Language is the essence of a culture. Without language, it would be highly complicated for people to communicate effectively communication with one another. Gestures like pointing and tones alone without words are not enough to constitute comprehensible communication.
Interestingly, the languages that we use in our everyday conversation —whether it be English, Bahasa Melayu, Japanese, Korean or Chinese — all come with their own background and history.
As one of the most widely used languages globally, Chinese has a long history of how the language came to surface with the first written record appearing over 3,000 years ago during the Shang dynasty.
The background of written and spoken Chinese
As the existence of Chinese language dates back many years, the language is classified into two categories: Old and Middle Chinese.
Nevertheless, both categories of the Chinese language utilise many characters in their written form. The Chinese written language uses distinctive symbols, or characters, to represent each word in the vocabulary.
There is a high number of Chinese characters, and to learn it all would be highly impossible! To even begin reading a Chinese newspaper, one must be able to recognise at least 2,000 to 3,000 characters alone.
While studying spoken Chinese can be easy, the difference in dialects may cause beginner learners to do a double take upon engaging in conversation. Nevertheless, written Chinese remains as the most common form of communication.
Even though those who are living in different provinces may not be able to communicate comprehensively, they are able to understand each other in written form. However, the written language can then be subdivided into three forms: simplified, traditional and informal slang or phonetic. There is also a form known as “pinyin” which is the romanised version of the Chinese language—mainly used for beginner learners.
Nowadays, most people opt to write in simplified Chinese.
"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." —Chinese Proverb
As for spoken Chinese; in Malaysia, there are three main dialects: Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien. Most Chinese-speaking Malaysians are able to communicate in Mandarin with some also having the ability to speak in Cantonese. Hokkien, however, is not as widely used as the other two dialects. Nevertheless, all varieties of the Chinese dialect use tones to distinguish words which include the rising, rising and falling, falling and flat tone.
If you are a beginner in studying Chinese, distinguishing the tones may take some work but you can differentiate the tones by making use of pinyin!
Understanding the SPM Chinese 2022 paper format
First and foremost, as a candidate of the SPM Chinese paper, you may be familiar with the appearance of the examination paper. All questions are written in Chinese. Hence, if you are having trouble with memorising your Chinese characters, needless to say; you are in big trouble!
But, don’t worry as every problem has its solution. Before we delve into the tips of how you may score your SPM Chinese paper, let us dissect the format of the examination paper which you will be facing sooner or later.
SPM Chinese 2022 paper format
Since 2012 onwards, the SPM Chinese paper will consist of 2 papers; Paper 1 and Paper 2. For Paper 1, there will be two sections which are: Section A (Practical Writing) and Section B (Continuous Writing). Meanwhile for Paper 2, there will also be two sections but Section A will be for Modern Text Comprehension while Section B will have candidates face Classical Text Comprehension.
Click here to find out where to find the best reference papers.
Paper 1
| Section A—Practical Writing | The questions presented in Section A of Paper 1 may vary. The question may test you on formal letters, reports or notices. |
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| Section B—Continuous Writing | There will be 3 questions, however you may choose only one. You will be tested on different types of essays which are factual, argumentative, narrative, descriptive, sentimental and others. |
Paper 2
| Section A—Modern Text Comprehension | There will be 4 questions (3 texts and 1 poem). This section will test you on summary, comprehension and grammar. |
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| Section B—Classical Text Comprehension | You will be presented with 2 questions: prose and poem. This section will test you on comprehension and translation. |
How to tackle SPM Chinese 2022
If you are a candidate for the SPM Chinese paper this year, the thought of doing well in your examination can be daunting! As a student of the Chinese language, you may be well aware how tough studying the language can be.
However, now that you are aware of the paper format for your SPM Chinese examination and have now recognised what you will be tested upon, you can prepare for your examination accordingly.
If you are still unsure of where to start, allow us to help guide you with the proper answering scheme so you can pass this examination with flying colours!
Paper 1
| Section A—Practical Writing | - Ensure that you are familiar with formats of all three types of essay. - Familiarise yourself with model questions and answers in revision books. You may also check out past year SPM Chinese examination papers. - Make sure that you keep note of the important details provided in the question and to include them in your answer if needed. - Use formal language in your essay! Avoid using informal languages and try not to make too many grammatical errors, as grammar errors will have examiners deduct your marks. - Constantly refer to the question to avoid writing out of topic. - Recheck your essay after you are done writing, and make sure you do not surpass the word count. You may only add a maximum of 4 extra words. - If your essay exceeds the word count by too many words, you may have your marks deducted. |
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| Section B—Continuous Writing | - Familiarise yourself with the different types of essays that you may be tested on. Choose the question you are most confident in. - Memorise power sentences, openings and closings that you can use throughout your essay. Read the question carefully and write down all the details you may need. However, don’t waste too much time on drafting your essay! - Ensure that your essays have 6 paragraphs, including the introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Ensure that you give strong points for each paragraph with clear elaborations and suitable examples. - Use formal languages. - Try to minimise your grammatical errors, as this may cause you to lose marks. - It is advisable to write your essay between 600 to 1000 words. |
Paper 2
| Section A—Modern Text Comprehension | - Underline all the points that are related to the question. Check the points that you have underlined. If there are too few points, look through the passage again for more. If there are too many points, choose only the important points. - The total number of points required is 12 to 18 points. - Write down all the points you have jotted down. You can also copy the words directly. Changes may be necessary in some cases (dialogue to text, etc.) - Use sequence connectors to link the points, but try not to overuse it. - For questions based on the passage/poem, you should get the answers from the passage. For text, you can copy directly from the passage if it is possible. - For questions on your own opinion, you have to give your own ideas, based on your understanding of the passage/poem. Your ideas should be logical, suitable and relevant to the question. - For grammar, you will be tested on vocabulary choice, phrase, components of sentences, compound sentences, language and style and idioms. Practice as much grammar as possible before the exam! |
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| Section B—Classical Text Comprehension | - Get to know the commonly used traditional words and their meaning and remember them. Go through as many as possible. Refer to revision books. - Translate the classical text word-by-word then translate it into modern text. Use the glossary given to help you understand the meaning of some words. - For questions based on the passage/poem, you should get the answers from the passage/poem. You copy the answers from the passage/poem if possible, but you must translate it into modern text. - For questions on your own opinion, you have to give your own ideas, based on your understanding on the passage/poem. Your ideas should be logical, suitable and relevant to the question. - When translating, replace every traditional word in the sentence or phrase with a modern word of the same meaning. - Do not leave any words untranslated. For words that are wrongly translated, marks will not be given and marks will not be deducted. |
How to prepare for SPM Chinese examination
Each student will have their own comfortable ways to prepare for an examination. Some may choose to burn the midnight oil, while some may be more laid back and relaxed so as not to stress themselves out too much.
Regardless, those who are sitting for their SPM Chinese examination can prepare for this event by a few methods:
- Study at a comfortable pace. No matter if you are laid back or love to pore over books, ensure that you study at a pace that is comfortable to you. Stressing yourself out before an examination will actually do more harm than good.
- Take breaks when needed. If you are feeling burnt out or unfocused, maybe it is time for you to take a break from all the studying. A refreshed mind is better at studying.
- Learn with a tutor. Tutors can be helpful when examinations are near. They can pinpoint your weak points and guide you to success, and that’s exactly what Superprof tutors are aiming for! Our tutors strive to have their students study in comfort, whilst achieving success; all while boasting of flexibility.
Want to know more on Superprof tutors? Head over to our homepage and choose from over 300+ Chinese language tutors from all over Malaysia!
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