New HSK Exam System (2020-2021) – The Complete Guide

HSK or Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (汉语水平考试)  is currently split into 6 levels covering 150 to 5000 words. All the exams contain listening, reading and writing components – with HSK 1 and 2 not requiring the writing element. New HSK Exam will contain more words, more levels and it will be no doubt harder – as the following below will illustrate.

“HSK is about to be reformed. In 2020, the Chinese Proficiency Standards will usher in a new change: a hybrid paradigm of ‘Three Stages and Nine Levels’ characterised by integration and all-in-one"

The new “Three stages, nine levels” evaluation system of the HSK

Announced in May 2020, released via the official HSK official Twitter Account, the exam will change from six to nine levels! In order to mark the examinees’ current progress, the nine levels will be sub-divided into three stages.

For advanced learners to acquire native-level proficiency certifications, the highest classification will be be further divided into three distinct levels.

Three Stages and Nine Levels

Officially referred to as HSK 3.0, the new HSK exam structure will be divided into three stages and nine levels with:

1. Beginner at Level 1-3

2. Intermediate at Level 4-6

3. Advanced at Level 7-9

According to the Chinese Testing International Centre in Barcelona, the advanced levels (7-9) are for foreign students who want to specialize in Chinese language and literature, and other majors such as Sinology.

The Advanced HSK exam (Level 7-9) is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2021. Whether it be the lower level or highest grade, you must learn more words so it will certainly be a harder test!

Words and Vocabulary List

In a PDF published by the International Chinese Education (世界汉语教学 shìjiè hànyǔ jiàoxué), they further outline the new proficiency standards for all the levels.The difficulty has certainly increased!

Focusing on the vocabulary column (词汇: cíhuì) a.k.a. the fifth column, we can see that just for level 1 the threshold has increased. Instead of previously needing to learn 150 words for HSK 1, this has now increased to 500. For HSK 6, students will now be required to learn 5,456 words and for HSK 9 students will be expected to know over 11,000 words!

Therefore, by increasing the threshold students will be pushed harder to learn more words. Although no vocabulary lists has been published, we recommend you get a head start by beginning to increase your current vocabulary lists etc.

NEW HSK – Why the Change?

There is no definite answer to this question.

But here’s some possible reasons:

1. To make the exam harder

As more people are studying the language, the old classification could no longer meet the requirements of the new situation.

This new classification is more precise and further categorizes students language ability. 

2. To align with the European Framework

For example, HSK 6 was nowhere near the “almost-native” C2 level and so on.

Thus, by adjusting the test to better reflect the CEFR system this should help give the HSK improved weighting and caliber on the international stage.

One major problem with the current HSK test is it does not directly correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CETR)

NEW HSK – FAQ’S + Tips

When was the New HSK announced?

In May 21st 2020 on the Official HSK Twitter account.

When will the system change?

We are still not sure of when this system will change, all we know so far is that the Advanced HSK exam (Level 7-9) is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2021.

How many words to pass the highest (new) HSK level?

The highest level of HSK you can pass with the new system is HSK 9 and this requires knowing a huge 11,092 words, more than double the current highest level (HSK6).

Source: https://ltl-school.com/new-hsk/