fèn gōngzuò), 一份兼职工作 (yí fèn jiānzhí gōngzuò); a counted duration such as an hour still takes 个 -- 三个小时 (sān gè xiǎoshí); money uses 块/元 -- 一百块钱 (yìbǎi kuài qián).
pocket money
用中文写出四个与零花钱、打工或将来打算有关的词语（例如零花钱、打工、存钱等），并标出拼音；再写出一个正确搭配量词的例子（例如"一份工作"）。
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
你最近开始在一家咖啡店做兼职工作。请给你的朋友写一条短信，说说你打工的情况。短信里要写清楚以下几点：（1）你在哪里打工、一个星期工作几个小时；（2）你打算怎么花或存这些钱；（3）你对这份工作的感觉怎么样。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-90字，注意短信的语气比较随意。（8分）
你们学校的校刊正在征稿，主题是「中学生应不应该一边上学一边打工赚钱？」有人认为打工可以让学生自己赚零花钱，学到工作经验；也有人认为打工会占用太多学习时间，应该把时间都花在功课上。请写一篇文章，谈谈你的看法，并举例说明。请用中文（汉字）书写，约130-150字，注意用连接词把观点展开，不要只是重复题目里的说法，也不要只写「有很多好处」而不说明具体是什么。（16分）
