New HSK 3.0: What’s Happening?
Is there is a new HSK test coming out?
Yes, in March 2022 – it’s official. Here’s what’s been happening to HSK:
In May 2020, Chinese Testing International – the HSK test administer – announced via Twitter that the Chinese Proficiency Standards will usher in a new change and the HSK test is about to be reformed.
Furthermore, they posted a chart showing this change (named “a hybrid paradigm of “Three Stages and Nine Levels”) they’ll bring to the Chinese Proficiency Standards. (We paste the chart below)
Here’s the English translation in case you can’t read it in Chinese.
| Chart 1: New Paradigm of Three Stages and Nine Levels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Levels | Level 9 | Note: Within levels 7-9, there will be no specific quantitative indicators for each level, and they will be integrated. |
| Level 8 | ||
| Level 7 | ||
| Intermediate Levels | Level 6 | Note: Within levels 1-6, a set of quantitative indicators including the number of syllables, characters, words, grammar points, etc, will be applied to each level. The standards for each level are relatively independent. |
| Level 5 | ||
| Level 4 | ||
| Elementary Levels | Level 3 | |
| Level 2 | ||
| Level 1 | ||
And almost a year later in April 2021, Chinese Testing International revealed on Wechat – China’s most popular social media service that the new Chinese Proficiency Standards are ready to be implemented from July 01, 2021, and accordingly, the HSK will adopt the “Three Stages and Nine Levels” test grading system from 2022.
To sum up: the Chinese Proficiency Standards are changing, and the HSK will need to follow suit.
What’s “Three Stages and Nine Levels” Exactly?
As you can see from the chart above, the new Chinese Proficiency Standards has ditched the former 5-level scale and incorporated a brand new 3-stage-9-level scale, aiming to describe learners’ Chinese abilities more accurately.
In this new system, levels 1-3 are categorized into the elementary stage, levels 4-6 are categorized into the intermediate stage and levels 7-9 are categorized into the advanced stage.
But here comes the question. What do you need to know to reach each of the stages and levels in the new proficiency standards?
Through the link given in the tweet, we found the exact information on the “quantitative indicators for each level” mentioned in the first chart.
Here’s the English interpretation.
| Chart 2: Overview of Quantitative Indicators (Set) for Three Stages and Nine Levels | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syllables | Characters | Words | Grammar | ||
| Advanced | Leve 7-9 | +202/1100 | 1200/3000 | +5636/11092 | +148/572 |
| Intermediate | Level 6 | +86/908 | +300/1800 | +1140/5456 | +67/424 |
| Level 5 | +98/822 | +300/1500 | +1071/4316 | +71/357 | |
| Level 4 | +116/724 | +300/1200 | +1000/3245 | +76/286 | |
| Elementary | Level 3 | +140/608 | +300/900 | +973/2245 | +81/210 |
| Level 2 | +199/468 | +300/600 | +772/1272 | +81/129 | |
| Level 1 | 269 | 300 | 500 | 48 | |
| Total | 1100 | 3000 | 11092 | 572 | |
As you can see, a set of four quantitative indicators are applied to each level. The bar raises as your level progresses.
For instance, if you want to get to Level 6 of the Intermediate Stage, you’ll need to learn 908 syllables, 1,800 characters, 5,456 words, and 424 grammar points. If you want to reach Level 9 of the Advanced Stage, then you’ll have to master all 1,100 syllables, 3,000 characters, 11092 words, and 572 grammar points.
Why is HSK Changing?
I know what you’re thinking: the current HSK seems to be working pretty well, so why does it have to change all over again?
Well, part of the reason is that the HSK needs to line up with the newly-implemented Chinese Proficiency Standards, but the fundamental reason is that the current HSK levels don’t conform to any of the international standards, and they do not accurately reflect the levels of fluency that they were purported to correspond with.
Hanban has long been claiming that the current HSK levels have a one to one equivalency to the CEFR levels (established by the Council of Europe, CEFR is the world’s most influential standard for describing language ability): HSK’s level 1-6 to CEFR’s A1 (beginner)-C2 (proficient), but this proved to be a huge overestimate, and the statement was refused by CEFR on multiple occasions.
Basically, if you’re at level 5 on the CEFR scale, you should be already proficient in the language and will have few issues using it. But the content tested in HSK Level 5 is intermediate at most – for starters, it only contained a vocabulary of 2,500 words.
Take HSK Level 6 for another example, the vocabulary requirement for HSK 6 is 5000 words. But we can all agree that this is an extremely low estimate of the vocabulary needed to be considered at a “near-native” level.
We’ve written a specific article comparing the current HSK levels with CEFR (you can read here). Here’s a quick glimpse of what we’ve come to.
| Chinese Proficiency Standards | HSK Levels | Estimated CEFR Level |
|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | HSK 6 | C1- (upper-intermediate) |
| HSK 5 | B2- (intermediate) | |
| Level 4 | HSK 4 | B1 (low-intermediate) |
| Level 3 | HSK 3 | A2 (elementary) |
| Level 2 | HSK 2 | A1+ (basic) |
| Level 1 | HSK 1 | A1- (newbie) |
You can be certain that in the new HSK system, the levels will be rebalanced to better match the CEFR scale and reflect a student’s proficiency, giving the HSK improved weighting and caliber on the international stage.
New HSK Levels: Latest Updates (April 22, 2021)
So, we’ve established the fact that the Chinese Proficiency Standards – the basis for the HSK test – has changed, but what does it mean for the HSK reform? Will the new HSK adopt the same “Three Stages and Nine Levels” paradigm? If so, will it use the same quantitative indicators for each level? More importantly, what will be the new HSK test like in 2022 and beyond?
On April 21, 2021, Chinese Testing International released some additional information via Wechat following the press conference held a day earlier. Here are the latest updates on the new HSK and its levels.
(The following is translated into English from Chinese by Google Translate)
1. The Relationship between “Chinese Proficiency Standards” and HSK Test
The “Chinese Proficiency Standards” is a norm that guides all aspects of international Chinese learning, teaching, testing, and evaluation, rather than an HSK test syllabus.
The “Standards” is instructive and non-mandatory, while the HSK test is instrumental and practical. The “Standards” provides overall guidance for the HSK test, which is mainly reflected in the theories and concepts of the international Chinese education test: 1 – the learner-centered concept; 2 – highlighting Chinese characteristics, emphasizing the four dimensions of Chinese syllables, Chinese characters, vocabulary, and grammar “benchmarks” to fully consolidate the Chinese foundation; 3 – improving the quality of international Chinese education and learners’ Chinese in an all-round way through the use of verbal communication skills, topic task content, language quantitative indicators, and the basic skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation.
From this point of view, the HSK test will be steadily adjusted under the theories and ideas of the “Standards”, such as increasing the examination of syllables, Chinese characters and grammar, and strengthening the examination of writing proficiency. These are the directions for the adjustment of the HSK test.
2. The Overall Change of HSK Tests
Everyone is very concerned about whether the vocabulary in the “Chinese Proficiency Standards” is within the scope of the HSK test. In fact, the syllable list, Chinese character list, vocabulary list, and grammar level outline in the “Standards” are the development goals of foreign Chinese learners in the above four dimensions. The scope of the HSK test, however, needs to refer to the specific conditions of Chinese education in various countries.
The existing HSK 1-6 level test basically meets the needs of foreign Chinese learners for the elementary and intermediate level tests, but for foreign Chinese learners who come to China to study in the master and doctoral stage, Chinese majors and overseas sinology studies, there is a lack of advanced Chinese Level evaluation tool.
Therefore, HSK will first increase HSK levels 7-9 based on the “Standards”, while maintaining the stability of the existing six levels of examinations, forming a “Three Stages and Nine Levels” test grading system. No adjustment will be made to the current HSK level 1-6 in the near future.
3. When and How HSK Level 7-9 Will Be Tested
Upon learning the new “Chinese Proficiency Standards” will be officially implemented on July 1, 2021, many people mistakenly thought that this is also the time when HSK starts to adjust, but it takes a process to scientifically develop HSK Levels 7-9 based on the “Standards”.
A trial test is currently planned for December 2021, while the examination will be officially launched in March 2022. The HSK level 7-9 test will adopt the format of “one paper three levels”, that is, the same test paper for three levels, and the test taker’s level will be determined according to the score.
4. How Existing HSK level 1-6 Tests Will Change
The scores of candidates participating in HSK 1-6 levels are still valid, and the validity of the certificates already obtained remains unchanged. The textbooks and courses compiled and developed based on HSK 1-6 levels can still be used. In the next 3-5 years, HSK 1-6 levels will be gradually adjusted according to the “Standards” and the actual conditions of Chinese learners in various countries. In general, we will continue to uphold the “learner-centered” philosophy and adhere to the principle of combining examination and teaching, and gradual progress, making appropriate adjustments within the scope specified in the “Standards”.
We also reached out to Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters), the Confucius Institute of Barcelona (run by Hanban), and Beijing Language and Culture University Press – publisher of the ‘HSK Standard Course’ textbook series – a while ago when Chinese Testing International first announced the HSK reform in 2020, to inquire how HSK is going to change, whether they’ve made any actual progress on the new HSK, and when the new tests will be released.
Here’s how they responded.
The New Chinese Proficiency Standards, renamed as 'Chinese Proficiency Standards in International Chinese Education' (汉语国际教育汉语水平等级标准) is currently being reviewed. It needs to be approved by the State Language Commission (国家语言文字工作委员会) before it can be officially published. Once it’s published, the new HSK will then be adjusted on the foundation of the current HSK exams to meet the new standards. We’ll keep you posted!
The project “Chinese Proficiency Standards in International Chinese Education” is mostly completed. The “new standards” is scheduled to be released in late 2020. It will be based on the paradigm of three levels and nine stages. To this end, Chinese Testing International will expand the HSK levels by developing the advanced HSK test (levels 7-9), with the premise of guaranteeing the stability of HSK levels 1-6. The advanced HSK test is mainly designed for Sinology researchers, scholars and students that specialize in Chinese language and literature, as well as for advanced students of various majors coming to study in China. A single test will be implemented for levels 7-9, and the test score will determine whether level 7, 8, or 9 is obtained. The advanced HSK test (level 7-9) is scheduled to be released in 2021.
The Chinese Proficiency Standards are currently in review. The HSK will change to 9 levels, but the new 9-level system will be away for at least 2 years.
By piecing together all the information, we are now able to have a clearer-than-ever picture of the whole new HSK situation, and where the HSK reform is heading.
First, Let’s circle back to the questions we asked earlier and give you the definitive answers here.
Will the new HSK adopt the same “Three Stages and Nine Levels” paradigm?
Yes, it will adopt the same paradigm to align with the 9-level scale to be used in the new Chinese Proficiency Standards. In other words, the new HSK will have 9 levels.
Will the new HSK levels use the same quantitative indicators as those specified in the new Chinese Proficiency Standards?
No, at least not now. A different set of requirements (e.g. number of characters, vocabulary words students must know for each level) could be applied to the new HSK. They could be set lower than the actual Chinese Proficiency Standards to guarantee the stability of existing HSK levels 1-6.
Now, let’s take a look at when the new HSK is coming out.
HSK Reform Timeline (Presumably)
Phase 1: Drafting New Chinese Proficiency Standards (completed)
A new 3-stage-9-level scale was proposed by Hanban. Quantitative indicators for each level are detailed. New HSK will be based on these new standards.
Phase 2: Reviewing New Chinese Proficiency Standards (completed)
New standards have been reviewed and approved by the State Language Commission of China. Some revisions were made. New Standards are effective from July 01, 2021.
Phase 3: Releasing Advanced HSK Test for Levels 7-9 (March 2022)
A single advanced HSK test for levels 7-9 will be added to the current HSK system in March 2022. Meanwhile, no substantial change will be made to the existing HSK tests (levels 1-6) in at least 2ish years.
Phase 4: Rolling Out New HSK Level 1-6 Tests (likely in 2024-2026)
The new versions of the HSK Level 1-6 tests are likely to be released in 2024-2026. It would take 1-2 years to completely roll out worldwide. Current HSK Level 1-6 tests could coexist.
Phase 5: Phasing out Current HSK Tests (likely in 2026-2027)
Current HSK tests will be phased out completely by the new system. Until then, old HSK test scores would still be valid for 2 years for applying to Chinese universities.
A point of reference is that it took Hanban three years to roll out the current HSK after the first edition of the Chinese Proficiency Standards was released in 2007, and that transition was made from the “hard” HSK to the “easy” HSK, without much curriculum overhaul and teacher training involved.
New HSK Levels 7-9: What Will Be the Test Like?
One of the biggest issues with the current HSK system is that its highest level – HSK 6 does not actually correspond to the high proficiency level (or “near-native” fluency level) that the test organizer claims.
We’ve talked to many test-takers and Chinese students (read here, here, and here), and they all agreed that there is a big gap between HSK Level 6 and total proficiency in Chinese. In fact, we found HSK 6 only corresponds to a middle school Chinese exam for 6-7th graders in terms of difficulty level.
To this end, we believe the upcoming HSK levels 7-9 will be much harder than the current HSK 6.
We expect the advanced exam to test the ability to understand longer, more complicated, and abstract materials, such as articles from Chinese textbooks for college students, Chinese novels and magazines, extracts from Chinese news and media, etc. Besides, knowledge of traditional Chinese expressions (e.g. chengyu) and classical Chinese grammatical structures used in modern formal Chinese (e.g. lectures, speeches) could be included and tested as well in HSK 7-9.
New HSK Levels 1-6: Will They Be More Difficult?
Will the HSK difficulty increase? Not necessarily.
A common misconception is that the new HSK will be more difficult because of the higher requirements (for instance, many believe that one has to learn 500 words, instead of the current 150, for the new Level 1 test. And potentially, knowledge of syllables will also be required), but this is just pure speculation that’s never been confirmed by Hanban.
It’s easy to mistaken the new Chinese Proficiency Standards for the new HSK requirements, especially when they’ll both have nine levels, however, these are two very different concepts.
The quantitative indicators (the number of syllables, character, words, and grammar points) specified in the new Chinese Proficiency Standards are simply overall guidelines for international Chinese education, that is, Chinese teaching, curriculum design, testing in Chinese schools. A different set of requirements could be applied to the new HSK. Though the requirements haven’t been announced officially, we know one thing for sure: just as the current HSK does not test students specifically on grammar, there certainly won’t be any specific syllable test on the new HSK! It’ll remain a 100% written test.
Bottom Line: HSK Levels don’t have to match Chinese Proficiency Standards exactly.
| Level | Current HSK | Proficiency Standards | New HSK | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characters | Words | Characters | Words | Characters | Words | |
| 9 | / | / | 3000 | 11092 | TBD | TBD |
| 8 | / | / | ||||
| 7 | / | / | ||||
| 6 | 2,500 | 5,000 | 1,800 | 5,456 | TBD | TBD |
| 5 | 1,500 | 2,500 | 1,500 | 4,316 | TBD | TBD |
| 4 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 3,245 | TBD | TBD |
| 3 | 600 | 600 | 900 | 2,245 | TBD | TBD |
| 2 | 300(optional) | 300 | 600 | 1,272 | TBD | TBD |
| 1 | 300(optional) | 150 | 300 | 500 | TBD | TBD |
Even if the future requirements turn out to be an exact match to the proposed Chinese Proficiency Standards, the new HSK tests won’t necessarily be harder than the current ones. Take HSK 6 for example, you might only need to learn 1,800 characters in the future, whereas you have to master 2,500 for the test now!
New HSK Test: Should You Be Concerned?
It all boils down to this question: should you be concerned about the new HSK test?
Well, there is absolutely nothing you need to worry about.
On the contrary, you should be glad that the HSK is undergoing reform. In the current system, you would nearly be done at HSK 5 to 6, which is far too insufficient to be considered a proficient level or for studying degree programs based on Chinese. The upcoming HSK 7-9 levels will render a perfect roadmap for you to reach total proficiency.
And if you’re still at the beginning of your Chinese learning journey, take it easy! The new HSK tests will be a better tool to measure your progress and will reflect your level of fluency more accurately.
And if your Chinese-learning goal does not align with the new HSK scale, or you don’t need an academic or professional qualification, you can always ignore the test. A language certificate should never be seen as an end goal, but rather a check-in.
https://improvemandarin.com/new-hsk/
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