Overseas HSK3, 4, 5, 6 test to include mandatory speaking test from 2022?

[mungouk]

I've spotted a few reports online that from 2022 anyone taking HSK 3 or above outside of China will have to take a mandatory speaking test as well.

 

(Click image to enlarge.)

 

 

Taken from https://www.thatsmandarin.com/blog/hsk3-6-news-written-and-spoken-tests-to-be-combined-in-2022/ which has line-by-line translation.

 

The only other sites I can see reporting this at the moment are https://www.thatsmags.com/ (who do That's Beijing, That's Shanghai etc.) and https://newshimalaya.com/

 

However I can't see anything about this on official sites at http://www.chinese.cn/ or http://www.chinesetest.cn/

 

Given that the notice says this will be rolled out in January (for level 5 and 6) and March (levels 3 and 4), it seems uncharacteristically last-minute and quick. 

 

It's not clear from the announcement whether you just have to do the relevant HSKK test on the same day as the HSK, or whether they are somehow combining the two into a single exam.

 

Has anyone else heard or spotted anything?

 

I'm fairly skeptical until someone unearths a proper link to an official announcement. The image on the top-right of the announcement is the That's Mandarin logo.

 

 

 

[mungouk]

OK, I found this, buried inside the announcement about at-home tests for 2022:

 

http://www.chinesetest.cn/gonewcontent.do?id=45984233&flag=kdnew

 

Quote

 

6. 居家网考需要同时HSK笔试和口试考试，相关级别对应如下：

HSK3级参加口试 

HSK4级参加口试中级

HSK5-6级参加口试高级

注意：口试初级和中级开考时间有变，请以准考证上的时间为准。

 

 

6. The  home online test requires HSK written test and oral test at the same time . The corresponding levels are as follows:

HSK Level 3 Participate in the Oral Test Elementary

Intermediate oral examination at HSK level 4

HSK Level 5-6 Take the Oral Test Advanced

Note: The opening time of the primary and intermediate oral exams has changed. Please refer to the time on the admission ticket.

 

 

[alantin]

Should be a good development to include speaking in the test. The way I understood that was that they just require the HSKK as a part of the test.

No information about the test on Helsinki Confucius Institute website yet, but they currently only have a tentative date for spring 2022 HSK tests anyway. On 26 March 2022 this new rule should be in place then. I've been thinking about taking HSK5 then.

[mungouk]

Yes, I was also aiming for HSK 5 on 26 March, until this just fell out of the sky.

However, I've been through a bit of a plateau phase recently, and having to deal with rather too much "real life" and "work" to put the hours in for really getting to grips with the HSK 5 vocab. Going through the workbook exercises has been quite discouraging.

 

Given that taking Advanced Level HSKK — and on the same day?! — will almost certainly mean being familiar with most of the HSK 6 vocab as well (so, another 2500 words on top of the 1300 I've already been struggling to get down), I'm not feeling very positive about this right now.

 

Also: why is this only for people outside of China?  Although I fully agree that the lack of speaking test is a major downfall of HSK on its own, it's hard not see this as a cynical money-making exercise.

 

Edit: Is anyone here already signed up for the 8 January exam?  Has there been any communication on what will happen?

 

 

[suMMit]

On 12/18/2021 at 6:54 PM, mungouk said:

Also: why is this only for people outside of China?  Although I fully agree that the lack of speaking test is a major downfall of HSK on its own, it's hard not see this as a cynical money-making exercise.

Thats what I was wondering

[TaxiAsh]

I think, with the introduction of the 9 levels, and if speaking involved, it's far closer to the IELTS type scoring.