Course Description

This level is for learners who already communicate comfortably and want to sound natural, handle complex subjects and work with authentic material. The focus shifts from learning new structures to using the language with accuracy and range: choosing the right word, adjusting your register to the situation, and keeping your tones clear in fast, connected speech. Lessons are built around discussion, debate and presentation, on topics you choose, from current affairs and business to history, literature and society. You work with idioms and 成语, formal and written styles, and the differences between Mandarin as it is spoken in different communities, so that you can understand speakers from a range of backgrounds and recognize where your own speech fits. Reading material is drawn from newspapers, essays, contemporary fiction, business documents and academic writing, and you write longer texts such as reports, formal letters and opinion pieces, with detailed feedback on each. At this level, many students follow a specialist track, such as business Mandarin, an introduction to classical Chinese, or preparation for the advanced levels of the HSK, TOCFL or the 普通话水平测试. By the end of this level, you will be able to express yourself fluently and precisely in professional, social and academic contexts, follow native-speed speech including regional accents, and read newspapers and contemporary fiction with ease. You will write in a range of formal and informal styles and recognize [2,500] or more characters. The level corresponds roughly to CEFR C1 and above.