Routine: time before verb, no 了 on habits
Put the time expression BEFORE the verb (subject - time - place - verb) and chain the steps with 先 (xiān -- first) … 然后 (ránhòu -- then) … 再 (zài -- and then): 我每天七点起床，先吃早饭，然后坐公共汽车去学校。(Wǒ měitiān qī diǎn qǐchuáng, xiān chī zǎofàn, ránhòu zuò gōnggòng qìchē qù xuéxiào.) Because 每天 (měitiān -- every day) marks a HABIT, add no 了: 我每天吃早饭。Signal how often with 一般 (yìbān -- generally), 通常 (tōngcháng -- usually), 常常 (chángcháng -- often).
Food: right measure word + 我最喜欢……因为……
Chinese has no plural ending, so quantity is number + measure word (量词) + noun, and the 量词 must match: 一杯茶 (yì bēi chá -- a cup of tea), 一碗米饭 (yì wǎn mǐfàn -- a bowl of rice), 一瓶水 (yì píng shuǐ -- a bottle of water) -- never 一个茶. Give a preference with 最喜欢 (zuì xǐhuan) + a reason with 因为 (yīnwèi): 我最喜欢吃饺子，因为又好吃又健康。(Wǒ zuì xǐhuan chī jiǎozi, yīnwèi yòu hǎochī yòu jiànkāng.) — dumplings, because both tasty and healthy. 又……又…… gives two qualities at once.
Technology: 好处/坏处 + time frames
At Higher tier weigh technology with 好处 (hǎochù -- advantage) and 坏处 (huàichù -- disadvantage), joined by connectives: 虽然社交媒体很方便，但是有时候会浪费很多时间。(Suīrán shèjiāo méitǐ hěn fāngbiàn, dànshì yǒushíhou huì làngfèi hěn duō shíjiān.) — Although convenient, it sometimes wastes time. Add force with 不但……而且……: 网上购物不但便宜，而且方便。Signal the time frame -- present 现在/每天, past with 了, future PLANS with 会/打算/以后. A "how you WILL use it" question needs the future: 以后我会用手机来学习。
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Tech words: 笔记本电脑 not 平板电脑, 下载, 上网
Technology words slip easily in the translation-into-Chinese task. ✗ 平板电脑 (píngbǎn diànnǎo -- tablet) for "laptop" ✓ 笔记本电脑 (bǐjìběn diànnǎo). ✗ miswriting the two characters of 下载 (xiàzài -- download) ✓ 下载 (下 xià + 载 zài). ✗ cannot render "surf the internet" ✓ 上网 (shàngwǎng). 我喜欢用笔记本电脑上网。Learn these three as a set and check every character.
In the translation into Chinese, laptop 笔记本电脑 was mistranslated as 平板电脑 (tablet), the two characters of 下载 (download) were muddled, and 上网 (surf the internet) was hard to render (June 2024 1CN0/4H).
A FUTURE bullet answered in the present
Match the tense the bullet asks for. ✗ answering 以后你会怎么用社交媒体？(how will you use social media in future?) with present-tense sentences about now ✓ signal the future with 会/打算/以后: 以后我会用社交媒体跟外国朋友联系，但是我不会花太多时间。(Yǐhòu wǒ huì yòng shèjiāo méitǐ gēn wàiguó péngyou liánxì, dànshì wǒ bú huì huā tài duō shíjiān.) Read each bullet and set the time frame it demands.
On the Writing paper the bullet "how you WILL use social media in the future" was answered in the present about phones and the internet (June 2023 1CN0/4H).
"Eating out" 出去吃饭 ≠ "takeaways" 外卖
Keep the exact word the bullet gives -- a near-synonym changes the meaning and loses the mark. ✗ 叫外卖 (jiào wàimài -- order a takeaway) when the task said 出去吃饭 (chūqù chīfàn -- eat out) ✓ 周末我喜欢和家人出去吃饭。(Zhōumò wǒ xǐhuan hé jiārén chūqù chīfàn.) Do not swap in a related-but-different activity, and do not add extra detail that changes the meaning.
A bullet-facet slip: "eating out" 出去吃饭 was mis-rendered as "having takeaways" 外卖 (June 2023 1CN0/4H).
Wrong or omitted measure word (一个茶 → 一杯茶)
The measure word must match the noun and cannot be dropped -- Chinese has no plural ending, so number + 量词 is the ONLY way to show quantity. ✗ 一个茶、三个水 ✓ 一杯茶 (yì bēi chá), 三瓶水 (sān píng shuǐ). Food and drink each take their own 量词: 一碗米饭 (yì wǎn mǐfàn), 一瓶牛奶 (yì píng niúnǎi). Learn each noun WITH its measure word, not 个.
A wrong or omitted 量词 (一个书 → 一本书; 三个茶 → 三杯茶) is a stock error, and Chinese has no plural inflection so the number + 量词 carries quantity (general FL trap; plurality ambiguity noted June 2023 1CN0/2H).
Adding 了 to a daily habit (每天喝了茶 ✗)
了 marks a completed event or a change of state, not a habit, so do not add it to a repeated daily action. ✗ 我每天喝了一杯咖啡 ✓ 我每天喝一杯咖啡。(Wǒ měitiān hē yì bēi kāfēi.) Keep 了 for a single completed event: 我昨天买了一件衣服。(Wǒ zuótiān mǎi le yí jiàn yīfu.) A frequency word like 每天/常常 signals that no 了 belongs.
Overusing 了 on habitual or general statements is a classic tense-marking error (general FL trap).
WHERE you shop answered as HOW OFTEN
Read the exact question word and answer THAT, not a nearby easier question. ✗ answering 你常在哪里买东西？(where do you often shop?) with 我常常买东西 (how often) ✓ 我常常在网上买东西。(Wǒ chángcháng zài wǎngshàng mǎi dōngxi.) — a place. Likewise 你什么时候出去吃饭？(when do you eat out?) needs a time, not a frequency. Underline WHERE / WHEN / HOW OFTEN first.
Not reading the rubric: "where you often go shopping" was answered as "how often", and "when you usually eat out" answered as "how often" (June 2023 1CN0/4H).
The belief that 了 marks past tense
了 (le) marks COMPLETION or a CHANGE OF STATE, not past tense; a habit -- even a past one -- takes no 了. ✗ 我每天吃了早饭 ✓ 我每天吃早饭 (habit). ✓ 我昨天吃了饺子 (a completed event). ✓ 我以前常常在网上买东西 (a PAST habit -- still no 了). For a past EXPERIENCE use 过 (guo): 我吃过中国菜。Decide: completed event (了), experience (过) or habit (no marker).
The belief that 个 works for every noun
个 (gè) is the commonest measure word but NOT universal -- many everyday nouns take a specific 量词, and 个 with them is an error. ✗ 一个茶、一个米饭、一个水 ✓ 一杯茶 (yì bēi chá), 一碗米饭 (yì wǎn mǐfàn), 一瓶水 (yì píng shuǐ). Other pairings: 一件衣服, 一双鞋, 一本书. 个 IS right for people and general objects (一个朋友, 一个手机, 一个问题), so learn each noun WITH its measure word.
Four-step routine for a daily-life task
For a daily-life or technology task: READ each bullet and answer exactly what it asks ("USED TO", "WILL use"); OPEN in the right time frame (每天 habits, 了 past, 会/以后 plans); DEVELOP with 因为 and balance a 好处 with a 坏处; CHECK the measure word, no 了 on habits, word order.
Written Chinese: no Cantonese, no pinyin
Use WRITTEN Chinese, characters only -- spoken-Cantonese forms are penalised and pinyin is not accepted. For a 1-mark answer give ONE response: with a slash only the text before it counts, brackets are ignored. Sense-check that it is plausible, not "one month and forty hours".
Reading/Listening: exact question word
On Listening and Reading, answer in unambiguous English based only on the text -- marks are lost to phrasing "open to misinterpretation", not to misunderstanding. Match the question word (WHERE a place, HOW OFTEN a frequency) and add nothing that cancels the correct part.
This topic (Theme T1: Identity & Culture, T1.2) covers your everyday life: daily routines and customs, food and drink (meals, ordering, healthy eating), shopping (in shops and online, prices and discounts) and social media and technology (what you use it for, its advantages and disadvantages, and your opinions). It is central to the Paper 2 Speaking conversation and to Paper 4 functional and extended Writing, and appears in Listening and Reading too. At Higher tier you must give opinions with reasons and weigh good and bad points across past, present and future time frames.
Daily routine 日常作息 (rìcháng zuòxi)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 起床 | qǐchuáng | to get up |
| 刷牙 | shuā yá | to brush teeth |
| 洗澡 | xǐzǎo | to shower, to bathe |
| 上学 / 上班 | shàngxué / shàngbān | to go to school / to go to work |
| 睡觉 | shuìjiào | to sleep |
| 一般 / 通常 | yìbān / tōngcháng | generally / usually |
| 先……然后……再…… | xiān … ránhòu … zài … | first … then … and then … |
Food & drink 饮食 (yǐnshí)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 早饭 / 午饭 / 晚饭 | zǎofàn / wǔfàn / wǎnfàn | breakfast / lunch / dinner |
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | cooked rice |
| 面条 | miàntiáo | noodles |
| 饺子 | jiǎozi | dumplings |
| 蔬菜 / 水果 | shūcài / shuǐguǒ | vegetables / fruit |
| 喝茶 / 喝咖啡 | hē chá / hē kāfēi | to drink tea / coffee |
| 好吃 / 健康 | hǎochī / jiànkāng | tasty / healthy |
Shopping 购物 (gòuwù)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 买东西 | mǎi dōngxi | to go shopping, buy things |
| 商店 / 超市 | shāngdiàn / chāoshì | shop / supermarket |
| 网上购物 | wǎngshàng gòuwù | online shopping |
| 便宜 / 贵 | piányi / guì | cheap / expensive |
| 打折 | dǎzhé | to give a discount |
| 多少钱 | duōshao qián | how much (money) |
| 花钱 | huā qián | to spend money |
Technology & social media 科技与社交媒体 (kējì yǔ shèjiāo méitǐ)
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 手机 / 电脑 | shǒujī / diànnǎo | phone / computer |
| 笔记本电脑 | bǐjìběn diànnǎo | laptop (not 平板电脑, a tablet) |
| 上网 | shàngwǎng | to go online, surf the internet |
| 下载 | xiàzài | to download |
| 社交媒体 | shèjiāo méitǐ | social media |
| 发短信 / 视频 | fā duǎnxìn / shìpín | to text / video |
| 方便 / 浪费时间 | fāngbiàn / làngfèi shíjiān | convenient / to waste time |
convenient
用中文写出四个跟"日常生活"有关的词或短语（例如饮食、购物或科技方面），并标出拼音。
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
你有一个中国朋友叫小林。请给他/她写一条微信信息，告诉他/她你最近的日常生活。内容要写清楚以下几点：（1）你今天早饭或午饭吃了什么；（2）你最近在网上买了什么东西，为什么；（3）问一个关于小林平时怎么用手机的问题。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-90字，用朋友之间的轻松语气。（8分）
你们学校的中文网站正在讨论「科技与我们的生活」。请写一篇文章，谈谈科技和社交媒体对你生活的影响，内容包括：（1）你平时用手机或电脑做什么（用现在的时间）；（2）你觉得社交媒体有什么好处和坏处；（3）以后你打算怎么用社交媒体，为什么（用将来的时间）。请写你自己的看法，用中文（汉字）书写，约130-150字，用连接词把好处和坏处联系起来，不要只写一句「科技很有用」。（16分）
这是一段口语话题讨论（Task 3 Conversation）。话题：日常生活、饮食与科技。老师会问你下面这些问题，请你用中文回答，并尽量展开、给出理由和意见： （1）你平时的一天是怎么安排的？（起床、吃饭、上学） （2）你喜欢吃什么？你觉得自己的饮食健康吗？为什么？ （3）你常常在哪里买东西——商店还是网上？为什么？ （4）你觉得手机和社交媒体给年轻人带来了什么好处和坏处？ （5）以后你打算怎么用科技？请说明理由。（约30分）
