Paper 2: three tasks, developed answers
Paper 2 (Speaking, AO2) rewards range, accuracy, clear tones and fluency. Three tasks: Task 1 ROLE PLAY (you play a role); Task 2 PICTURE TASK (describe a photo, then answer questions); Task 3 a two-theme CONVERSATION. DEVELOP every answer with an opinion and a reason, never a bare yes/no: 我很喜欢跟朋友一起旅行，因为又好玩又能放松。(Wǒ hěn xǐhuan gēn péngyou yìqǐ lǚxíng, yīnwèi yòu hǎowán yòu néng fàngsōng.) — I love travelling with friends, it is fun and relaxing.
Match register (你/您) and ASK, not only answer
Choose your pronoun: 您 (nín — polite) for a stranger, shopkeeper or official; 你 (nǐ — informal) for a friend. Open a request with 请问 (qǐngwèn — may I ask). The role play and conversation require you to ASK, not only answer — form a real question with the right interrogative (几点, 在哪儿, 多少钱, 为什么), never a statement with a rising tone. Polite ask: 请问，这个博物馆几点关门？(Qǐngwèn, zhège bówùguǎn jǐ diǎn guānmén?) — Excuse me, what time does the museum close?
Three time frames, clear tones, no Cantonese
Higher speaking rewards moving across time frames in one answer: PAST 了 / 过 / 以前 / 上次, PRESENT 现在 / 经常, FUTURE 打算 / 会 / 以后. Model: 我以前不喜欢做饭，可是现在经常做，以后打算学做中国菜。(Wǒ yǐqián bù xǐhuan zuò fàn, kěshì xiànzài jīngcháng zuò, yǐhòu dǎsuàn xué zuò Zhōngguó cài.) — I used to dislike cooking, now cook often, and plan to learn Chinese food. Use clear tones (买 mǎi buy ≠ 卖 mài sell) and standard Mandarin (是, 不, 没有, 他/她, 看, 吃), NOT Cantonese 係/唔/冇/佢/睇/食.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Ignoring the exact question word or facet
Answer the precise question and facet. ✗ 我从五岁开始学 (I started at five) to 你学了多久？(how long HAVE you studied?) ✓ 我已经学了三年了 (Wǒ yǐjīng xué le sān nián le) — I have studied three years. Match the facet too: asked the ACTIVITIES in a lesson, say what people DO (他们在做实验 — doing an experiment), not your feelings. Name the question word (多久, 什么时候, 在哪儿, 什么) and answer exactly that.
Bare yes/no -- or over-long -- answers
A bare 是 (yes) or 不 (no) caps your mark — add an opinion and a reason. ✗ Q: 你喜欢运动吗？ A: 喜欢。 ✓ 我很喜欢运动，因为对身体好，我每周都打篮球 (Wǒ hěn xǐhuan yùndòng, yīnwèi duì shēntǐ hǎo, wǒ měi zhōu dōu dǎ lánqiú) — I love sport, it is healthy, I play basketball weekly. But do not over-talk: in the conversation go DEEP on a topic rather than rushing many points, so you still cover every question.
A wrong tone is a wrong word
Tones carry meaning, so a wrong tone is a different word: 买 (mǎi, 3rd — buy) vs 卖 (mài, 4th — sell); 问 (wèn, 4th — ask) vs 闻 (wén, 2nd — smell); 睡觉 (shuìjiào — sleep) vs 水饺 (shuǐjiǎo — dumplings). Sloppy tones make an answer ambiguous even when the vocabulary is right, and pronunciation is directly assessed on Paper 2. Practise minimal pairs aloud.
Past question answered as a future one
The weakest spot is unseen PAST-time questions. ✗ 我的航班一个小时以后到 (my flight arrives in an hour) to 你的航班多久以前到的？(how long AGO did it arrive?) ✓ 我的航班两个小时以前到的 (Wǒ de hángbān liǎng gè xiǎoshí yǐqián dào de) — it arrived two hours ago. Likewise 你来台湾多久了？needs a completed duration: 我来台湾已经三个星期了, NOT 我会在台湾三个星期 (I WILL be…). Never let future 会 leak into a past answer.
Missing one key word blocks the answer
One missing key word can block a whole answer, so build theme vocabulary first. Candidates stalled on 夏令营 (xiàlìngyíng — summer camp), 零花钱 (línghuāqián — pocket money), 回收箱 (huíshōuxiāng — recycling bin) and 自然资源 (zìrán zīyuán — natural resources); Theme-5 global-issue cards were weakest. If a word escapes you, paraphrase around it rather than falling silent.
Overusing 了 on habitual actions
了 marks a COMPLETED action or a change of state, not a habit. ✓ 我昨天去了公园 (Wǒ zuótiān qù le gōngyuán) — I went to the park yesterday. ✗ habitual 我每天去了学校 — drop 了: 我每天去学校. Overusing 了 on habitual statements, and confusing 了 with 过 (experience, 我去过中国), underlie the past-tense weakness examiners flag.
Thinking the role play is answer-only
The role play is two-way: some prompts require YOU to ask a question, and a missing interrogative loses the mark. ✗ told to ask the price, saying 这个很贵 (this is expensive) ✓ 请问，这个多少钱？(Qǐngwèn, zhège duōshao qián?) — Excuse me, how much is this? A find-out prompt means FORM A QUESTION with the matching interrogative (什么, 什么时候, 在哪儿, 多少钱, 多久, 为什么).
Role play -- register, do each prompt, ASK
Set the register first: 您 + 请问 for an official, 你 for a friend. Then do exactly what each prompt says — request, react, ANSWER, and ASK your own question with the right interrogative (几点 / 在哪儿 / 多少钱). A find-out prompt means FORM A QUESTION, not a statement.
Picture task -- describe, then develop
Open with 这张照片上有…… (in this photo there is…), then say who / where / what they are doing with 正在, and add an opinion 我觉得…… with a reason. Then answer the follow-ups across time frames — a past experience and a future plan. Describe first, then develop; do not just list objects.
Conversation -- O-R-E every answer
Use O-R-E on every conversation question: Opinion, Reason (因为……), and an Example or detail. Work in a past experience (以前……了) and a future plan (以后我打算……) to show range. Go DEEP on two topics within a theme rather than skimming many, yet still cover every question.
Delivery -- clear tones, keep going
Delivery is assessed, not just content. Speak with clear, full tones (买 mǎi ≠ 卖 mài). Keep to standard Mandarin — no spoken-Cantonese forms (係 / 唔 / 冇 / 佢). Keep going: a short thinking pause is fine, but long silence loses fluency marks — use a filler or paraphrase.
Paper 2 tests AO2 (Speaking): communicating and interacting in spoken Chinese. Marks reward how much you communicate, your range and accuracy of vocabulary and structures, your pronunciation and intonation (clear, correct tones), and your fluency. There are three tasks -- develop every answer with an opinion and a reason, and use standard spoken Mandarin, never spoken Cantonese.
| Task 任务 | What you do | Rough tariff |
|---|---|---|
| Task 1 Role play 角色扮演 | A short transactional exchange -- you play a role (customer, visitor). You must ASK as well as answer. | ~10 |
| Task 2 Picture-based task 看图说话 | Describe a photo, then answer questions about it. | ~24 |
| Task 3 Conversation 对话 | A discussion with the examiner across TWO themes. | ~30 |
All three are marked holistically by level descriptor -- there is no single right answer.
Which "you" is polite/formal, and which is informal? When do you use each in the speaking exam?
在角色扮演里，你常常需要向老师提问。请用中文写出四个疑问词（例如"多少钱"），并标出拼音和英文意思。
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
这是口语第二部分——角色扮演（Role Play）。情境（虚构）：你在一家中国餐馆吃午饭。你（考生）扮演自己，老师扮演服务员。因为对方是服务员，请用礼貌的语气（用"您"、"请问"）。请用中文完成下面五个任务： （1）说你想点的一个菜和一杯饮料； （2）说一样你不想要的东西（例如：不要太辣）； （3）回答服务员的一个问题； （4）向服务员提一个问题（例如：多少钱，或者有没有……）； （5）礼貌地结束对话。（约10分）
这是口语第二部分——"看图说话"（Picture-based Task）。虚构照片：几个学生正在学校的食堂里吃午饭，桌子上有饭和水果，大家一边吃一边说话，看起来很开心。请你用中文完成下面的任务： （1）描述这张照片（照片上有谁？他们在做什么？看起来怎么样？）； （2）说说你对学校午饭的看法； （3）说说你平时最喜欢吃什么（现在）； （4）说一件你上个星期在学校做过的事（过去）； （5）说一件你以后想在学校做的事（将来）。请尽量用简单的连接词，把句子说完整。（约24分）
这是口语第二部分——对话（Conversation, Paper 2）。两个主题是「课余爱好」和「家庭」。老师会用中文问你下面的问题，请你用完整的句子回答，每个答案都要给出理由或例子，不要只回答一两个字： （1）你平时有什么爱好？为什么喜欢？ （2）你周末常常做什么？ （3）你上个周末做了什么？（过去） （4）请介绍一下你的家人。 （5）你以后想跟家人一起做什么？（将来） 请尽量用连接词（因为……所以……、虽然……但是……），主要用现在的时间，也可以简单说一点过去和将来。（约36分）
