T2.1Higher tier1CN0 · Section T2: Local Area, Holiday & Travel 当地、假期与旅行

Holidays: preferences, experiences & destinations 假期：喜好、经历与目的地

Key learnings

Holiday likes/preferences + 因为 reason
Give a view with 喜欢 (xǐhuan -- like), 不喜欢 (dislike) or 更喜欢 (gèng xǐhuan -- prefer) + a verb phrase, then justify with 因为 (yīnwèi -- because): 我喜欢去海边度假，因为可以游泳、晒太阳，很放松。(Wǒ xǐhuan qù hǎibiān dùjià, yīnwèi kěyǐ yóuyǒng, shài tàiyáng, hěn fàngsōng.) — I like seaside holidays, I can swim and relax. To prefer one option use 更喜欢 or a 比 (bǐ) comparison: 比起爬山，我更喜欢逛城市。— I prefer cities to hiking. In a 比 sentence never add 很 (城市比乡下热闹, not …很热闹).
Past holiday: 了 (event) vs 过 (experience)
Anchor a past holiday with a time phrase -- 去年暑假 (qùnián shǔjià -- last summer holiday) -- and mark a completed event with 了 (le): 去年暑假我去了西安，玩得很开心。(Qùnián shǔjià wǒ qù le Xī'ān, wán de hěn kāixīn.) — Last summer I went to Xi'an and had a great time. For a past EXPERIENCE (ever done it) use 过 (guo): 我去过中国两次。(Wǒ qù guo Zhōngguó liǎng cì.) — I have been to China twice. A repeated past HABIT takes NO 了: 我小时候常常去海边 (as a child I often went to the seaside).
Future/dream trip: 想 / 打算 / 希望 + 如果…就
Express future or dream travel with 想 (xiǎng -- would like to), 打算 (dǎsuàn -- plan to) or 希望 (xīwàng -- hope to) + a place + a reason with 因为: 将来我想去日本，因为我很喜欢日本的美食和文化。(Jiānglái wǒ xiǎng qù Rìběn, yīnwèi wǒ hěn xǐhuan Rìběn de měishí hé wénhuà.) — In future I would like to go to Japan, because I love its food and culture. Add a condition with 如果……就 (rúguǒ … jiù -- if … then): 如果明年有机会，我就想去看看。Signal the frame with 将来/以后/明年 so it is not read as past.

Common mistakes

Drawn from real examiner reports.

Write your OWN holiday, not someone else's

✗ describing a friend or celebrity trip, or a bland 旅行很有意思 (travelling is fun), when the task says write about YOUR OWN holiday ✓ 去年暑假我跟家人去了广州，那里的美食很好吃。(Qùnián shǔjià wǒ gēn jiārén qù le Guǎngzhōu, nàli de měishí hěn hǎochī.) — Last summer I went to Guangzhou with my family, the food was delicious. Use 我/我们, a concrete past time phrase and your own detail.

Digest T2 Writing: some candidates described another person trip rather than their own (June 2024 1CN0/4H); the cross-cutting note stresses reading the rubric precisely.

Past vs future: HAVE BEEN ≠ WILL BE

Higher tasks need accurate time frames. ✗ answering 我会在这里住一个星期 (I WILL stay a week) when asked 你已经在这里玩了多久？(how long HAVE you been here?) ✓ 我已经在这里玩了三天了。(Wǒ yǐjīng zài zhèlǐ wán le sān tiān le.) — I have already been here three days. Signal it: PAST 了 + 已经/去年, FUTURE 会/要/以后/明年. Do not let a future 会 leak into a past holiday.

Digest Speaking: past-tense questions are the weak spot -- HAVE BEEN in Taiwan confused with WILL BE, and how long ago vs when the flight will arrive (June 2024 1CN0/2H; June 2023 1CN0/2H).

Time word: 夏天 season vs 暑假 holiday

A precision trap on time phrases: ✗ 明年夏天 (the season) when the task means 明年暑假 (the vacation) ✓ 明年暑假我打算去海南岛度假。(Míngnián shǔjià wǒ dǎsuàn qù Hǎinán dǎo dùjià.) — next summer holiday I plan Hainan Island. 夏天 is the season; 暑假 is the school holiday -- pick the one the task asks for. Name the destination precisely (海边/北京), not just 那里 (there).

Digest Writing translation: "next summer" 明年夏天 confused with "next summer holiday" 明年暑假 (June 2023 1CN0/4H); adding imprecise detail that changes meaning recurs (June 2023 1CN0/3H).

Answer the exact bullet, not a near-miss

Read every bullet and answer that exact facet. ✗ "what you USED TO do with family at home" answered as what you ALWAYS do, or "at home" dropped; ✗ 出去吃饭 (eating out) rendered as 外卖 (takeaways) ✓ for a used-to bullet use a past habit: 我小时候常常跟家人在家看电影。(Wǒ xiǎoshíhou chángcháng gēn jiārén zài jiā kàn diànyǐng.) Keep the qualifier (在家) and the exact activity named.

Digest Writing: "what you used to do with family at home" answered as habitual with "at home" dropped, and "eating out" 出去吃饭 rendered as "takeaways" 外卖 (June 2024 1CN0/4H; June 2023 1CN0/4H).

Myth: 了 is simply a past-tense marker

了 (le) marks COMPLETION or a CHANGE OF STATE, not past tense. ✗ adding 了 to a habit: 我小时候常常去了海边 (wrong) ✓ 我小时候常常去海边 — a past HABIT, no 了. ✓ 去年暑假我去了海边 — one completed event, 了. For a past EXPERIENCE use 过: 我去过海南岛。Decide: completed event (了), experience (过) or habit (no marker).

No spoken Cantonese or pinyin in writing

In the Writing paper use standard WRITTEN Chinese (书面语) only. ✗ spoken-Cantonese forms (唔 for 不, 係 for 是) lose marks; ✗ answering in pinyin instead of 汉字 -- pinyin is not accepted ✓ 我不喜欢下雨的天气。(Wǒ bù xǐhuan xià yǔ de tiānqì.) Write every answer in characters, in standard Mandarin, not a dialect form or romanisation.

Digest Writing: spoken-Cantonese forms lose marks (June 2024 1CN0/4H; June 2023 1CN0/4H); pinyin is not accepted in answers (June 2023 1CN0/1H).

Exam tips

Plan three time frames, each with a reason
Structure a holidays answer around three time frames: PAST -- a real trip with 去年暑假 + 了/过 (去年暑假我去了……，玩得很开心); PRESENT -- a preference with 我(更)喜欢……，因为……; FUTURE -- 以后/明年 + 想/打算……，因为……. Link them with connectives (虽然……但是, 不但……而且), not short unlinked sentences.
Answer the exact question word asked
Name the question word, then give exactly that. WHERE (哪儿) needs a place; HOW LONG (多久) a duration; WHEN (什么时候) a time; HOW OFTEN a frequency. ✗ 我常常去 (how often) to 你常在哪儿度假？(where…?) ✓ 我常在海边度假。(Wǒ cháng zài hǎibiān dùjià.) Do not drift to a related but different facet.
Choose ONE option and cover every bullet
Where a task offers option (a) OR (b), answer ONLY one -- answering both gains no extra marks. Then cover EVERY bullet of that option, writing only what it asks: on a positive-holiday option give where, who with, what you did and how you felt, not a general "travel is fun".
Develop each answer; control the length
Do not answer with one word, and do not run on. ✗ a bare 喜欢 with no reason caps the mark; ✗ an over-long monologue eats time. ✓ give an opinion + a reason + one detail: 我很喜欢海边度假，因为可以放松。In the conversation, go deep on two topics, not many.

Revision notes